Impact Torque Ratings

[lBasket]

Are the torque ratings on all impacts just made up BS, or does my DeWalt just suck really hard?

I have a DeWalt 3/8 20v impact:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MLM7BQJ?tag=wranglerorg-20

Not top of the line of course but not some cheap no name Chinese brand. It claims it has 450ft lbs of breakaway torque. I can torque my wheel lugs to 90ft lbs with a torque wrench and then it can't break them free.

Is this normal? Are the nominal figures just made up? Is DeWalt really *that* bad?

 

[DuckNut]

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Edit: used wrong product...deleted for clarity.

 

[lBasket]

The one you list the link for has a rating of 1,700 INCH pounds on the website = 141 FOOT pounds. I still think that is high but let's run with it.

The Amazon link clearly has the wrong figures listed.

https://www.dewalt.com/product/dcf8...dless-14-compact-impact-driver-kit?tid=576851

You got scammed by "it is on the internet so it must be true".

I have the big Milwaukee impact driver and that sombitch is likely to break a wrist.

Mine is a 3/8in drive so this link is a different product.

My order details say DCF923B. I guess I haven't confirmed I got that model number explicitly.

https://www.dewalt.com/product/dcf9...rdless-impact-wrench-hog-ring-anvil-tool-only

I'm kinda leaning towards these are made up BS numbers. Otherwise it'd be silly to recommend something that has like 1400ft lbs to work on a normal vehicle.

 

[DuckNut]

Mine is a 3/8in drive so this link is a different product.

My order details say DCF923B. I guess I haven't confirmed I got that model number explicitly.

https://www.dewalt.com/product/dcf9...rdless-impact-wrench-hog-ring-anvil-tool-only

I'm kinda leaning towards these are made up BS numbers. Otherwise it'd be silly to recommend something that has like 1400ft lbs to work on a normal vehicle.

My bad. I F'd up. Going back to correct.

450 is hard to swallow from such a small tool.

 

[tworley]

I've always wondered this myself, but have never tested my milwaukee impact.

 

[lBasket]

My bad. I F'd up. Going back to correct.

450 is hard to swallow from such a small tool.

As in you think it's unlikely something that small can actually do 450ft lbs?

 

[lBasket]

I've always wondered this myself, but have never tested my milwaukee impact.

How would you test something that can supposedly put out 1400ft lbs?

Even for mine a torque wrench that could test 450 would probably be like 10x the cost of the impact itself

 

[DuckNut]

As in you think it's unlikely something that small can actually do 450ft lbs?

Yes.

How would you test something that can supposedly put out 1400ft lbs?

Take a 10 foot pipe, slip it over your wrench, hang 140 lbs on the end.

I tried to break loose a front bearing nut and used an 8 foot fence post and hung myself over the end and still needed a buddy to help push. If I remember right it was 225 (or there about). Just guessed when we put it back on - hasn't fallen off yet.

 

[Apparition]

As in you think it's unlikely something that small can actually do 450ft lbs?

Skip to about 9:10 if you want

 

[lBasket]

Skip to about 9:10 if you want

Yeah but that Milwaukee is like 600$ which I won't pay

 

[Apparition]

Yeah but that Milwaukee is like 600$ which I won't pay

Do you want to bust a nut or not? And it’s less than half that.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...-5-0-Ah-High-Output-Battery-2562-21/330838850

 

[lBasket]

Do you want to bust a nut or not? And it’s less than half that.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...-5-0-Ah-High-Output-Battery-2562-21/330838850

Meh lol. Definitely not that badly. Maybe DeWalt does just suck though.

I've found the impact to be significantly less useful than I was hoping in all honesty. In my head it was gonna speed everything up zipping bolts on and off but.... it just isn't like that. Doesn't fit many places and the bolts stick to the sockets and end up taking longer to get off the socket than to remove by hand. It can break away probably 90% of bolts so I don't think the strength is the problem. oh well.

 

[Mike_H]

Meh lol. Definitely not that badly. Maybe DeWalt does just suck though.

I've found the impact to be significantly less useful than I was hoping in all honesty. In my head it was gonna speed everything up zipping bolts on and off but.... it just isn't like that. Doesn't fit many places and the bolts stick to the sockets and end up taking longer to get off the socket than to remove by hand. It can break away probably 90% of bolts so I don't think the strength is the problem. oh well.

Man…I love my mid torque Milwaukee stubby. It definitely sped up my process. I think your Dewalt just sucks…and I have a fair number of yellow tools.

 

[lBasket]

Man…I love my mid torque Milwaukee stubby. It definitely sped up my process. I think your Dewalt just sucks…and I have a fair number of yellow tools.

Based on what I have right now, I think I'd be more content with one of those powered ratchet form factor ones. What I have now isn't as strong as I hoped, but not the only thing I dislike about it.

Oh well! I'll keep using it but I've gone 12 years without an impact so it won't kill me to have a mediocre one.

 

[Mike_H]

Based on what I have right now, I think I'd be more content with one of those powered ratchet form factor ones. What I have now isn't as strong as I hoped, but not the only thing I dislike about it.

Oh well! I'll keep using it but I've gone 12 years without an impact so it won't kill me to have a mediocre one.

Yeah, if you think you can replace it with a powered ratchet, its def not right. I'd maybe look into a warranty claim. There isn't any comparison between my impact and a powered ratchet.

 

[lBasket]

Yeah, if you think you can replace it with a powered ratchet, its def not right. I'd maybe look into a warranty claim. There isn't any comparison between my impact and a powered ratchet.

I haven't actually looked at them, only seen pics and the form factor seems significantly better. Are they a lot weaker? The "gun" form factor is, frankly, awful in my short experience.

 

[Mike_H]

I haven't actually looked at them, only seen pics and the form factor seems significantly better. Are they a lot weaker? The "gun" form factor is, frankly, awful in my short experience.

They are orders of magnitude less powerful...the m12 ratchet makes 35 ft-lbs and the M12 Stubby Impact does 250 ft-lbs. My M18 Mid-torque is something dumb like 600 ft-lbs.

 

[lBasket]

They are orders of magnitude less powerful...the m12 ratchet makes 35 ft-lbs and the M12 Stubby Impact does 250 ft-lbs. My M18 Mid-torque is something dumb like 600 ft-lbs.

Oh jeez that is entirely useless lol my pinky can exert more force guess manual it is.

You know what they say, if you want something done right...

 

[Apparition]

Oh jeez that is entirely useless lol my pinky can exert more force guess manual it is.

You know what they say, if you want something done right...

I rarely use my ratchet. My M12 stubby is the most used. My M18 impact is older so it’s only something like 1400 ft lbs but I’m yet to see it struggle on anything.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I've never used a 3/8" drive Dewalt but I have a big 1/2' drive brushless Dewalt DCF899, compact 1/2" drive brushless Dewalt DCF911 and a compact 1/2" drive brushless HCB84B Hercules and they all break the lugnuts loose on my Jeep and Silverado. The big dewalt was the first one I bought and it removed and installed all the hardware when I did my suspension lift in 2018 all on one charge.