N1K Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I want to get a floor jack for use in my garage. My truck weight approx 8000 pounds... I will only be picking up usually one end or the other. Will a 5000 pound jack be enough to lift just one axle of the truck? Or doesn't the weight distribution work like that? I also want to get an air wratchet for my compressor. What specs should I look for as far as power etc? I would mostly just use it to take wheels off the truck and boat trailer etc. I saw one that was 250 ft pounds and one that was 500. Is 250 enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 5000 pound jack is enough. More lifting power is always nice, but you sacrifice in terms of increased size, weight, cost, and ease of use. Generally, the more you can lift, the less lift per stroke, which has you pumping away for a minute to get the thing up in the air (okay, everybody chuckle and get it over with). A mid sized large frame jack should be fine for your needs. Look for one with a wide stance and large saddle that's not too long, because then it becomes difficult to manuouver and the chassis gets hung up on small things...like the lip from garage to driveway. Technically, 250 pounds should be enough torque for most applications where you would use an air wrench.....BUT!!!! First....you won't get the rated torque from a wrench. Secondly, the reason you see 250 foot pound wrenches and then 500 foot pound wrenches is that the *lesser* ones (and we're talking 1/2 inch drives here) have one anvil, and the higher rated ones are double anvil. That's why they cost more. Trust me....you want a damn good wrench. There's nothing that will piss you off like having all this fancy-ass shit and it still won't take some damn rusted bolt off. Do yourself a favor. Don't fart around....go directly to someplace (online or real-time) that sells Ingersoll-Rand air tools and spend nearly $200. It will be money well spent......and you know how cheap I am. Its really a whole new dimension in maintainance and vehicle care when you can lift one end and take a wheel off in less than 60 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1K Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 First....you won't get the rated torque from a wrench. Secondly, the reason you see 250 foot pound wrenches and then 500 foot pound wrenches is that the *lesser* ones (and we're talking 1/2 inch drives here) have one anvil, and the higher rated ones are double anvil. That's why they cost more. Trust me....you want a damn good wrench. There's nothing that will piss you off like having all this fancy-ass shit and it still won't take some damn rusted bolt off. hmmm.. Well first, I think I said air ratchet, but I think I meant Impact Wrench. Sounds like you are talking about Impact Wrenches which is what I actually meant... So here's my dilemna.. My parents wanted to know something to get me for Christmas. So I said an air ratchet (but meant impact wrench) but anyway, I know they were looking at some in the $80 to $90 territory. Is that not even worth getting? Will those even do the job of taking on and off lug nuts? I know they can't afford more expensive ones. Maybe I should just tell them to get me something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 First....you won't get the rated torque from a wrench. Secondly, the reason you see 250 foot pound wrenches and then 500 foot pound wrenches is that the *lesser* ones (and we're talking 1/2 inch drives here) have one anvil, and the higher rated ones are double anvil. That's why they cost more. Trust me....you want a damn good wrench. There's nothing that will piss you off like having all this fancy-ass shit and it still won't take some damn rusted bolt off. hmmm.. Well first, I think I said air ratchet, but I think I meant Impact Wrench. Sounds like you are talking about Impact Wrenches which is what I actually meant... So here's my dilemna.. My parents wanted to know something to get me for Christmas. So I said an air ratchet (but meant impact wrench) but anyway, I know they were looking at some in the $80 to $90 territory. Is that not even worth getting? Will those even do the job of taking on and off lug nuts? I know they can't afford more expensive ones. Maybe I should just tell them to get me something else. An air ratchet will do the work taking lug nuts on and off just fine. You'll have to break them loose by hand, though, then use the air ratchet to spin them the rest of the way off. It's not really a big deal, though, because you need to re-torque them by hand anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 First....you won't get the rated torque from a wrench. Secondly, the reason you see 250 foot pound wrenches and then 500 foot pound wrenches is that the *lesser* ones (and we're talking 1/2 inch drives here) have one anvil, and the higher rated ones are double anvil. That's why they cost more. Trust me....you want a damn good wrench. There's nothing that will piss you off like having all this fancy-ass shit and it still won't take some damn rusted bolt off. hmmm.. Well first, I think I said air ratchet, but I think I meant Impact Wrench. Sounds like you are talking about Impact Wrenches which is what I actually meant... So here's my dilemna.. My parents wanted to know something to get me for Christmas. So I said an air ratchet (but meant impact wrench) but anyway, I know they were looking at some in the $80 to $90 territory. Is that not even worth getting? Will those even do the job of taking on and off lug nuts? I know they can't afford more expensive ones. Maybe I should just tell them to get me something else. An air ratchet will do the work taking lug nuts on and off just fine. You'll have to break them loose by hand, though, then use the air ratchet to spin them the rest of the way off. It's not really a big deal, though, because you need to re-torque them by hand anyway. No, you don't... I use one of those calibrated 6" extensions from Snap-On that you put on an impact and they only go up to a certain # rating (the one I have is 100ft lbs) then stop, and the pitch changes... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I just assumed you meant an air wrench when you talked about taking off wheels. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...05447_200305447 Here's a viable alternative. Its pretty decent, and would certainly serve as a good spare once you purchase a higher quality one. But it sounds as though they are looking locally, in which case who knows what they'd be getting. How about an alternative, such as a good set of 1/2 inch drive impact sockets? A decent full set will run $50-$70, and you are certainly gonna need them....they don't come with the gun, and I strongly suggest you don't use standard sockets with an impact weap....er.....wrench. They might also consider a nice 3/8 or 1/4 inch air ratchet is a very handy device for close quarters work on cars and motorcycles. Or for tightening bolts when building decks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1K Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 I just assumed you meant an air wrench when you talked about taking off wheels. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...05447_200305447 Here's a viable alternative. Its pretty decent, and would certainly serve as a good spare once you purchase a higher quality one. I was looking at that one. Will that suffice for pulling a wheel off here and there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Because its a twin hammer design, it should do the job. I use an IR 231 that has a torque rating of somewhere around 500 ft/lbs, depending upon where you get the data. The composite ones that folks like Chris use put out just twice that power. The one from Northern is not that far behind my IR. At worst, you might have to let it bounce a couple of times on a truck wheel to get started. Generally, on my car, I have a hard time letting off the trigger before the nut is off the stud. On the van, it usually takes between one and two seconds to pull a lug nut. On some of the suspension work I've done, the wrench didn't have enough power. It won't take the axle bolts off my car, and they are supposed to be torqued to about 260 ft/lbs. I generally use a breaker bar and a four foot pipe, braced on my shoulder, and lift with my legs to get those bolts off. Hope that description is useful. As I said, I think it would be fine to start with, and would be a good backup when the time comes, rather than just being a waste of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrated Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 N1K, You truck probably doesn't "weigh" 8000lbs, that's the rating on the truck. I'd be surprised if your truck weighs more than 5000 to 5500lbs......and certainly a 5000lb lift would work on one end at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 An air ratchet will do the work taking lug nuts on and off just fine. You'll have to break them loose by hand, though, then use the air ratchet to spin them the rest of the way off. It's not really a big deal, though, because you need to re-torque them by hand anyway. No, you don't... I use one of those calibrated 6" extensions from Snap-On that you put on an impact and they only go up to a certain # rating (the one I have is 100ft lbs) then stop, and the pitch changes... Torque sticks do indeed work very well, but I usually save that topic for "Air Tools For Juice Monkeys 102". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 An air ratchet will do the work taking lug nuts on and off just fine. You'll have to break them loose by hand, though, then use the air ratchet to spin them the rest of the way off. It's not really a big deal, though, because you need to re-torque them by hand anyway. No, you don't... I use one of those calibrated 6" extensions from Snap-On that you put on an impact and they only go up to a certain # rating (the one I have is 100ft lbs) then stop, and the pitch changes... Torque sticks do indeed work very well, but I usually save that topic for "Air Tools For Juice Monkeys 102". HAHA!! :icon_clap: Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 N1K, You truck probably doesn't "weigh" 8000lbs, that's the rating on the truck. I'd be surprised if your truck weighs more than 5000 to 5500lbs......and certainly a 5000lb lift would work on one end at a time. It's a 4x4 diesel ext cab super duty... I can't find the actual curb weights on that particular truck, but the difference between the GVWR and the rated payload capacity is 7100#... and I know a 1/2 ton, ext cab, 4x4 chevy with a 350 and an automatic weighs in around 5500lbs full of fuel... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 My E150 without rear seats weighs 5400 lbs according to the scales at the land fill. (Just to keep the thread going ) Here's one I found funny. We don't recycle styrofoam locally...it has to go to the landfill. So I finally am swimming it the stuff one day, load as much as I can in the van, and head out. It was packed to the gills with boxes and garbage bags crammed full of styrofoam...I even had the passenger seat filled. It looked like I had 4 tons of shit in there. They gave some pretty weird looks when I pulled out of there 200 pounds lighter. Oh, but I used an air wrench to put the wheels on....back on topic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1K Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 N1K, You truck probably doesn't "weigh" 8000lbs, that's the rating on the truck. I'd be surprised if your truck weighs more than 5000 to 5500lbs......and certainly a 5000lb lift would work on one end at a time. It's a 4x4 diesel ext cab super duty... I can't find the actual curb weights on that particular truck, but the difference between the GVWR and the rated payload capacity is 7100#... and I know a 1/2 ton, ext cab, 4x4 chevy with a 350 and an automatic weighs in around 5500lbs full of fuel... Mike technically its a crew cab. which weighs even more than the extended cab. Some guy on the Ford board said he was on the scale at his work with the same truck as I have (I think they sell aggregates) and it was almost 8,000lbs Add in bed rug, rubber bed mat, tonneau cover, and the stuff I keep in back (fire extinguisher, tow straps, jumper cables, jumper-charger, spare bottle of bourbon etc) Hope that description is useful. As I said, I think it would be fine to start with, and would be a good backup when the time comes, rather than just being a waste of money. Very useful Joe, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Krypt Keeper Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I always say to use the correct tool to the do the job, unless you got to make one. I agree nothing will piss you off more than having an impact that won't remove lug nuts. I always use our stuff at work simply because we have the better tools and they are used on heavy equipment. our 40 ton haul trucks have 24 or 25 lug nuts per wheel. You don't want a small dingy impact to remove them or to torque them back down. Hell we got a 5ft tall pipe wrench for stubborn pipes around the plant.. my 4X4 4-door ranger weighs in at over 4600lbs, So I know Nik's truck is alot more. I use one of the 20 ton floor jacks at work when I do work on it so not lifting issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 N1K, You truck probably doesn't "weigh" 8000lbs, that's the rating on the truck. I'd be surprised if your truck weighs more than 5000 to 5500lbs......and certainly a 5000lb lift would work on one end at a time. My Avalanche weighed in at 6500lbs, and it's not a diesel, crewcab, or 1-ton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1K Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Went and checked... There is a guy on the Ford Diesel board from CA who had his trucked weighed on a reliable scale. Identical truck to mine full tank of fuel was 8,180 pounds. Curb (published) 7,750 Curb (measured) 8,180 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Nik, One thing I haven't seen discussed yet that is very, very important is the max lifting height of the jack. Try to get one that goes as high as possible, which means it'll be a large and very heavy floor jack. But I don't think you have much choice. A jack with less than a 20" of max lift height might not get your wheels off the ground, depending on the jack point and the suspension travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Here you go.... http://www.alltiresupply.com/p-IR-2135QTI.html we just bought one here at work..... awesome gun.... and it's unbelievably quiet. Killer price as well. Edited to add: We bench tested that gun at work... @90 psi. it delivers about 425-450 lb.ft. of torque, just give you an idea of it real capabilities. We have bench tested almost all of our other guns as well... and it looks like most all te guns only deliver about 60% of what they are rated at..... go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_40 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Nik, One thing I haven't seen discussed yet that is very, very important is the max lifting height of the jack. Try to get one that goes as high as possible, which means it'll be a large and very heavy floor jack. But I don't think you have much choice. A jack with less than a 20" of max lift height might not get your wheels off the ground, depending on the jack point and the suspension travel. +1 I use to have to use 2X4's under the jack to get enough lift to get the tires off the ground and it's a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1K Posted December 20, 2006 Author Share Posted December 20, 2006 Nik, One thing I haven't seen discussed yet that is very, very important is the max lifting height of the jack. Try to get one that goes as high as possible, which means it'll be a large and very heavy floor jack. But I don't think you have much choice. A jack with less than a 20" of max lift height might not get your wheels off the ground, depending on the jack point and the suspension travel. Yeah, I mentioned that to my parents also (these were ideas my parents wanted for christmas gifts for me) I'm half expecting that the things they buy I'll end up returning to buy something that will really suffice of the same type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossodave Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Nik I have one of these and I have never met a bolt it couldn't remove. I know what people will say about Harbor Freight, but this thing rocks. It is the best 80 dollars I have ever spent there. Bought it two years ago and no issues yet. Dave http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...itemnumber=2623 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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