Rocky Entriken wrote:
>A while back there was a thread on battery-powered nut drivers people use
>for spinning lugnuts off and on at events. Several brands and models were
>mentioned.
[snip]
>Soooo ... those of you that have such a tool -- what is it?!?!?
>
>Brand? Model Number? Voltage? Spare Battery?
Rocky -
There are actually two different tools that people use for doing this.
One tool is a cordless drill, with a hex-to-square adapter. The adapter
has a hexagonal shaft that goes in the drill's chuck, and on the other end
has a square drive for a regular socket. This setup will spin nuts on and
off rapidly, but doesn't have the torque to either tighten the nuts, or
break them loose. Most of these drills don't put out more than 10-15 lb/ft
of torque, compared to the 70-85 lb/ft that's the normal spec for lug nuts.
The other tool is a cordless impact wrench. These are very much like the
air-powered impact wrenches that mechanics use, but usually don't have as
much torque as the air guns. I've used two different models of cordless
impact wrenches - the Makita 6911HDW and the Snap-On CT-350. I think I've
also seen one in the Hitachi catalog, and I think in the Milwaukee
catalog. Both models that I've tried are 12V units, but I think 24V models
are starting to come out. The Makita has less torque (~65 lb/ft), but is
more compact, weighs less, and is a lot cheaper (200-250 bucks at the local
tool hut, if I remember correctly. You can probably beat this by searching
on the internet.). Since it has less torque, you need to break the lugs
loose by hand first. The Snap-On has gobs more torque - I was able to
break loose bolts tightened to over 100 lb/ft. So, no more manually
breaking the lugs loose, just jack up the car and hit them with the
gun. Unfortunately, the Snap-On is a lot more expensive - I think the
truck price is 350, but I've seen group deals on them for 300 bucks. With
either of these tools, I still finish tightening the lugs by hand with my
torque wrench. Gives me a better sense of security...
Oh, yeah - no matter what you decide to get, always get a spare
battery. If you only have one, it will die at the least convenient
time. Guaranteed. :-)
Hope this helps,
Jim Ochi
jochi@ricochet.net
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