Air tools w/ small compressor?

[kenmac]

Also, you can get adapters for impact guns that cause the socket to slip at a specified torque. I reckon they have those on the impact guns at the races.

Guess that's what they use at the factory.I have not seen them use hand held torque wrench

 

[Soundguy]

Guess that's what they use at the factory.I have not seen them use hand held torque wrench

i might trust one at the factory to be calibrated and changed out often to keep set torque.. not one at the local tire beater that has tools from the 70's that never get repalced..e tc...

 

[dodge man]

I always use a torque wrench on my lug nuts. They don't have to be exact, but most tire shops over tighten them big time. I would be the factory gets them pretty close to the correct torque, I wish they could do as well with oil filters on new vehicles.

 

[Bird]

Guess that's what they use at the factory.I have not seen them use hand held torque wrench

I guess that's a possibility. And I know the Matco Tool trucks (probably Snap-On as well) sold Torque Sticks for your impact. But in a factory setting, such as an assembly line, there are some torque wrench calibrators, such as the Skidmore-Wilhelm. Then there are valves you can put on your air lines to permit a burst of air of a predetermined length of time (say for instance 2 seconds) and shut off the air. So with those two items, and a regular rechecking of the calibration of your impact wrench, an assembler can simply hold the trigger until the impact stops and he/she will get the same torque each time.

 

[kenmac]

Worked on my son's chevy truck this weekend,Removed water pump and intake with my small 12v makita impact

 

[TheGoose]

I read the first page and skipped the rest of the reply's....

My $.02. Don't do it. I have a small compressor and 1/2" drive impact. It doesn't have enough CFM to keep the pressure high enough to work well enough for the trouble. You need flow IMO more than pressure. What I mean by that is that even if you have a compressor that can do 120psi, like mine, it needs to be able to maintain that pressure while you're using it. I find that sometimes the air isn't sufficient enough to really get a nut started. If it does get it loose it barely can keep up spinning the nut completely off. I have also tried using a smaller air-ratchet with slightly better luck.

Go corded, much more effective and you won't have to hear your compressor running the entire time you're trying to use an air tool way too big for your system.

 

[Soundguy]

i agree.. with a metering valve , set relief and periodic calibration.. you COULD do it. I used to work at a water meter factory.

some of the meters had cast iron bottom plates.. some bronze. we had an assembly jig that you set the assembled meter in upside down with 4 washer headed ccap screws and then pulled down a handle.. there were 4 air driven ( non impact) air ratchets with sockets that came down and tightened the bolts. we had 1 jig for the coated cast iron and one for the bronze. i believe they were calibrated every MORNING, and they would indeed tighten to a set torque and stop... again.. not an apples to apples comparison tothe guy at the filling station with a 1/2" gun and a 60g compressor that just lets it beat on there till the stud stretches.. etc..

I guess that's a possibility. And I know the Matco Tool trucks (probably Snap-On as well) sold Torque Sticks for your impact. But in a factory setting, such as an assembly line, there are some torque wrench calibrators, such as the Skidmore-Wilhelm. Then there are valves you can put on your air lines to permit a burst of air of a predetermined length of time (say for instance 2 seconds) and shut off the air. So with those two items, and a regular rechecking of the calibration of your impact wrench, an assembler can simply hold the trigger until the impact stops and he/she will get the same torque each time.

 

[joshuabardwell]

i might trust one at the factory to be calibrated and changed out often to keep set torque.. not one at the local tire beater that has tools from the 70's that never get repalced..e tc...

What about one in the pit at a race track? Remember--that was the original context of my comment.

 

[Soundguy]

i believe that is a different application than an ON road vehicle. Liekly heavier duty studs.. etc.. if it were a track only vehicle.

if the vehicle does track and road work like the OP's.. then i would not be using an impact gun to tighten the nuts on the studs.

on a race car that only see's a track, and may get a rebuild between races.. thent hey can service the studs when they want to as well.
thos studs won;t see a lifetime of use like a regular auto...

 

[Travelover]

I always use a torque wrench on my lug nuts. They don't have to be exact, but most tire shops over tighten them big time. I would be the factory gets them pretty close to the correct torque, I wish they could do as well with oil filters on new vehicles.

I used to work in the industry. At the factory what is used is called a DC nut runner. It not only measures torque, but also counts revolutions, so if there is a cross thread condition it is caught before it leaves the plant.