CHOOSING AN IMPACT WRENCH
Having struggled to remove the wheel nuts on my Discovery after the wheels had been refitted by a garage (I guess with an air line and impact air wrench?), I’m looking to buy a cordless impact driver.
Have these been tested in LRM? Can you give me a few pointers to help me select something suitable? Richard Stone, subscriber
Whilst cordless impact wrenches are very useful tools to have, and mean that you no longer need a compressor to get phenomenal nut/bolt shifting power, I’d think twice about buying one purely for the reason stated. The problem you face is that many garages use high end pneumatic impact wrenches, boasting enormous torque outputs. And, more often than not, these tools are used at far higher pressures than the 90 PSI they’re designed for, which multiplies torque output even more. Bottom line is that you may have to spend way over the odds to get a cordless tool that’s up to this particular job. And you’ll be left with a far more powerful piece of kit than you’ll need for most other maintenance work. Personally, I’d return to the garage and get them to remove the wheel nuts and re-tighten them by hand.
On the other hand, if you want a cordless impact wrench anyway, the market is really split three ways. Models such as Clarke’s CIR220 give similar performance to an entry level pneumatic tool (around 220 Nm of torque) and, at £107.98, cover the budget end. At the other extreme are models such as Dewalt’s DC800M2, and Milwaukee’s M18CHIWF12. The latter kicks out up to 950Nm of torque, but the price of £442.19 is more than a basic compressor and air wrench combined. And the tool may be a little bulky and cumbersome for some Land Rover applications. The third option is championed by Makita: compact tools that are easily usable in tight automotive situations, but with a respectable – rather than enormous – output. Such as their DTW281Z, at £161, which is small but delivers a useful 280 Nm.
If portability isn’t massively important to you, also consider mains models such as Clarke’s CEW1000. That costs just £68.39 and delivers up to 450 NM of torque. Be warned, though, mains models are the bulkiest of the bunch. James Stanbury