Impact Gun vs air ratchet for removal

what are you removing? most everything that can be taken apart with an impact gun or an air ratchet can also be taken apart with a wrench or hand ratchet. the use of air tools inthe shop is mainly to speed up operations.

using air tools to remove nuts and bolts won't necessarily damage anything UNLESS they are so rusted or seized or perhaps cross threaded that they won't snap off anyway. putting things back together is a touchier subject because of the different torque capacities of your fasteners. ie> you could use a 1/2" air gun to tighten a subframe bolt that's 16mm in diameter, but you wouldn't use it to set the torque for your front brake caliper bolts which are only 6 or 8 mm in diameter.

i s'pose if i were a DIY'r, i'd stick with hand tools. if you've got the bucks for it, buy a compressor and air tools, but know the torque capacties on them so you don't damage anything.

If the fastener has been installed properly, using an impact gun on the fastener would not damage it any more than using a hand tool would. I would imagine an impact gun would be preferred because of speed and a lessened chance of rounding off the fastner. Of course if you have the wrong sized socket, you could round the fastner off a lot faster. All things equal, I'd go impact gun or air ratchet on removal.

-Bruce

"sportster" wrote

If a person doesn't know what they are doing with the particular tool, or haven't had much experience.....yes...you can damage things. Usually not threads when you are removing, but you can damage nuts if you aren't careful.

I like using an air ratchet. I use it for both removing and tightening fasteners. It has a feather trigger so that you have good control when tightening fasteners and you can just snug up a bolt or nut and then apply the torque wrench to the bolt or nut. But I do this all day for a living, so speed is important. At home, I rarely used an air ratchet as they consume too much air. Unless you have a large capacity air tank and compressor, an air ratchet will drain it in no time flat.

Ian

If the threads are in good condition and not full of corrosion or dirt, then you will not likely harm them by removing the nut or bolt with an impact wrench.

When I go junkyarding and need to pull a large assembly from a car that has been sitting in the proverbial field for a few years, I actually PREFER removing things with an impact wrench. I always try to wire-brush the threads and spray on some penetrating oil first, but I find that I break fewer bolts with an impact wrench (note that I did not say a "never" break one :-p) than with a manual breaker bar. Hmmm... maybe they call it "breaker bar" for a reason :-) Seriously, the repeated impacts make the inertia of the fastener work with you, whereas a hand wrench puts all the twisting force on the bulk metal of the fastener.

PLEASE pay close attention to Ian's caution--he is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! Only cam-sprocket bolts I ever rounded the heads on was when using an impact wrench to remove. Several mechanics verified I was not necessarily at fault--other than my own ignorance/inexperience. Told me they NEVER 'break' the nuts/bolts(unless bigger ones) w/air power--advised to 'hand-break' using air ratchet as a hand tool & then use its air power. Such has been my experience. HTH & good luck. s

I grew up in the salt belt. There, an impact wrench is a vital tool. And you are FAR less likely to shear off the bolt or strip the threads using a 6-point impact socket and an impact wrench than you are with the breaker bar and a cheater pipe.

That said, you greatly stack the odds in your favor by using GOOD penetrating oil and/or MAPP|Oxy/acetylene to get that really stuck nut cherry red first.

An air ratchet is merely a speed tool, though...