Cordless impact wrench

[mudcreek183]

Looking for a good one general around the farm use . How do the high end Harbor freight stack up? TIA

 

[Hayfarmer]

I haven't used Harbor Freight, they probably work ok but don't usually last as long and if you get extra batteries you are stuck with the brand. I have a Dewalt and am very happy with it, lots of power. I have other Dewalt products that use same battery. It is heavier than my air impact.

 

[gmccool]

I have a Dewalt that will loosen anything on the farm. But keep in mine Dewalt has three power levels of cordless impacts and this one is the most powerful one they make.

 

[JDIH]

I have a lot of the hercules line (the premium ones, Bauer is their cheaper line) from harbor freight. They have been absolutely awesome. The brushless tools have a 5 year warranty. Free exchange on the spot, not send it in and get it fixed. Wide array of different ah batteries which are all physically different sizes. The chargers will charge 12v and 20v. I've had Dewalt in the past and I have no intention to go back

 

[scootergmc]

Looking for a good one general around the farm use . How do the high end Harbor freight stack up? TIA

What sort of fasteners do you expect to be removing with the wrench? Do you do a lot of mechanic work?

 

[johnnmr]

Once you commit to a battery platform the additional bare tools don't seem so expensive.

No experience with the harbor freight impacts, does HF have other cordless tools you'd have a use for? Will they still be selling replacement batteries in a 5 years?

My experience is with 18 v Milwaukee tools, with the exception of the cordless Sawzall they're great. The batteries get to wobbling in our Sawzall and lose connection. It's a design defect that I assume other makers don't have.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Once you commit to a battery platform the additional bare tools don't seem so expensive.

No experience with the harbor freight impacts, does HF have other cordless tools you'd have a use for? Will they still be selling replacement batteries in a 5 years?

My experience is with 18 v Milwaukee tools, with the exception of the cordless Sawzall they're great. The batteries get to wobbling in our Sawzall and lose connection. It's a design defect that I assume other makers don't have.

john
I made an adapter for a friend who has HF tools. He wanted to power it with a 20v DeWalt battery.
So with a little modifications, I can use a junk HF battered and bought a

Power Wheel Adapter for Dewalt 20V Battery Adapter Power Wheel Battery Converter with Fuse & Switch & Wire Terminals 12AWG Wire for DIY Rc Toys and Ride On Truck​

Attach to the junk battery to power adapter and remove all the dead cells in the HF battery
I have a single speed DeWalt impact. When that doesn't work I use a heavy duty breaker bar to break lose the nut.

Plus you can buy many adapters to power any tool with a dewalt battery.

 

[wh]

Dewalt 20v Will do anything you need.

 

[olddavid]

I have both a 1/2 inch Rigid drill and an impact driver. Both are outstanding. The 1/2 inch socket bits may not stand up forever (I broke one), but the impact driver will. I used it the other day to loosen the engine pulley on my rider. Also, the blade nuts. I also bought a Rigid rip saw because it takes the same battery.

 

[scootergmc]

I guess I need to ask this since it comes up every time-

OP- are you referring to an impact wrench or an impact driver? Two different things often confused for each other.

 

[Mule Meat]

I have four or five DeWalt impact tools.
The DCF961is the strongest with about 1900 lbs breaking torque. They work best when using 5 Ah or larger batteries. Even on semi lug nuts very few have needed a breaker bar to remove.

 

[Watthour]

Having been stuck with some '80s and '90s failures, I've always had a concern for the battery formats. As @johnnmr stated previously, once you settle on a battery the rest falls into place. If Hairball Fright changes from China to Malaysia or India for tool suppliers, the batteries you have could be all but useless. Of course, it's not just them. Many brands that were once European or north American (Bosch. Milwaukee, Skil) are now sourced from China, and all could be in the same boat - Or in this case, container ship.

We didn't make our bed overnight, and just putting on clean sheets isn't going to solve the root problem. Rebuilding the bedroom is going to require some time and effort, but when we are done it will be a really nice, secure bedroom. Personally, I am avoiding making any purchases of things which are not western-sourced that I don't intend to eat or recycle, as it might be wasted money. For that matter, I don't intend to purchase anything to eat that isn't western-hemisphere sourced, just as a matter of principled health maintenance.

 

[olddavid]

While my Rigid is an impact driver it works well for me as an impact wrench to loosen nuts.

 

[Watthour]

I have four or five DeWalt impact tools.
The DCF961is the strongest with about 1900 lbs breaking torque. They work best when using 5 Ah or larger batteries. Even on semi lug nuts very few have needed a breaker bar to remove.

I do submerged equipment, and much of it is stainless. Even with antiseize compounds, a bolt will occasionally gall. I've won a free lunch from a contractor in the field who was confident that his whiz-bang zip gun would make quick work of flange bolts. About a quarter-turn into the fourth or fifth bolt it happened. Away went the battery impact which had some insane advertised "peak torque" rating like that. After a portable compressor, 3/4" hose and 1" impact, the breaker bars appeared. Then the torch (some people need to learn the hard way). Damaged heads, broken sockets, busted knuckles, and a lot of blue words later, we decided where to send him to pick up lunch, whereupon the plasma cutter was broken out to finish the task. It just goes to prove that even people in Nevada can learn eventually.

This was all despite the warnings about using hand tools to have the feel and feedback to know when to STOP before creating a disaster.

 

[Tgrasher]

Milwaukee was given to me by my son, impressed me and my bil when it loosened the lugs on his semi-trailer.

 

[scootergmc]

Milwaukee was given to me by my son, impressed me and my bil when it loosened the lugs on his semi-trailer.

I am Milwaukee as well. I have the M18 medium duty 1/2" fuel impact wrench. It has zipped off rusty tractor lugs quite easily. If I need more I have breaker bars, larger chuck air platforms, and heat available.

I also have the M12 compact 1/2" impact wrench. It's also pretty powerful given its size.

 

[Goose]

I have a Ryobi 1/2 inch drive and 18 volt. It's rated ad 300 foot pounds of torque, with 3 settings. .

When I bought it, I said it would be handy to have around the shop but I didn't expect it to compete with my 1200 ft. lb. air impact tool. I haven'e used the air tool since I got the Ryobi cordless.

 

[chvet73]

Both my son and I own the Ridgid 1/2” impact. Can’t remember the last time I used my air driven impact.

 

[Scott Farm]

Looking for a good one general around the farm use . How do the high end Harbor freight stack up? TIA

I have a Kobalt 24v 1/2” drive. I couldn’t be happier with it for the price. Rarely is there a lug nut that it won’t remove.

 

[GuitarBob]

Been using a HF Earthquake 20v impact for quite a while. I don’t make my living with it, but it hasn’t failed me yet. I have a couple Bauer, and some Hercules. No issues at all, but again, I don’t make my living with em, only repairs