taylor12•6d agoProlific Poster

The day I learned my impact wrench was set to tighten, not loosen

I was fighting a rusty caliper bolt on a 2012 F-150 for what felt like an hour, swearing the thing was welded on. My buddy Mike walks over, watches me for a second, and just says, 'You know that little arrow on the side, right?' I looked down and sure enough, my Milwaukee M18 was set to forward. I'd been trying to loosen a left-hand thread bolt by cranking it tighter. Ever have a moment that makes you feel smart and dumb at the exact same time?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendysanchez6d ago

Oh man, been there. That moment of pure defeat when you realize it was you all along, lol.

craig.mila6d ago

But come on, it's just a simple mistake, not the end of the world, right?

drew_reed626d ago

Man, that hits home. I spent a whole weekend convinced the wheel bearing on my old Jeep was seized solid. My neighbor finally asked if I was going clockwise or counter, and I realized I had the impact on the wrong setting the ENTIRE time. The shame was real, but at least the beer tasted better after it was finally fixed. Those little arrows are the most important part of the tool.

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