Pneumatic Impact Wrench

If you have ever visited an auto mechanic shop and heard a loud rattling sound, it was probably a pneumatic impact wrench.

Put in the simplest terms, these are powered wrenches with socket driver heads and are not to be confused with a pneumatic torque wrench. The most common uses for them are to secure and remove the nuts from vehicle wheels, but they have many other applications and advantages. Part of the reason they are widely used in car repair shops is that many bolts and nuts are torque tightened, which are sometimes difficult to remove by hand.

While there are electric and hydraulic pneumatic impact wrench products, the most common and popular wrenches are powered by an air compressor. Air compression is cheap to use, more energy efficient, and widely available in mechanic shops, because they are needed to fill tires, clean out cracks and crevices, and to remove debris quickly from motor parts. It is just logical for a shop to also have at least one of these tools on hand.

A pneumatic impact wrench has many advantages. For one, they have a socket head, so a variety of different sockets can be used on them, for just about any size nut or bolt you need removed or put on. Because these are a form of power tool, they can cut the time it takes to work on your project in half. This increases your overall production greatly. They have adjustments on them, for a variety of different torque settings, and these can be changed with a quick motion. This means you don't have to have a bunch of different types of torque wrenches to get the job done. They only tighten down to the specified setting, so there is no risk of too much pressure using hand tools.

Basically how a hydraulic impact wrench works is fairly simple. The hammer or rotating device is sped up with the help of the air powered motor. This is then connected to the anvil, which is really the head of the tool, or the socket wrench. When it is turned on, the hammer creates a high impact torque, which either tightens or loosens the bolt or nut. Once it reaches the desired torque, the hammer spins freely, to prevent over tightening. It is of course a little more complicated than this, but you get the idea. These tools allow the operator to perform a variety of different tasks without the risk of breaking the tool, or the item being wrenched on. It also allows the operator not to have to rely on brute force to get the job done, most of the work is done for them.

While you may be familiar with the sight and sound of a pneumatic impact wrench in an automobile mechanics shop, really they can be used anywhere the need to tighten down parts is required. This means they are used in construction of steel and other metal buildings, and you can even find models that can be used at home. You can use them to work on your own vehicles, to put together sheds and play houses, and wherever you need to fasten something.

A pneumatic impact driver is available in many different styles and sizes. You can find them inline, which is similar to a screwdriver, there are pistol grip models, as well as angle drive wrenches for getting into different sized spaces. There are some models that even look like a ratcheting handle socket driver. Sizes can be anywhere from just a few foot pounds of torque, for small hand models, to several thousand pounds of torque for large pieces of machinery. This large models are much heavier than one person can lift so they are often attached to a crane, or lift, and used by two people.

Whether you are looking for a quality pneumatic impact wrench for your own personal tool arsenal, or for a shop, there are many brands to choose from. Eagle Industries, Porter-Cable, and Taylor are among the top brands, and these are generally fairly reasonable in price. For example, the Taylor 3/8th inch pistol grip impact wrench is one available product. This features a forward/reverse switch and the clutch is designed with the maximum durability in mind. This model is air powered, has a lightweight easy to hold aluminum handle, and has a built in regulator. It has a 3/8" bolt and drive capacity, comes with a ring socket retainer, as well as rubber scuff guards.