This past weekend my friend and I replaced the rear brake pads on my
2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800. It was quite a chore and much harder than
either of us anticipated, but isn't every job that way?

We ended up having to take the rear wheel off and that's no easy feat.
In order to get the lug nuts off we still had to jack it up in order to
spin the tire from one lug nut to the next. It's not like a car where
you undo the nuts before jacking it up, the saddlebags block access to
everything. Unscrewing the nuts would have been impossible with a
manual wrench, but luckily he had brought his DeWalt 20V impact wrench
and that was strong enough to get the job done.

I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to
get the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire
in rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker
20V cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454

Do you think this is strong enough to undo lug nuts tightened to 80 ft
lbs? How can I tell if it has reverse? What's the name of the bit
which will let me attach a 3/8" drive 19mm deep socket? What other
bits should I get? Anything to look out for?

On Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 4:05:30 PM UTC-5, badgolferman wrote:
> This past weekend my friend and I replaced the rear brake pads on my
> 2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800. It was quite a chore and much harder than
> either of us anticipated, but isn't every job that way?
>
> We ended up having to take the rear wheel off and that's no easy feat.
> In order to get the lug nuts off we still had to jack it up in order to
> spin the tire from one lug nut to the next. It's not like a car where
> you undo the nuts before jacking it up, the saddlebags block access to
> everything. Unscrewing the nuts would have been impossible with a
> manual wrench, but luckily he had brought his DeWalt 20V impact wrench
> and that was strong enough to get the job done.
>
> I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to
> get the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire
> in rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker
> 20V cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454
>
> Do you think this is strong enough to undo lug nuts tightened to 80 ft
> lbs? How can I tell if it has reverse? What's the name of the bit
> which will let me attach a 3/8" drive 19mm deep socket? What other
> bits should I get? Anything to look out for?

The forward/reverse switch is just under the body of the wrench. You can see the direction arrow
right by the selector. Push the button in from either side to change direction.

Consumer Reports has these listed.
Standard size
Flex FX1351-2A $99. A smart buy. Score 90
Flex FX1371A-1H $299. Score. 84
DeWalt DCF887D2. $199. Score 83
Makita XDT19T $429. Score 80
Greenworks ID24L1520. $140. Score 77.

Compact impact driver.
Milwaukee 2850-22CT $149. A smart buy. Score 85
Makita XDT16R. $369. Score 82
Milwaukee 2553-22 $224. Score 81
Kobalt (Lowe’s) KXID 1424A-03. $134. A smart buy. Score 77
Hercules 56531 $130. Score 70

On Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:05:23 -0000 (UTC), badgolferman wrote:

> I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to get
> the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire in
> rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker 20V
> cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-
Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454
>

Disclaimer: I've had good luck with it so far, but YMMV

I needed an impact wrench when I was adding a cartridge emulator to the
Harley's forks and picked up a corded impact wrench at Harbor Freight. It
got that job done and has handled several others including breaking loose
the lug nuts Godzilla at the tire shop installed.

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drills-drivers/impact-wrenches/
corded/7-amp-12-in-impact-wrench-with-rocker-switch-61173.html

https://tinyurl.com/4hx3xf

They also have cordless but make sure the battery is included. Sneaky that
way. There's a Harbor Freight about a block from where I work which makes
life easier.

Terminology:
impact driver: really meant for driving deck screws. Takes a 1/4 hex male
so you probably could get to 3/8" square male with some adapters. Whether
it would get the job done on really tight lugs is questionable.

impact wrench: 1/2 square spud. Use a 1/2 socket directly or adapt down
to 3/8. For my tire job I did not use a impact socket, just a standard.
The impact socket was too fat to fit the counterbore on the American
Racing wheels. Definitely get the job done.

On 8/24/2023 2:05 PM, badgolferman wrote:
> [...]
>
> I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to
> get the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire
> in rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker
> 20V cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454

I would not buy a battery-operated 1/4" impact wrench/driver. For those
times when I need an impact driver, it's usually tough duty. For the few
times that I need one, nothing less than a corded, 1/2" square-drive
will do for me. I have an older corded Makita impact driver that has
enough torque to twist my arms off. In the same price range as the
cordless B&D, there are good corded options available. One such example is:

<https://www.homedepot.com/p/Genesis-7-5-Amp-1-2-in-Impact-Wrench-Driver-with-Detent-Pin-Square-Drive-Anvil-4-Sockets-and-Heavy-Duty-Storage-Case-GIW3075K/300639516>

It comes with 4 heavier-duty sockets, including 3/4" (~19mm). If you
need deep sockets, be sure they are rated for use with an impact driver.
I have no experience with Genisis tools; it's simply one suggestion to
consider.

For infrequent use, you might consider something from Harbor Freight.

> Do you think this is strong enough to undo lug nuts tightened to 80 ft
> lbs? How can I tell if it has reverse? What's the name of the bit
> which will let me attach a 3/8" drive 19mm deep socket? What other
> bits should I get? Anything to look out for?

A set of these are handy, impact driver or not:

<https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-SHOCKWAVE-Impact-Duty-1-4-in-Hex-Shank-Socket-Adapter-Set-3-Piece-48-32-5033/204408619>

Good luck.

On Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 5:05:30 PM UTC-4, badgolferman wrote:
> This past weekend my friend and I replaced the rear brake pads on my
> 2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800. It was quite a chore and much harder than
> either of us anticipated, but isn't every job that way?
>
> We ended up having to take the rear wheel off and that's no easy feat.
> In order to get the lug nuts off we still had to jack it up in order to
> spin the tire from one lug nut to the next. It's not like a car where
> you undo the nuts before jacking it up, the saddlebags block access to
> everything. Unscrewing the nuts would have been impossible with a
> manual wrench, but luckily he had brought his DeWalt 20V impact wrench
> and that was strong enough to get the job done.
>
> I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to
> get the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire
> in rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker
> 20V cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454
>
> Do you think this is strong enough to undo lug nuts tightened to 80 ft
> lbs? How can I tell if it has reverse? What's the name of the bit
> which will let me attach a 3/8" drive 19mm deep socket? What other
> bits should I get? Anything to look out for?
If it is only going to used once a year get corded. I have a dewalt half inch with impact rated sockets that I rarely use but when I do it kicks ass.
Stainless nice and shiny sockets might crack. OTOH, if you plan on small jobs often why not.
I really do not see 20v doing much but maybe times have changed.

On Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 6:10:22 PM UTC-4, Dennis Kane wrote:
> On 8/24/2023 2:05 PM, badgolferman wrote:
> > [...]
> >
> > I've decided I need to get an impact wrench for times when I want to
> > get the tire changed. It takes far less time and cost to take the tire
> > in rather than the whole motorcycle. I already have a Black & Decker
> > 20V cordless drill so I'm thinking of getting this impact drill.
> > https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Variable-Speed-Cordless-Impact-Driver-1-Battery-Included/1000998454
> I would not buy a battery-operated 1/4" impact wrench/driver. For those
> times when I need an impact driver, it's usually tough duty. For the few
> times that I need one, nothing less than a corded, 1/2" square-drive
> will do for me.
> For infrequent use, you might consider something from Harbor Freight.

+1
If you need an impact wrench you want it to be one that's reasonably strong..
And in my usage, which is very occasional work on a vehicle, cordless isn't
a significant advantage, it's a disadvantage. Cordless, the battery may not be
charged when you need it, those batteries don't last and need to be replaced.
I can't recall a situation where cordless or smaller size one have been an advantage.
I have a 60 year old 1/2" Ingersol Rand here, it still works fine. I agree HF is worth
looking at for this. If I needed one that I was going to use every day or
weekly, I would look elsewhere. But for something needed a few times a year,
I've found their tools to be fine and they are cheap. The only exception was when I
bought some snapbring pliers, the tips were made of such soft metal that instead of
opening the snap ring they just bent. I returned them, no problem.

On Fri, 25 Aug 2023 08:25:18 -0700 (PDT), trader_4 wrote:

> If you need an impact wrench you want it to be one that's reasonably
> strong.
> And in my usage, which is very occasional work on a vehicle, cordless
> isn't a significant advantage, it's a disadvantage. Cordless, the
> battery may not be charged when you need it, those batteries don't last
> and need to be replaced.
> I can't recall a situation where cordless or smaller size one have been
> an advantage.

I bought a HF cordless drill for a couple of projects out in the woods a
long way from electricity. It works, so far, and beats the hand drill I
was using.

> works fine. I agree HF is worth looking at for this. If I needed one
> that I was going to use every day or weekly, I would look elsewhere.
> But for something needed a few times a year,
> I've found their tools to be fine and they are cheap. The only
> exception was when I bought some snapbring pliers, the tips were made of
> such soft metal that instead of opening the snap ring they just bent. I
> returned them, no problem.

The only thing I've returned to HF was a machinist's vice that was just
too sloppy to use. How you can screw something like that puzzles me. I
have a pancake compressor that blew the guts out of the regulator but I
plumbed around it. I use it to inflate tires and didn't need a regulator.

The sockets and wrenches aren't too bad. I put together a tool kit for the
bike with them. If it gets ripped off I'm out a lot less.

Dennis Kane wrote:

>I would not buy a battery-operated 1/4" impact wrench/driver. For
>those times when I need an impact driver, it's usually tough duty.
>For the few times that I need one, nothing less than a corded, 1/2"
>square-drive will do for me.

You were right. I bought the 1/4" drive Bauer 20V impact driver and it
couldn't remove the 21mm lug nuts tightened down to 80 ft-lbs. I took
it back and bought the corded 8.5 Amp Bauer impact driver instead. I
haven't used that one yet but it likely will work fine otherwise it
will go back too.