Anybody know anything about air wrenches?

[Fritz The Cat]

I've got 2 1/2 inch air wrenches, one a cheapo from Harbor Freight and the other I got free with the purchase of my current air compressor. Neither one have enough ass to loosen and tighten lug nuts. I always have to pre loosen and final tighten by hand. Surely there are wrenches out there that will do this. Is it a matter of what the cost or is there something else I need to look for.

[Joe Hummer]

What size is your air compressor and pressure setting?  What about your air lines and valves?  Most impact wrenches require a lot of air fast to run.  If you are trying to operate them through a 1/4" line, you may not be getting enough air to operate them at maximum capacity.  My impact gun will barely work for lug nuts.  I have a big enough air compressor, high enough pressure (around 100 PSI fully charged) but smaller lines (1/4 to 3/8"...don't remember which).  I have an electric impact wrench that I picked up from Harbor Freight before I upgraded my air compressor that works great for loosening lug nuts.   

One word of caution though...a straight impact wrench when operating properly can over-torque your lug nuts.  you will want to get a set of torque limiting extensions (can be had at Harbor Freight) that will help protect your lugs...and allow you to get them off without the use of a 15 ft breaker bar...   Most tire shops use these too. 

Joe

[paul246]

I bought a used Mac Tools 1/2" drive, has no problem on lug nuts.

I always snug 'em up and then go back with a torque wrench to do the final tightening. Prevents warped brake discs that way.

[Patrick]

What the others said, you need a decent compressor with good capacity and pressure along with 3/8" lines and you should be fine along with a good wrench. When its comes to wrenches, you tend to get what you pay for.
When it comes to using them to install wheels, I recommend just snugging them and going over them with a decent torque wrench. Torque sticks have gotten better over the years, but, I've had way too many bad incidents with them to ever again use them.
That said, with the quality today of electric stuff, some of these wrenches are pretty darn good.

[bentwrench]

Most air tools need a min.of 90 psi to work at all.150-160 will have them working properly.I run 180 at the comp.,this gives me 150 at the end of the hose.

[old2soon]

Pressure in conjuction with C F M-cubic feet per minute. Find out from the plate on the impact wrench the MINIMUM C F M needed then look at your compressor spec plate and see if they are close. Bigger pipes for the air supply-3/4" to 1" won't hurt nuttin but yer wallet. The key here is keeping up the C F M. A larger I D hose for the wrench also. Impacts are air thirsty like our Valks a gasoline thirsty. RIDE SAFE.

[Fritz The Cat]

Thanks all. The line is 3/8 and the pressure is supposed to be 150 but the gauge reads 120. The tank is 20 gal. The line from the compressor is 3/8 and the hose reel might be 1/4. I'll try hooking directly to the compressor and see what happens. About the only thing I use the 1/2" wrench for is lug nuts. I wouldn't mind spending money on a good one but wouldn't be happy if that turned out not to be the problem.

[Robert]

Works for me and it would be best if the compressor hit 120psi, it will still do the job at 90 though. Its quiet powerful and fast. Hold up under daily use and its pretty light. If it will not loosen the nut then you keep cranking on it and it can break the stud. Sometime with wheels its a blessing when some fool has put them on to tight and cross threaded them and they wont come off under normal circumstances. If you worry about making things to tight then get a set of torque sticks and they will tighten to a predetermined torque. Needs a 3/8 inch line not 1/4 not enough air.


http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-2135TiMAX-2-Inch-Impact-Wrench/dp/B000WMN2GU#productDetails


The 2135TiMAX
1/2-Inch Impactool
At a Glance:

   Provides 750 ft./lbs. max reverse torque--best power-to-weight ratio in its class

   Features enhanced controls for greater comfort and convenience

   Patented 4-position power regulator dial and feather-touch push-button trigger

   Organized air flow for maximum performance job after job

   Backed by a full 2-year warranty

http://www.tooltopia.com/astro-pneumatic-78810.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid_search_google_pla&scid=scplp6808597&gclid=CNqCwYPYkcECFRIS7AodBgoA1g

[BonS]

I've got 2 1/2 inch air wrenches, one a cheapo from Harbor Freight and the other I got free with the purchase of my current air compressor. Neither one have enough ass to loosen and tighten lug nuts. I always have to pre loosen and final tighten by hand. Surely there are wrenches out there that will do this. Is it a matter of what the cost or is there something else I need to look for.

Are we talking about air-ratchets versus impact wrenches? Air-ratchets aren't designed for high torque like an impact wrench. They're basically medium duty tools for medium sized nuts and bolts. Air-ratchets are great tools that speed up jobs but they're not intended to break most lug nuts free.

[Fritz The Cat]

Nope, they're impact wrenches and labeled as such. They run off compressed air.

[BonS]

My Harbor Freight impact wrench is labeled with a 90 psi limit. But when push comes to shove I crank it up to 120 and most things pop right off. So far so good.

[YoungPUP]

I use one of two Ingersoll Rand guns. My favorite is the IR Titanium 1/2"  but for bigger jobs I've got an older IR 1/2".  I've got my system in the garage regulated to 90psi, but I've got a direct fitting on the tank for  150psi when I need to break things.  A word of caution. Lesser quality air tools can/will explode if given more pressure than rated for on the information tag.  ( Had an off brand air drill disassemble itself in my hands back in high school) Thank God for Mechanix gloves.

[3W-lonerider]

when I got an air compressor for my shed I ran into the same problem. my impacts wouldn't loosen a lug nut . what I found was the regulator wasn't getting enough air threw it. took off the regulator and running without it. impacts work fine now.

[Dusty]

My impact wrenches have knob on the bottom to throttle the air. When these screws are turned in the wrench is gutless. Might be something to check.

Dusty

[fon1961]

Need pressure and volume to keep pair tools (overall) happy...  Got a buddy that has a set up that works good?  If so, try your tool on his compressor to rule out a lame tool.

once u get your air source worked out be advised that over torquing is easy to achieve, recommend you invest in a couple of torque wrenches...will save you heartache and $. 

[john]

loosen with breaker bar ... r/r with air  wrench (air ratchet or impact  gun?)
tighten to specs with torque wrench ... find torque  specs for vehicle on line