So, I have been working on my truck myself

after testing many battery powered impact guns I decided to go with air powered impact gun. I have IR 2235TiMAX .It's a small beast ! I have installed fitting and valve on secondary air tank. The setup and tool is enough to lose lug nuts...

 

Is it normal for impact-rated sockets to melt a little? I noticed my 1/2” to 3/4” adapter showed signs of the metal melting after using it with my Milwaukee 1/2” drive impact gun. Or could it be that the impact-rated adapter I used is of poor quality? I think I got mine from Harbor Freight. Hahaha.

 

Are you sure it's not just wearing from the hammer action? Even cheap harbor freight steel has a pretty high melting point.

 

This is what I’m talking about, but it may not be anything to worry about. My Milwaukee impact gun drive has sustained no damage.

 

That's just cheap steel taking a beating from the hammer action.

 

Perfectly normal. Especially with hard/heavy use. Happens with any socket. Cheaper ones will show wear signs sooner, but they all get there.

 

Okay, I took my wheels off again, and I have now discovered that the lug nuts on the passenger side drive wheels make a bit of a snapping sound when first loosened with a breaker bar. Another way to describe this is that the initial loosening is not smooth or even. I’m guessing that the wheel stud threads are a bit damaged. A few weeks ago I thought my load lock was cracking when placing it over a breaker bar. This only happens to some lug nuts.

 

I used my Milwaukee impact wrench again to mount and dismount 8 drive wheels, and fortunately the 1/2” to 3/4” socket adapter still looks the same. So no more damage. Apparently it only gets noticeably worn out on the first use. Harbor Freight tools aren’t so bad after all.

 

Impact black sockets are softer metal than chrome sockets to absorb some impact. This is why you never use chrome. It harder and will shatter.

They are made to take the beating. But I will say I have ones 20 years old that dont look that bad.

 

You get what you pay for, right. Hahaha. I hope my Harbor Freight tools last me a lifetime!