Undoing Wheel Nuts

[mantaray56]

As I am an older dude , undoing the wheel nuts to do a tyre rotation has become a bit of a bug bear.
I am looking at getting a Battery Impact wrench or impact driver. I fancy the impact driver as I can use it for a lot of other types of jobs, where as the impact wrench is single use basically for nuts and bolts.
What I don't want is getting the wrong sort and being unable to undo the nuts.
Has anybody used the 18 volt impact drivers (not wrench) to undo commodores wheel nuts or are they not up to it.
Looked at You tube, but it is mostly o/s videos with no clear decision one or the other.
Thanks

 

[losh1971]

Milwaukie do a pretty decent one.

 

[losh1971]

My mistake with understanding the question, Impact driver AKA rattler will struggle to undo tight nuts and bolts and you could end breaking it. Impact drivers at best will drive in a bugal screw. They are strong but they are not impact wrenches. The Milwaukee one i mentioned could be used for screws if you had the right attachment.

 

[figjam]

As an older 'bloke' ( I must be older than your ‘dude’ ) I have extendable bar (600mm), available from Supercheap or similar, which makes it easy to undo the tightest of rattle gunned nuts.
A plastic covered socket (again Supercheap) to prevent damage to the mags, fitted to a battery drill, makes it easy to undo and refit the nuts.
Slide the bar back to 300mm length, and tighten to a calibrated elbow tension.
Simples and cheap.

 

[_R_J_K_]

Like above, if you're only buying it for wheel rotations I'd try at least picking up a long breaker bar (like 50cm+) before shelling out hundreds for an impact gun. Impact guns are good for situations where you change wheels a lot like at the track or whatever, but I don't really see the payoff for infrequent wheel rotations particularly if you're rotating wheels you've tightened yourself.

Re the two for one drill type situation, for wheel nuts an impact wrench is a lot better, that's really what it's designed for. The impact driver not so much. Look at the difference in Nm that each produce. Maybe buy the breaker and the impact driver. If you're doing them up with the impact driver I'd be double checking how tight they are with the breaker anyway.

 

[lmoengnr]

You'll need a decent rattle gun for the 14mm studs on VE/VF's.

 

[rambunctious]

You could simply use a piece of pipe on a + wheel brace.

 

[gossie]

You could simply use a piece of pipe on a + wheel brace.

Yes indeed.

 

[vc commodore]

On the weekend, I used a Milwalkee 18V impact driver to undo the bolts on a diff crown wheel....Undid them with full charge in the battery.

Your choice if you buy 1 for wheel nuts and other uses, but once you have one, you seem to find a million uses for them

 

[lowandslow]

Impact wrench / rattle gun are well worth it.
18v and at least a 5 amp battery at a minimum.