Battery powered Impact WRENCH or Impact DRIVER?

[ParkCountry]

I've been thinking of doing this for years, and this past weekend was the straw that broke the camel's back, sweating my butt off in 90F heat. Simply stated, I want to use a battery powered portable tool to raise and lower my Stabilizer Jacks. Do I need to purchase an Impact WRENCH or an Impact DRIVER? The tool also needs to do double-duty by being able to Remove and Install the LUG NUTS on my F-350 Super Duty, which have a torque spec of (what I've been able to glean from the internet) 145-150 ft-lbs of Torque. Also, should I get an 18VDC tool or a 20VDC tool? Any brand suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help!

[theoldwizard1]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Impact Driver is used for running screws.

Impact Wrench is used for lug nuts.

A drill is all that is needed for the stab jacks.

CONCUR !

If you are carrying a torque wrench for the finally tightening of wheel lug nuts and are willing to use it to crack them loose, then you can save yourself a lot of money be buying a 3/8" drive 12V impact wrench like a Milwaukee M12 3/8" impact and 3/8" drill/driver. Save even more buy choosing the non-FUEL versions (FUEL version have a bit more power and a bit better battery life). Stick with the 3/8" impact NOT the 1/4" hex, then buy a Milwaukee 48-03-4405 square to hex adapter.

If you want to do lug nuts, you really need an 18V (or higher) 1/2" impact.

[Pirate1]

fj12ryder wrote:
"Any mechanic worth anything will run the lugs on and then use a torque wrench to finish."

This is very true, but good mechanics are not the ones removing and refitting the wheels, that would usually fall to the grunts.

The idiots at my tire joint insisted they would use a torque wrench. I watched them on wheel number one as they torqued down the lug nuts to who-knows-what using the impact wrench and THEN put the torque wrench on. Clicks. Yep, all torqued. Fools. Of course I jumped in after running for the shop supervisor. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

[OH48Lt]

I use a Milwaukee 18v impact wrench (600 lb ft torque) for the heavy stuff like lug nut removal. Not sure I would want to use anything like that on stabilizers. A small drill motor would work great for that.

Best thing is to get two different tools. If you are limited to one tool, a drill motor is not going to remove lug nuts.

[j-d]

OP - If you still want to do what you posted, specifically, get a cordless tool that'll change Ford Pickup tires (and presumably Trailer Tires...), AND crank Leveling Jacks, then...

Ryobi 1+ setup (18V) should do it. Be sure you get the new P261 tool $179

Kobalt 24V Brushless mentioned above $249

RIDGID 18V kit I pictured above $149

If I had nothing, I'd probably start out with RIDGID. Ryobi will do the job. Kobalt has the numbers, but at the highest price, without the lifetime Tool AND BATTERY plan from Home Depot, falls short on Bang for the Buck.

For me, Price, Value, Performance says RIDGID.

[STBRetired]

HF is now pushing a 20V 1/2" impact they claim has 1200 ft/lbs of torque. When the lug nut it tight, your wrist snaps to prevent over-tightening.

[Mel_B_]

ParkCountry wrote:
I've been thinking of doing this for years, and this past weekend was the straw that broke the camel's back, sweating my butt off in 90F heat. Simply stated, I want to use a battery powered portable tool to raise and lower my Stabilizer Jacks. Do I need to purchase an Impact WRENCH or an Impact DRIVER? The tool also needs to do double-duty by being able to Remove and Install the LUG NUTS on my F-350 Super Duty, which have a torque spec of (what I've been able to glean from the internet) 145-150 ft-lbs of Torque. Also, should I get an 18VDC tool or a 20VDC tool? Any brand suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help!

How often do you change your truck tire?? I have a 2000 F350 I bought in 2001 and I've never changed a tire on it. I buy new tires when needed and if I did have a flat, if AAA can't come I'm sure I could change it with a lug wrench.
Mel

[SaltiDawg]

downtheroad wrote:
An impact wrench with 700+ ft. lbs. of torque...
Good grief, as you lower your stab. jacks it will also lower and raise 5 others trailers without even leaving your site...and will drown out the noise of a 767 flying 100 feet over the campground....

Would it also drown out the noise from that other portable generator?

You know the one. The one with the wrong color. :W

[beemerphile1]

Impact Driver is used for running screws.

Impact Wrench is used for lug nuts.

A drill is all that is needed for the stab jacks. Don't be that person that annoys the entire campground making a racket using an impact for the stab jacks.

[Chum_lee]

kzspree320 wrote:
Well if you have ever had your tires rotated at a dealer/ shop you can forget about the torque ratings for the lug nuts. My experience is that they use impact wrenches and the torque is way more than spec. Often it is almost double spec. Lug nuts on my fiver are supposed to be torqued to 120 lbs. When I had a blowout one of the lug nuts was almost impossible to remove with the t lug wrench. I had to use almost all of my 230 lb weight to push down and all my strength to pull up on the other side. I will guaranty it was torqued to over 250. Point is, get way more than you think you need unless you do all your own tire changing with a torque wrench. Good luck.

Yes, this has been my experience also. So, . . . whenever anyone other than me touches the wheels on my motorhome, cars, or, whatever, immediately afterward, I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS break the lug nuts/bolts loose and retighten them to the proper specification using a torque wrench. 9 times out of 10, well, you know the story from here. Having a flat tire on the road is bad enough. Breaking every tool in my box or giving myself a hernia trying to fix it is just more annoyance I don't need.

Chum lee

[azrving]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

rjxj wrote:
I just searched Makita and found this 325 ft lb. Now you got me wanting one. 🙂

OH WAIT! I found this monster. When the stabilizer reaches the end of it's travel it would just rip it right off the rig! lol

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

At end of travel, it stays stationary

YOU revolve

lol, you're right, it would at least beat the heck out of me.

[Stefonius]

Bobbo wrote:
This impact wrench is the one I use, but I have a lot of the tools that use that same battery and charger. It claims 300 ft-lbs of torque.

I use the same Ryobi 1/2" impact driver for the lug nuts on truck and trailer. They come off easily with that tool, and when I put them back on, I only snug them with the driver, then torque them properly with a torque wrench.

For those who complain about noise, these impact drivers don't make any hammering noise unless they're put under a pretty severe load. Running stabilizer jacks down isn't going to make them go loud until you actually take the weight of the camper on the jack. Even then, it's probably not as loud as your idling diesel truck engine, or your radio, or your open-frame contractor generator, or your drunken friends, or your free-range children, or your barking mutts. 🙂

[downtheroad]

An impact wrench with 700+ ft. lbs. of torque...
Good grief, as you lower your stab. jacks it will also lower and raise 5 others trailers without even leaving your site...and will drown out the noise of a 767 flying 100 feet over the campground....

Not necessary.
For stab jacks any basic driver drill will work just fine..
As others have posted, get a decent torque wrench for the lugs. I use my torque wrench lots more than I do my monster impact wrench.

[fj12ryder]

"Any mechanic worth anything will run the lugs on and then use a torque wrench to finish."

This is very true, but good mechanics are not the ones removing and refitting the wheels, that would usually fall to the grunts.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

rjxj wrote:
I just searched Makita and found this 325 ft lb. Now you got me wanting one. 🙂

OH WAIT! I found this monster. When the stabilizer reaches the end of it's travel it would just rip it right off the rig! lol

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

At end of travel, it stays stationary

YOU revolve