Cordless drills for automotive work

Using the Milwaukee drills we use for out ice augers is what I have 18 volt brushless 2094-20 hammer drill. Are these strong enough to take lug nuts of a pickup/car? Always busted them loose with a breaker bar and then snugged them up with drill and then torqued them with a torque wrench. Asking because broke both my wrist years ago and just not sure if I should try it. Had the joy of replacing all the swollen lug nuts on the F-150 this weekend a real treat.

The hammer drill won’t do it IMO. I break them all free with a breaker bar then use my impact driver. I’d like to have a MIlwaukee 1/2″ impact wrench as it’s purpose built for lug nuts/ automotive work. But they’re kind of pricey and it only takes me a few second to break 6 nuts free with a bar.

The drill will not do lug nuts, but it will likely re-aggravate your wrists. The 1/2″ drive impact handles even semi-truck lugs with no trouble. The new 3/8″ drive impact will even handle most car lugs. An impact wrench will transfer way less torque to your wrists also. Right tool for the job.

Bought this earlier this year. Every time I use it I just smile. It is a beast. Has a feature for lug nuts that breaks torque and then slows the speed down so the nuts don’t go flying off.

I have a Dewalt 1/2 inch impact I use for that, take it on trips with me in case its needed. I have had some that it would not take off and still needed a breaker bar or an air tool impact. Drill will not do the job sir.

here is the tool

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I have a Milwaukee 1/2″ impact and it works well for most things. The electric are not close to as powerful as my blue point 1/2″ air impact. I will say the Milwaukee will almost never loosen the all lug nuts on my boat trailer wheels, or I would bring it along while towing.

I’ve also dealt the swollen F150 lugs. Broke 3 “breaker” bars and even an air wrench couldn’t get a few off. Ended up having to drill out the studs. Anyway as others have said, in most situations an impact wrench is what you’ll need.

mojogunter wrote:

I have a Milwaukee 1/2″ impact and it works well for most things. The electric are not close to as powerful as my blue point 1/2″ air impact. I will say the Milwaukee will almost never loosen the all lug nuts on my boat trailer wheels, or I would bring it along while towing.

You have the Milwaukee 1/2″ impact that’s in the post above yours? 2767-20 model?
If you’re gun wont take off your trailer lugs there is either something wrong with your gun or you’re getting them WAY too tight.
That gun has enough power it should twist those studs right off.
I have and use that gun many times daily and have never encountered a lug nut it can’t remove.

Even large trailers generally don’t call for more than 150ft lbs of torque and I believe that gun has a max torque of 1400 ft lbs in reverse.

mrpike1973 wrote:

Using the Milwaukee drills we use for out ice augers is what I have 18 volt brushless 2094-20 hammer drill.

A hammer drill and an impact wrench are TOTALLY different tools. Using a hammer drill to try to loosen lug nuts has “broken wrist” written all over it. Don’t do it.

A hammer drill oscillates the drill bit to create a motion that chips away at masonry materials while it rotates the drill bit.

An impact wrench has a mechanism that creates high rotation torque to rotate a socket.

I don’t have a need for very high torque, so I bought a cheaper 350 ft pound cordless impact wrench off of Amazon some years ago. Works great, will take off most passenger car / light truck lugs, definitely enough for trailer lugs as well. I think I paid $79 for the kit. Worth looking into for the occasional user if you don’t want to spring the big bucks for the Milwaukee.

I understand the hammer drill mode I use drill mode just to snug the bolts on then use a torque wrench. Thanks for the advice all.

grubson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
I have a Milwaukee 1/2″ impact and it works well for most things. The electric are not close to as powerful as my blue point 1/2″ air impact. I will say the Milwaukee will almost never loosen the all lug nuts on my boat trailer wheels, or I would bring it along while towing.

You have the Milwaukee 1/2″ impact that’s in the post above yours? 2767-20 model?
If you’re gun wont take off your trailer lugs there is either something wrong with your gun or you’re getting them WAY too tight.
That gun has enough power it should twist those studs right off.
I have and use that gun many times daily and have never encountered a lug nut it can’t remove.

Even large trailers generally don’t call for more than 150ft lbs of torque and I believe that gun has a max torque of 1400 ft lbs in reverse.

I’m with Grub.

I have that impact and it does fine on tractors and equipment that are torqued substantially more than any passenger vehicle or large trailer tire should be.

One would think it would have no problem, but that isn’t the case. With the Ranger trailer one issue is that it is a poor design in that only 1/2 of the lug nut is available. The other half sinks into the wheel. I stripped one lug nut trying to get it off using a 12 point deep socket. I have to use an extension because I don’t have a deep well 6 point socket other than impact sockets and they won’t fit due to no clearance on the side of the wheel. I am guessing I lose energy with so little socket on the lug nut, and then I know you lose a lot of energy using an extension. I also bought new lug nuts that were taller thinking that would solve the problem, but with the angle of the studs with the longer lug nuts I couldn’t get a socket on after the first lug was tightened up. I also can’t always get all the lug nuts off my 3500 ram either. Most of the time they will come off, but not always. I like the Milwaukee for most applications, but compared to the blue point air it seems average at best. Compared to my Ingersoll Rand 3/4″ 21461MAX impact the Milwaukee is like a child’s toy. I bought that one for heavy duty trucks I used to run. That one is a beast.

grubson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
I have a Milwaukee 1/2″ impact and it works well for most things. The electric are not close to as powerful as my blue point 1/2″ air impact. I will say the Milwaukee will almost never loosen the all lug nuts on my boat trailer wheels, or I would bring it along while towing.

You have the Milwaukee 1/2″ impact that’s in the post above yours? 2767-20 model?
If you’re gun wont take off your trailer lugs there is either something wrong with your gun or you’re getting them WAY too tight.
That gun has enough power it should twist those studs right off.
I have and use that gun many times daily and have never encountered a lug nut it can’t remove.

Even large trailers generally don’t call for more than 150ft lbs of torque and I believe that gun has a max torque of 1400 ft lbs in reverse.

Yeah, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

I have a M12 3/8″ stubby impact that has not problems removing lug nuts from my trailer and truck, truck lugs are torqued to 160ft lbs.

It also had no issues removing the bolts from a wheel bearing(I believe factory torque specs were 95ftlbs, while using an extension and a joint.

Seems like either you have a battery issue or an issue with the gun.

I will say, the battery makes a significant difference, the standard M12 batteries don’t do as well as the larger 5ah, although that is to be expected.

I tend to agree with grubson and tillrlife. I have the M18 Fuel 1/2″ Mid-torque impact and the M12 fuel 3/9″ stubby impact and I rarely have to go over the lowest setting for anything with the M18 and the little M12 is able to handle and wheel related task that I have and I have a Chevy 3500, a commuter car, and several boat and utility trailers. Not having the right socket can sure be problematic and I would recommend a economy set of 1’2″ deep impact sockets, as I have even bought a set with plastic liner over them as to not scuff rims. The extension should make no difference is is is 1″ long vs 4′ long still applying the same torques along the same axis, just like using a extension on a torque wrench, no difference on how long the extension is… Something is up with your lugs our your tool, I am sure the pneumatic has more power but something seems not tight as all of the Milwaukee brushless models should take car of any lugs no problem, is it a older brushed model?

The little m12 3/8″ stubby is great and basically just gets left in the truck year round with an adapter, extension and lug nut socket set, so I never leave home with the truck and trailer without it.

Mojo, based on your description, are you sure you don’t have security lug nuts? My 4 wheeler, for example, uses a deep well + thin wall, six point “security socket” to remove the lungs. It’s the only way to remove them, regular sockets won’t work. I would greatly prefer them to be normal lug nuts however i bought it this way and no sense changing it now.

Just wondering. Maybe you can post a pic of your wheels/ lug nuts? That 1/2″ milwaukee has plenty of torque for any boat trailer lug nuts as most others mention here.

lugs** if I wanted to remove the lungs I would go 9mm like uncle joe says

KPE wrote:

lugs** if I wanted to remove the lungs I would go 9mm like uncle joe says

That made me laugh!

I will take a picture of the wheel and lug nuts. They are just standard lugs. It is for sure a crap design. My older ranger with different wheels did not have the same problem. This one is a 2014 ranger trail.

KPE wrote:

Mojo, based on your description, are you sure you don’t have security lug nuts? My 4 wheeler, for example, uses a deep well + thin wall, six point “security socket” to remove the lungs. It’s the only way to remove them, regular sockets won’t work. I would greatly prefer them to be normal lug nuts however i bought it this way and no sense changing it now.

Just wondering. Maybe you can post a pic of your wheels/ lug nuts? That 1/2″ milwaukee has plenty of torque for any boat trailer lug nuts as most others mention here.

The site won’t let me load any pictures. I downsized to 100kb, and still doesn’t let me load them

Mojo, if I remember right I don’t live that far from you. I will send you a PM and I am sure you could borrow both of my impacts to try them for your use.

mojogunter wrote:

I also bought new lug nuts that were taller thinking that would solve the problem, but with the angle of the studs with the longer lug nuts I couldn’t get a socket on after the first lug was tightened up.

“the angle of the studs”??? the studs should all be 90 degrees perpendicular to the face of the hub.

“after the first lug was tightened up”??? The lug nuts should not be tightened one at a time. All the lug nuts should be just run down to make contact, then lightly tightened, followed by moderately tightened and finally torqued to specs.
This all should be done in a star pattern crisscrossing from point to opposite point, not around in a circle.

X2
What Huntindave said.

Okay I will say I am sorry if this comes off a bit snarky. Obviously no one here posting really knows me very well. I assure you I am very mechanically inclined. I have rebuilt more engines ranging from RC cars, lawn mowers to truck engines than most members here. I will admit now with all new vehicles of all kinds now being computer controlled I do not dig into the new stuff. One, because I don’t own or want to buy the equipment to diagnose them. Two, I am getting to old to want to fix them and in general I only run vehicles 3 years and buy a new one. All that being said. To dave: The studs run straight out. The wheel angles in as it comes out, so the further out you come the tighter to the side you get. I also know how to lighten lug nuts. I do not use a torque wrench. I don’t of anyone that does on a lug nut. I snug each up then hit them each one more time. For some reason these wheels really lock up. Note if I try to loosen them right after they are tightened the milwaukee has no problem taking them off. Once they have been on the trailer a while. I am not talking years, just a few months they will be very hard to remove. Pictures loaded today. If you look at the side view that shows how far on the lug the socket will fit on the lug nut. If you look at the side of the wheel you can see near the outer edge where the socket rubs on the wheel when you take the wheel off.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
I also bought new lug nuts that were taller thinking that would solve the problem, but with the angle of the studs with the longer lug nuts I couldn’t get a socket on after the first lug was tightened up.

“the angle of the studs”??? the studs should all be 90 degrees perpendicular to the face of the hub.

“after the first lug was tightened up”??? The lug nuts should not be tightened one at a time. All the lug nuts should be just run down to make contact, then lightly tightened, followed by moderately tightened and finally torqued to specs.
This all should be done in a star pattern crisscrossing from point to opposite point, not around in a circle.

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mojogunter wrote:

Obviously no one here posting really knows me very well.

You are correct, wouldn’t know who you were if I passed you on the side walk. Likewise you are not familiar with my qualifications. I do not believe either of us is trying to be “snarky” in any manner. Sometimes it CAN come across that way.

mojogunter wrote:

The wheel angles in as it comes out,

I seriously doubt that to be true. The recess machined or cast into the wheel for lug nut access, simply would NOT be made in the manner you describe. It would never come out of a casting/injection mold if it was designed smaller at the top of the recess.

Yes a more complex mold could be built to accomplish the part to come out but it certainly would not be a cost effective choice. I guarantee you wheel designs are built in the most cost effective method possible.

You may wish to educate yourself on the need for proper torque of lug nuts especially on alloy wheels.

How tight should alloy wheel nuts be?
Why must wheel lug nuts be properly torqued using a torque wrench?
When installing the wheels on a vehicle after servicing, it is important to torque the lug nuts properly. Lug nuts that are not tightened correctly can ruin wheels, affect rotor runout and can be deadly if the wheel comes off or studs snap. Over-torqueing the lug nuts does not affect runout immediately.

Mojo, I seem to remember that you may have been or still are a dealer for trailer parts and some similar items so I took it that you were mechanically inclined and maybe just had a bad impact or sockets. No harm intended or taken.

On a side note I am a habitual torque wrench user and have one in both vehicles and one in both of the garages at my house.

Loose the satisfaction of bruised and bloody knuckles?! Cmon guys, anytime I work on the truck or trailer I feel like I just went 4 rounds in the ring with the Champ, job well done in my book. Extra bonus points for a bruised thigh or shin when the breaker gets loose on ya.

Impact aside, I’m very familiar with the Ranger trailer Mojogunter is describing, and will verify it is an awful design! Worked on trying to get those lug nuts off on a friends trailer for a long while. Eventually had to melt out the lug itself with a torch from the backside.

Ranger should be ashamed of themselves for that one.