Air Impact Wrench

   / Air Impact Wrench
  • Thread Starter
#11  
I just talked with Harbor Freight and they said that you need 5 CFM at 90 PSI to get full performance from the 2131. My compresser is 6.4 so I should be OK.
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #12  
Yep, your compressor will handle it just fine.
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #13  
You can't go wrong with an IR I would not have anything else. I have a 231 and they are great. Not trying to sound negative but with 120 psi I still think it will fall short of you expectations. I used to have a single stage compressor that shut off at 120 and it would not give full power for air tools. The compressor I have now is a commercial monster (got a deal or I wouldn't have it) It shuts off at 175 and makes a world of difference.

One other thing is the hose size. I run a 3/8" hose off the compressor, but, if I put a 1/4" extension hose on that the power is greatly diminished. Just make sure you get enough flow.
 
   / Air Impact Wrench
  • Thread Starter
#14  
Thanks for your comments. I won't be using my air wrench heavily. If I allow the compressor to build to max pressure will the air wrench produce full torque for a period of time? Or, will I never be able to develop full torque? I don't plan to buy a bigger compressor. I don't use an air wrench very often but it sure is nice to have one when you need it.

John
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #15  
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gifWell, I'm not in the air tool repair business anymore, but when I was, we loved folks like you who kept us in business. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Every air impact wrench I know of produces its rated torque at 90 psi, and that's the maximum recommended air pressure, but you can certainly get more power if you can turn up the pressure. And they'll usually last quite awhile even then, but eventually they break. Warranty would not cover such a break if they knew you were running over 90 psi, but of course they usually won't know. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif On that model, it usually twists the spline off the front end of the rotor, with the next most common thing being broken hammers and/or hammer frame. I could usually fix whatever needed fixing for $40 to $75 parts and labor. So, I'm certainly not telling anyone not to turn up the air pressure. You just have to decide for yourself if the additional power is needed enough to be worth the repair bills, and sometimes it is. I know that many of my customers ran 175 psi compressors and just didn't complain when they had to pay the bill.

Excessive air pressure, moisture, and failure to properly lubricate air tools is the only thing that keeps the repairmen in business. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Naturally, you do need an adequate flow volume, so the 3/8" hose is a good idea, especially if you have very much distance for the air to travel (long hose). Most folks use quick couplers on those wrenches, and their quick couplers are only 1/4".
 
   / Air Impact Wrench
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Now I'm confused (it's not hard for me to get in that state!) I thought that what he was referring to is that a 120 PSI compressor could not produce enough air flow. I didn't think he was suggesting operating at 120 or 175 PSI.

Am I wrong?

John
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #17  
You needn't worry about it, John, you've got adequate pressure and volume for any 1/2" impact. I, too, prefer 3/8" air hoses; had three 50' ones, but I also had two 10' coiled and one 15' regular 1/4" hose. That new IR will be so much more powerful than the Alltrade that I can just about guarantee you'll be happy with what you've got.
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #18  
Thanks, John for the good quesitons, and Bird, for the great answers. Also thanks to others who contributed, including my fellow Mainer with the Swamp Donkey glued to the wall (you can put down the rifle, Russ, I think it ain't gonna get up again /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

I've been ghosting the conversations about air tools, and I've picked up a lot of info in a short time. Thanks, again, guys.
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #19  
Isn't the CFM rating of a compressor the rate it fills the tank at a given pressure?
Of course, an impact wrench doesn't care how fast a tank can fill at 90psi, only how fast it can empty as it bleeds down to 90psi.
My little 5hp Sears compressor can empty much faster than it fills, but I don't know how many CFM it flows as it bleeds down from 120psi to it's "kick-in pressure" of 100psi.

OkieG
 
   / Air Impact Wrench #20  
OkieG, I don't disagree with anything you said, but in this particular case, it's a non-issue. If his compressor will move 6.4 SCFM at 90 psi and the impact wrench is rated to use 5 SCFM at 90 psi, no problem at all, even has a nice "cushion" there. Yes, it would be possible to empty or drain air out of the tank fast enough that the compressor could not maintain the 90 psi, but it ain't likely to ever happen unless you open the drain cock at the same time. The impact wrench will work at lower pressure, but just wouldn't have its full rated power. But how long is an impact wrench normally run at a time? A few seconds. I've used impact wrenches with a 1hp compressor on a 12 gallon tank. If you have 100-120 psi in the tank when you start, the wrench has full power for the first few seconds and that's usually enough to loosen a tight bolt, then the lower pressure and power will go ahead and spin the nut or bolt the rest of the way. Worst case scenario; have to remove a bolt, wait a few seconds for the compressor to build up maximum pressure, then remove the next one, but that ain't gonna happen with what JWE has.
 
 
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