The day I tried a cordless ratchet on a timing belt job changed my mind on battery tools

I've been a die-hard air tools guy for years. Last month I had a 2010 Ford Fusion timing belt job in my bay at the station, and my compressor went down mid-morning. My buddy handed me his Milwaukee cordless ratchet and said just try it. I got the water pump bolts out and the belt routed in half the time I usually take with air. The access was way easier without the hose getting tangled on the engine mounts. But I still wonder if the battery life holds up on a full day of heavy work like pulling a transmission. Has anyone else switched over and regretted it on the long jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

max_ross29d ago

What kind of battery percentage were you at when you finished that job? I get what you mean about the hose being a pain, I hate trying to snake an air line around a motor mount just to get one bolt out. On the long jobs like a trans pull I usually keep two batteries on the charger so I can swap them out without stopping. I have not regretted switching over because the convenience of not dragging a hose around makes up for the occasional battery swap for me.

jamesfox29d ago

Man, @max_ross hit the nail on the head with the two battery trick, that's a game changer for sure. Totally agree that ditching the air hose mess is worth the extra battery swaps every time.