We recently acquired a Milwaukee impact rechargeable 1/2 inch drive for the shop. I strongly believe it was a good move because of the convenience of not having to rely on an air compressor and air lines required for a typical air operated impact. The torque it delivers is more than adequate which you can see in the demo I carried out in the video.
All I was looking for was the ability for a mechanic to remove 11R 22.5 tires out on the road if necessary. We’ve had to go out a few times this year to remove 19.5 tires on white fleet vehicles. Having a impact like the Milwaukee gives the mechanic an advantage compared to firing up an air compressor and hooking up air lines long enough to reach the work area.
Milwaukee Impact Benefits
As described in the video this range of Milwaukee impact is brushless, runs on a lithium ion battery and is supposed to deliver 700 ft. lbs. of torque. I think it’s lower than that maybe around 500 ft. lbs. The feeling I got when tightening up the wheel nut…that was all I was going to get once the nut bottomed out against the rim.
Still it did remove the wheel nut which takes more effort for cracking torque. If the nut was seized it might be a chore for this tool to deliver. However if we’re out on a service call it will make life easier even if the mechanic had to do an initial crack of all the wheel nuts to help with the situation. Not having to physically unscrew and tighten each nut one at a time utilizing the Milwaukee impact would definitely be a benefit.
One of the biggest benefits that caught my eye was the 5 year warranty on the impact wrench and 3 years warranty on the lithium ion battery. That’s great coverage considering we will not be using it 8 hrs a day and hopefully it won’t get any abuse from the mechanics.
The other option considered for tooling on our service truck was a gas operated air compressor. I priced out a 5.5 hp air compressor and it was 2 1/2 times higher than the Milwaukee impact. That reason and the fact that the compressor would be sitting in the back of the service truck collecting dust made my choice much easier.
It’s much more practical to be able to grab the Milwaukee impact and head outside the shop or on a service call. It will be utilized for everyday use in the shop if a mechanic doesn’t want to drag an air line under the bus for a quick job. The extra battery and charging system will keep this tool accessible at all times. For under 600.00 Canadian (including tax) it gets 2 thumbs up in my opinion. Check this page out for more information.
