I could use a better 1/2" impact wrench with more break away torque, for breaking large nuts loose Are the harbor fright earthquakes any good? Do they really have that advertised breakaway torque? 1000 ft lb seems way plenty...???...... Do you really need 1500 ft lb??? .
If you do happen to need 1500 ft lbs....Their 20V Hercules 3/4 impact is a real bruiser! God Bless Bill https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/
I’ve got an old IR electric and my son has a Milwaukee battery and we need to turn them in the loose direction to help them on very tight nuts. If your buying for personal garage use their “best” line tools have vastly improved IMO. Seems like what ever I buy for the purpose you are looking for I need a breaker bar or a slugging box wrench.
I found that my HF Earthquake impact wrench worked much better when I switched to a high flow air hose coupler. I bought a total of 3 air impact wrenches before I discovered that the cheap air hose couplers were a problem (slow learner ).
I've had that problem with my CP727 long before HF sold impact wrenches. The ID of the coupler is too small to allow for full air flow.
All of the air tools work better with high flow fittings. All the couplers and fittings I used had the full 3/8" air flow through them. Those fittings are getting harder to find these days, at least locally. I have one of those HF Earthquake impact guns. After 5 or 6 years of near daily use, with little care and total abuse (in a welding shop, no less), followed by 5 years of pretty much sitting around not being used at all (after retirement), it doesn't seem to have nearly as much power as it used to have (I can't understand why ). If I was still working, I would buy another one.
I have the Earthquake and Earthquake XT (3/4), I have yet to encounter a fastener I can't break loose! Yes, you want the larger air hose size, I believe at least 3/8" diameter.
On my way” go to” impacts I used , back when I was working, I plumbed a hose on a barb fitting to my impact , then took that 12 foot hose to an air tank that I also plumbed with a barb fitting! I then I put two hoses with regular quick disconnect fittings to the tank. I had a cap for one fitting, just in case I couldn’t get two hoses to my air tank! Really woke my big impact up! On another I ran a large hose to a barb fitting on my other big impact and put an eye fitting for two hoses. Both systems helped the preformance of my guns! Bones
I did it the simple way, by the diameter of the hole the air uses to pass through the fitting. Large diameter fittings have a larger outside diameter, so both ends need to be the same. Most on the market only have a 1/4" diameter hole the air passes through, and usually those fittings requires a reducer bushing to fit into the air tool. Most air tools accept a fitting with a 3/8" diameter hole the air passes through.
I plumbed my shop with 3/4" aluminum tubing and ended the legs down with high volume wall mount so that it gave me lots of volume. From the high volume wall mount is short 3/8" (25 ft) air hose, still need to replace with high volume fittings but just doing that made a big difference in how well my impacts do. ...
I’ve not purchased any air toools from HF in years. They used to use a lot of air and not much output, compared to IR, CP, etc. That’s said, HF quality has really gone up the past 8-10 years. If I needed a bigger air impact, I’d be all over the Earthquake and not think twice about it. I have some Baurer cordless tools, I have the 1/2 in brushless impact. It gets with it right now. Edit/ I might add I’d trust what they write up about their tools. Kinda was my point I forgot to mention!
I bought a HF Earthquake XT 1/2" impact some ten (probably more) yrs ago. A friend who owned a heavy duty (and busy) repair shop recommended. When his Snap-On's where sent out for rebuild, he'd get a couple of Earthquakes to take up the slack in the meantime. I know I was impressed. You will snap studs etc, if you don't use caution!
I have one of the old earthquakes that has the extended anvil and starting to wear out but still kicking. I bought one of the new ones without the extended anvil in green and it’s just as powerful but haven’t used it much yet. I use the older one daily
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