Howdy,
On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Jeff Blankenship wrote:
> In retrospect, the impact is a little hard on the nuts and studs, so I
> don't often use it to its full capacity. Instead, I use the cross wrench
> to break them loose, then spin them off or on with the Makita. I could
> accomplish this with a much cheaper cordless drill. On the other hand, I am
> getting ready to buy solid stainless McGard nuts, and they should stand up to
> the impact better. Not to mention I'm going to start using impact sockets
> instead of 12-point hand sockets. Then I will be more comfortable using it
> to break the nuts loose. The weak link then will be the studs, which I don't
> want to fatigue to failure, so I think I'll still break 'em loose by hand,
> except when I'm concerned about getting heat stroke. Then, its power and
> speed all the way, baby!
Yeah, 12 point sockets should be outlawed. Never use a 12 point socket
unless you have a reason (and I can't come up with any).
I seem to think that an impact (with 6 pt. sockets) would be _easier_ on
nuts and studs vs. hand tools. This is because the jarring motion breaks
the nut free without putting as much bending force on the nut or stud.
At least that's what I've always thought. That also explains why impacts
tend to break stuff loose better than hand tools, which tend to round
stuff over.
Mark
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