[georgere]

i need recommendation for a drive impact tool. I am not much of a mechanic so I cant figure how to pick a good tool. I have been using the regular hand tool to remove my wheels and it got PITA. I want to simplify my life.

what drive impact tool do you use?

[TheBigYahi]

Not the response you want, but I moved from my air impact to a 24" breaker bar and haven't looked back. It takes less time to use the breaker than setting up my compressor/hoses/grabbing the tools.

I also cross threaded and stripped a lug nut on our old Sorento using an impact driver so I'm probably just gun shy.

[floydarogers]

I always break things loose with a 18" socket wrench.
I always get the bolts well started with the socket. I once - ONCE - stripped a bolt putting it in with the impact wrench.

I sometimes use a DeWalt electric impact wrench to take them off - only a cord, no air compressor. Less often I use it to put them in. Always tighten by hand.

[HouseN54]

Snap On 1/2inch electric impact. Done.

[Efthreeoh]

^ agreed. Or Sears sells a nice electric impact gun. When installing, just thread the bolt a few turns and you'll never cross thread.

[Three_thirty_I]

Have actually been wanting to get a nice electric impact wrench, but not specifically for removing/fitting wheels so much, but for jobs where you ideally need an impact wrench.

[Artmasterx]

I have a Makita one that works ok. It isn't powerful enough take off the tightest nuts/bolts, but does speed things up. http://www.makitatools.com/en-us/Mod...px?Name=XDT042

For wheel, I always break loose with a breaker bar and finish tightening with a torque wrench, but impact driver speeds the other parts.

Very useful for many smaller bolts and such. Also, even though it cant always break loose a large rusty bolt, I think it does often disrupt the rust enough to make taking it off with hand tools easier.

This one also has the 1/4" hex quick connect, which is useful often times. So it's easy to use to screwdriver attachments, torx, etc.

However, I sometime worry that my hex->3/8" or hex->1/2" socket adapters could fail on really tough jobs. So if you want something for big/tight bolts, the tools with the dedicated 1/2" drive are probably a better choice.

[Luckystrike24]

i have Milwaukee 3/8" and 1/2" electric impacts. The 3/8" is just powerful enough to do wheels if they are not over torqued but I prefer to use my 1/2" on them. I use them both almost everyday. I love them, way more than my IR air impacts.

[UncleWede]

I asked for (and got) a Milwaukee corded 1/2" impact wrench for Father's day last year. Couldn't wait to break loose bolts with that bad boy. I've now changed so many lawnmower blades, it's fun! Even the larger tractor ones at the baseball fields. Sears or Home Depot had a series of metric and standard sockets that hang from a "tree" with all the graduated sizes, they sit in the tray under the impact wrench in my tool box.

I use it to take off the nuts, but just give it a single quick squeeze after hand-threading the nuts to spin them close to the hub. I always finish by hand, although not yet with a proper torque wrench.

Breaker bar for sure. HF is your friend.

[ajaye]

Originally Posted by Artmasterx

I have a Makita one that works ok. It isn't powerful enough take off the tightest nuts/bolts, but does speed things up. http://www.makitatools.com/en-us/Mod...px?Name=XDT042

For wheel, I always break loose with a breaker bar and finish tightening with a torque wrench, but impact driver speeds the other parts.

Very useful for many smaller bolts and such. Also, even though it cant always break loose a large rusty bolt, I think it does often disrupt the rust enough to make taking it off with hand tools easier.

This one also has the 1/4" hex quick connect, which is useful often times. So it's easy to use to screwdriver attachments, torx, etc.

However, I sometime worry that my hex->3/8" or hex->1/2" socket adapters could fail on really tough jobs. So if you want something for big/tight bolts, the tools with the dedicated 1/2" drive are probably a better choice.

I do wheels by hand w/ a 1/2" drive ratchet/socket and my trusty 18" long piece of random steel pipe to break loose...but I used that Makita impact for hours every day for work for about a year and a 1/2 and it never let me down. The combo drill/driver sets go on sale for like $169, I don't start any job without having mine with me. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-18...200W/100596872