Good impact wrench?

[lashlee]

@WontonJLUR is on point!! The new Gen2 M12 impact is a beast. I want one, but don't really need one since I have the M18 high torque impact and mid torque in 1/2" and a mid torque in 3/8" to take care of stubborn fasteners. I also have an Ingersol Rand 1/2" air impact and a Snap On 3/8" air impact if I ever run out of batteries.

Like others have mentioned, find one that's comfortable in your hands and in the price point that you can afford and have fun!

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[Terrymo]

The rest of the impact related reasons I’m broke…which doesn’t include what I keep in the Jeep. Keep pictures and receipts of your tools for insurance reasons, just don’t let your wife see them.

 

[58Willys]

If you’re doing lug nuts and suspension work, , then you’ll need a 1/2” impact. For pulling a diff cover, a 3/8” like the Milwaukee stubby works well. I have all Milwaukee, and have had for 15 years. Still using the first set of batteries.

 

[Billkowski]

The M12 wont remove lug nuts or suspension bolts. It’s good for small fasteners though. I have a 1/4” M12 impact and it’s great for fasteners up to about 13mm.

A Milwaukee M18 Fuel will do lug nuts and large fasteners with ease. Make sure you get impact rated sockets too. An impact will split regular polished sockets with repeated use, and if you use 12 point sockets with an impact not only will you ruin the socket quickly, you will ruin fasteners too.

My M12 fuel will easily bust control arm bolts loose, I think it's rated at over 200ft lbs of torque.

 

[Grayhound]

The rest of the impact related reasons I’m broke…which doesn’t include what I keep in the Jeep. Keep pictures and receipts of your tools for insurance reasons, just don’t let your wife see them.

Love your security signage!

 

[Heimkehr]

What is a good size impact wrench for general mx/mod install? Never had one and many options. Suggestions on accessories or could regular sockets be used?

I've a Milwaukee M12 1/2" drive impact for general garage duty, and I do like it. That said, if I was to carry one in my Jeep, I'd want the larger and stronger M18 version, just for peace of mind.

Note also that, yes, the black impact-rated sockets are the only ones acceptable for use with such a tool. Six point are strongly recommended (and thankfully common) so that the risk of rounding off bolt heads, etc. is minimized when compared to twelve point.

The M12 wont remove lug nuts or suspension bolts.

Yes, it will.

Removing the 130 ft.-lb. lug nuts on the Jeep is in fact the primary use case for my M12 impact wrench. It will also loosen at least some suspension bolts, per the preceding photo.

 

[Grey24Rubi]

I have three Milwaukee impacts a 1/2 drive corded (I've had this one for nearly twenty years and used it a ton) a 1/2 mid torque M18 Fuel and a 1/4 Hex M18 Fuel. I easily use the M18 Fuel 1/4 Hex Impact the most.

I'm a big fan of Milwaukee power tools and I have numerous corded Milwaukee tools as well and they've all been excellent products. I just recently bought one of their big XC12 Forge M18 batteries and it is impressive. It sucks because they're more expensive but if you're being a new Milwaukee cordless M18 tool I highly recommend springing for one of their Forge batteries. I see more of their tools and definitely more of their Forge batteries in my future.

 

[MINNESOTA 68]

I never owned one either till I broke off a couple spark plugs on an old dodge Ram. Went with dewalt, and it was instantly one of my favorite tools. If you are not invested in a brand do research first, as once you buy your first dewalt tool you will soon have to buy a new cabinet to store all the other dewalt tools you will "need". I am sure it is the same if you get a milwaukee or one of the other brands, but it makes sense to stick with a brand once you are invested.

 

[21JLURDG]

My feeling is that you spend on tools accordingly with your planned use (abuse) of them. If you're only going to use for one project or only for emergency trail use, it should be the cheapest but just good enough to call disposable (e.g. cheapest Harbor Freight models). If you're the type that regularly changes suspension lifts and helps friends fix their junk, then you probably are not asking for guidance here and already own top quality stuff (e.g. Milwaukee, Festool).

For occasional but reliable use, I think midrange brands and models are the right fit. I decided to go with Ryobi and have not regretted it. The One+ 18V line has been very reliable and plenty of power for me. On really stuck bolts I prefer to use a breaker bar to carefully loosen it without breaking it.

As for sockets, I did go top quality with the Tekton 87-piece 1/2" set (SID92407). Great tools.

 

[SadRobot]

I never owned one either till I broke off a couple spark plugs on an old dodge Ram. Went with dewalt, and it was instantly one of my favorite tools. If you are not invested in a brand do research first, as once you buy your first dewalt tool you will soon have to buy a new cabinet to store all the other dewalt tools you will "need". I am sure it is the same if you get a milwaukee or one of the other brands, but it makes sense to stick with a brand once you are invested.

Ha so true. Most of my Amazon wishlist is more DeWalt tools.

 

[Grayhound]

I've a Milwaukee M12 1/2" drive impact for general garage duty, and I do like it. That said, if I was to carry one in my Jeep, I'd want the larger and stronger M18 version, just for peace of mind.

Note also that, yes, the black impact-rated sockets are the only ones acceptable for use with such a tool. Six point are strongly recommended (and thankfully common) so that the risk of rounding off bolt heads, etc. is minimized when compared to twelve point.

Yes, it will.

Removing the 130 ft.-lb. lug nuts on the Jeep is in fact the primary use case for my M12 impact wrench. It will also loosen at least some suspension bolts, per the preceding photo.

TIL the 1/2 m12 impact exists. I now need this!

 

[LARSONEM]

I have Ryobi tools. The One+ HP are a great home owner tool for the money, especially for the guys who don’t use them on a daily basis. The One+ HP 3 speed impact (PBLIW01) puts out 1170 ft-lb of torque, slightly less than the Dewalt, which is slightly less than the Milwaukee. I originally thought of updating my tools to Dewalt, but there’s two levels of tools there too; Dewalt and the Dewalt XR. I had the regular Ryobi tools (Ryobi makes two lines; Ryobi and Ryobi One+ HP) and the upgrades in both the 1/2 inch impact and 7 1/4 inch circular saw are impressive. I was so impressed with them, that I upgraded the remainder of my tools to One+ HP including batteries.

 

[CptFloridaMan]

On a budget? I love my harbor freight compact 1/2” impact.

It takes my lug nuts off with ease so far, haven’t used it for the control arms or the axle nut yet but so far good.

 

[Aussicon]

Seeing as I have all DeWalt, another vote for 1/2" Dewalt XR - absolute beast with 3 settings that will rip your arm off. Have a compact Dewalt as well, but struggles with torqued up lug nuts. Tried cheaper things off Amazon years ago, but they couldn't pull a sailor off your sister. Buy once cry once.

 

[Jeep Wick]

What is a good size impact wrench for general mx/mod install? Never had one and many options. Suggestions on accessories or could regular sockets be used?




Thanks all and safe travels.

For big jobs I have a battery DeWalt 1/2" with lots of torque. Small jobs I have a 3/8" Craftsman from Lowes that works great.

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