Pro tip: I used to swear by a 3/4 inch impact for lug nuts, but a 1 inch drive with a torque stick is the only way to go.

The extra torque and control on a Freightliner's wheel ends means you won't fight a stuck nut for 20 minutes like I did last week. Anyone else made the switch and noticed fewer busted studs?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_jones5d ago

Hot take: Bigger is better. Honestly, that's the whole truth of it. The 1 inch gun just has that extra oomph that doesn't fight you. You're right about the busted studs too. It feels like the heavier hit from a 3/4 gun can snap them, but the 1 inch drive sort of muscles things loose in a smoother way. It's one of those tools that seems like overkill until you use it once. Then you just keep it in the truck for wheel work.

irismartinez5d ago

We had a 2008 Cascadia in the shop with seized inner lug nuts... the 1 inch gun with a 450 ft-lb torque stick got them off without a single broken stud. That extra mass in the anvil just seems to break things loose with less shock to the fastener. I still use the 3/4 for most stuff, but for any heavy truck wheels it's not even a choice anymore. The time saved on just one job pays for the socket adapter.