Fleet Maintenance Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement - 20

TOOL REVIEW

Product description

Milwaukee Tool M12 FUEL
3/8" Stubby Impact Wrench
The reviewer enjoyed the tool's compact size
and ability to reach into tight spaces
When servicing vehicle systems, it is helpful for a technician to be able to reach into
tight spaces without having to remove additional components to do so. This is one reason
Kirk Hillman, equipment technician at the
Colorado Department of Transportation in
Denver, enjoys using the Milwaukee Tool M12
FUEL 3/8" Stubby Impact Wrench.
The impact wrench came packaged in a box
along with two batteries, a charger, the user
manual, and a carrying case. Once out of the
box, it was only a matter of connecting the
battery before being able to put the tool to use.
Hillman is impressed with the amount of
power the impact wrench has for being such

a small size, and he also
likes the grip and ability
to use it with one hand.
"The grip was really comfortable, and the
switch to move it from forward to reverse is
easily a one-handed operation," he says.
The impact wrench saves Hillman time
since he doesn't have to remove unnecessary
parts and components to complete a repair.
For example, with normal impact wrenches
a technician would have to pull the cooling
fans and possibly the radiator out to get to
the timing belt, he says.
"As far as electric impacts go, it's by far the
best one that I have," Hillman concludes.

The Milwaukee Tool M12
FUEL 3/8" Stubby Impact
Wrench is designed to
allow improved access in
tight spaces while delivering the power to complete
demanding tasks. The
wrench delivers up to 250
ft-lbs of breakaway torque
to remove stubborn bolts
and fasteners. A fourmode drive control feature
gives users the versatility
to switch between modes
to match the power and
speed needed for the
application at hand. These
impact wrenches offer
an auto shut off mode
to prevent the over-fastening of bolts. The M12
FUEL Stubby Impact
Wrench is also available
in 1/4" and 1/2" sizes.
-Kayla Oschmann
To read the full review, visit
VehicleServicePros.com/21132655

TOOL REVIEW

AIRCAT Pneumatic Tools
VIBROTHERM DRIVE 1" Impact Wrench
A combination of high torque
and low weight has made this
heavy duty impact a popular
tool at the reviewer's shop.

Heavy duty vehicles tend to have heavy
duty parts and components, so heavy duty
tools are required for service. Removing the
lug nuts to access the wheels, for example,
requires a lot of torque. That process typically involves a heavy, bulky pneumatic impact
wrench that can be difficult for a technician
to manage.
Eric Moore, fleet manager at Griffin
Pavement Striping in Columbus, Ohio, says
the AIRCAT Pneumatic Tools VIBROTHERM
DRIVE 1" Impact Wrench, No. 1993-VXL, is
smaller, lighter, more ergonomic, and offers
more torque than any of the other 1" impacts
they use.

20 Tools & Shop Equipment | April 2020

Product description

The AIRCAT Pneumatic
"This one was a hit right off the rip; it just
Tools VIBROTHERM DRIVE
gets the job done," he says. "It definitely saves
1" Impact Wrench, No.
some time over the impacts that we've been
1993-VXL, is designed to
using because it just has substantially more
deliver high torque, low
torque. It's also a lot more ergonomic than the
vibration, low noise, low
weight, shorter length,
older models that we have, as well as lighter."
and longer working life,
In addition to its powerful, low-weight
as well as unmatched
design, Moore says he and the other technistyling design, operating
cians at Griffin appreciate the fact that it has
comfort, and convenience.
The impact wrench offers
a 6" anvil, which helps them work around
a maximum torque of
the hubs on dual wheels to access the lug
2,000 ft-lbs, weighs 20.2
nuts. They also like the adjustable handle
lbs, and is 18.7" in length.
which makes the tool customizable to any
The VIBROTHERM DRIVE
technician's needs.
1" Impact Wrench includes
a three-year warranty.
"The handle is rotatable, so you can make
it left -handed or right-handed," Moore says.
Moore and the other technicians at Griffin
-David Brierley
have been pleased using the Vibrotherm Drive
To read the full review, visit
1" Impact Wrench.
Note: This product will be available June 1. VehicleServicePros.com/21133369
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21132655 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21133369
Fleet Maintenance Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement

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