TearDown: Milwaukee M12 2nd Gen Hammer Drill

Here looking at what's inside the Milwaukee 2504 second generation M12 fuel 1/2 inch hammer drill. Foley Disick the gearbox a nice All Steel 13 gear unit . .

[@billwells8054]

Thanks for the level of detail. I'll be running the video backwards (if I could). This afternoon I opened up my drill and pulled the motor off the gearbox. There went all those little gears onto my garage floor. I'll set the parts on my shop bench tomorrow, and with help from you video, get everything back together.

[@vsmart5744]

The technology engineered and produced in this Milwaukee M12 Hammer Drill is beyond phenomenal. This drill belongs in the Smithsonian Institute.

[@TheBootyWrangler]

In my opinion too many small things for durability were cut to save cost so they could afford to pay the engineers and still make a profit. My only. And I mean only. Gripe with Milwaukee is that they are just not quite as durable as dewalt. They tend to be more powerful and feel nicer in the hand but my drills often take 30-50ft falls off of mansion roofs etc. and my dewalts last 5-10 years easy taking these kinds of falls probably once a week. Always falling off of ladders too. I don’t think people understand how hard we run our tools. I dropped a clients Gen 3 fuel impact off of a 6 foot a frame and that bitch cracked in half. And cost me way too much to replace. I was fucking PISSED because I’ve never broke a drill from dropping it only 8-10 feet on to concrete. My stepbrother left my dads dewalt drill he gave me when I was 13 on a roof for a year and the chuck rusted through. When I recovered it it somehow still ran completely fine despite a year in the Texas elements. eventually the chuck started sticking so I would have to either bang the back of it on a rock or spike the back on the ground as hard as I could to get it to loosen up. It kept running a year like this!!! Eventually I used it as a wrench, overtorqued it, and the chuck went out. I have it in a box in the office so that I can replace the chuck when my son is older so he can also use my first drill. I just can’t afford to atm because the wife and I just moved + I bought a whole bunch of new dewalt impacts and drills. Even their brushless drills are invincible. We ran one over and the handle broke and became lopsided. 30 seconds of electrical tape later and she was running amazing. That drill was left on the roof as well but for only a few weeks and 2 rainstorms. So we were able to save it and it is still in service 3 years later. Since we upgraded all of our equipment recently it is now seldom used but still works as good as new. E: wow typing this out actually revived my anger at certain people for being so stupid with our tools

[@Popajaja]

Today I bought a similar "broken" Milwaukee M12 drill and two batteries for $40. After half an hour, the machine works like new. The problem was in the left/right switch. It seems to me that the previous owner only used the machine in one direction and that (corrosion or dust) caused the drill to run unevenly. An excellent, high-quality product that I can recommend to everyone. Greetings from Switzerland

[@andrewavellino6427]

I just purchased the M12 fuel hammer drill and impact kit in October 2021, and I noticed they are both made in Mexico now. I'm very pleased about this for 1, it's not made in China anymore, and 2, Mexico's a lot closer to made in America. I would much rather see our tools come from somewhere other than China.

[@MLeung-vl7we]

I have both Gen 2 and Gen 3 (kit) M12 fuel hammer drill. Both made in China. Dont think it matters the country of origin because its all about labor costs. Adhering to QC standards is the main factor in build quality. Is there really a difference if Milwaukee pays a Chinese worker 52 yuans or a Mexican worker 148 pesos to press the same button?

[@mracer8]

I will only buy made in Texas tool.

[@zachproctor2295]

Great video, man. I really enjoyed nerding-out with you.

[@sirmalus5153]

I have two of these, plus an 18V and two 28v versions. A man cannot have too many drills I say. Nice to see the milwaukee has 'more' to it inside, than the equivalent B&D. Now I know where my extra money went. My original 28v is now 11 years old and still going strong on original brushes. Milwaukee spare parts (motors etc.) have made in Germany stamped on them, so they may be put together in china, but all the important parts are German made.

[@NRP1991]

Just stumbled upon your channel and next thing I know a couple hours have passed and I’ve watched 20 videos of yours. Thumbs up!!!!!!!

[@TAH1712]

Very interesting - really appreciate your experience / technical knowledge sharing and your priceless comments.

[@chrisdhutch]

Excellent video !!

[@spencer1244]

Very interesting tear downs. Just discovered this channel. Coming from AvE. Just bought this drill it looks pretty nice judging by the internals. Although lots of powdered metal steel parts, from AvE’s tear downs tho he even saw that the $700 HILITI drill had a plastic gearbox housing and powdered metal gears...

[@CatusMaximus]

In my experience hilty's on build any better than a Milwaukee or Makita or anything it's just that they have that 20-year warranty now. Plus the one or two-year wear warranty which nobody else has

[@TheLexiconDevils]

Buy a 6ah battery for it.

[@TheBootyWrangler]

@@CatusMaximus HILTI’s entire marketing strategy is to go for businesses that buy a lot of them at once and actually use the warranties enough for it to be worth it

[@badger0888]

Great video. We love your tear downs. You are like a walking encyclopedia. Curious what is your background?

[@TheSebastian5978]

Even after 2yrs this tear-down is awesome.

[@thebuff7271]

Chinese ownership of the Milwaukee brand. Milwaukee Tools is ultimately owned by Techtronic Industries headquartered in Hong Kong. Did you know Techtronic makes Ryobi, Craftsman, Hoover, Homelite and Rigid among others?

[@JimLake.Junior]

Wow. This drill has changed a lot internally. Newer version (not sure which one I have) is much easier to tear down.

[@Vatech-gj2tw]

Dewalt and Milwaukee target the same customers , I don’t feel Milwaukee is better than dewalt I have fuel gen 3 tools that have had little issues from purchase but watching you tear down of the dewalt extreme 12v and the Milwaukee m12 they both are engendered great and well made I own the m12 also haven’t used it as much good video!

[@cardo1111]

Very good teardown and explanation, you're starting to remind me of AvE 👍🏽

[@imagrownassman1]

Except this guy speaks english and doesn't pepper his commentary with lame boomer humor.

[@doylee469]

imagrownassman1 yup, i enjoy the cat mucho more

[@InsuranceIsLegalizedRobbery]

imagrownassman1 Nah, I do like AvE kind of humor/ even though AvE mentions the word “Fu**” but he’s still funny smart guy, u should know first he/cactus are both genius guys and everybody else got their own style, u don’t always gotta have to see thing either black or white, cuz gray color has 50 different shades bro

[@birdking6389]

after watching this video, I went to home depot and grabed one for $129 CND with one battery and charger, thanks for your work.

[@29roadie17]

I just got one too for that price but it's broken right out of the box. Stuck in hammer mode no matter what setting you've selected on the clutch. It's impossible to use. I was hoping he'd take the gear box completely apart so I could see how that selector works. I really didn't want to have to deal with returning this thing to Home Depot because I ordered it from them online. Such a PITA.

[@mtsaz100]

awesome- my 2408-20 is intermittently dead. I have to pull out/reinsert battery many many times to get it working for a few minutes. I was going to take it apart but I can find no tear downs. I see the clip and the screws for clam shell---so I will give it a go. This video helped me tremendously to know how it comes apart and how to deal with clip. thank you

[@Tigerratcat]

I have the sane issue. Did you manage to find the problem?

[@BrianSu]

Fantastic video. Not a single dislike. I have the exact same drill but my chuck looks different from yours. Mine has the knurled pattern all way round and no smooth parallel breaks like yours does. Thanks for the video as I had been wondering what was inside the unit.

[@davidperry4013]

My gen 3 m12 fuel hammer drill is made in Mexico. Regular clean and lubes cab definitely extend tool life.

[@scottc3884]

Superb video! Due to some rather unfortunate idiocy on my part, I definitely needed gear information you provided. Thank you

[@momouppa]

Really enjoying your work mate.

[@ertankoc1501]

Çok teşekkür ederim

[@procrastinator1842]

Those loose gearbox screws, I opened mine to fine all four had completely backed out almost half way! I can also confirm the stupid air intake sucks in everything and FILLS the case with crap. Hoping a gen 3 version comes along soon and solves this!

[@Yradex]

@Catus Maximus do you find the chuck wobbles when drill bit is in and moved by the hand? Mine does, something loose inside?😮😮😮

[@thedangler2802]

gen 3 teardown soon? looks like they really stepped up their game.

[@philjohnson796]

Awesome teardown and explanation. That circuit board looks like trouble if the tool gets wet.

[@MrGeri95]

Idk why because Milwaukee is expensive and don't have even splash protection! Shame!

[@user-ow4ye7dh1c]

What is the electronic part of the chuck? What function does it have? Would the later 3404-20 be designed the same way?

[@larrydew6960]

I have a 18V drill that works but will not shift 1/2. I have not opened the case yet. Thanks.

[@valdomeros4303]

Gracias el vídeo es muy bueno .......pero yo tengo uno dde la primera serie y uno de la segunda al de la primera serie tiene más de 4 años de trabajo y sigue igual que cuando nuevo luego compre el de segunda serie y duró menos de un año se daño el micro rodamiento de la caja de engranajes es muy delicado y milwaukee me dice que tengo que comprar la caja de engranajes completa yo no recomiendo este taladro no aguanta el trabajo.

[@jaimerosado3697]

Good job

[@jetenginethrust863]

Good job. It's exactly what I want to see on a teardown video. I wish everyone doing reviews of tools would do this, also describe the tool, it's specs, features & show it in action WHITHOUT ANY music so we can hear the damn tool under a heavy load doing what it's supposed to do. And not just installing or removing a few small fasteners or whatever, show us heavy duty usage for a least several minutes and different types and sizes of fasteners etc.. I like this tool, would have liked to see ALL of the components of it but I know sometimes the manufacturers use special jigs & proprietary tools to assemble & disassemble their tools/products etc.. I would like to see a metal outer gear case for those planetary gears also. I don't like electronic clutches, controls etc. inside tools either. They don't last as long as other tools without them. Keep it simple and stout/robust. Those damn rubber overmolds I don't like either because they eventually break down & look terrible. Just mold some grip into the metal cases of these cordless tools & get rid of the cheap plastic that eventually breaks also. Make all the cordless tools out of ALL metal. I don't care if it weighs a little more than a plastic comparable tool, I want it to last! Too many tools & electronics these days are not made to last for several decades like in the past! Get back to the basics but include innovative features that last a very long time!

[@benjaminromshak9904]

Great video Sir!! 🍻🍻

[@woodtv4481]

Nice tear-down video you got there Sir. I made a tear-down video of Workzone Hammer drill but i wasn't able to put it back, but still At least I saw whats inside it. hehe. lesson learned

[@Shredtard]

You can remove the chuck without tearing it down. It has that reverse thread screw inside the chuck you can get.

[@nullptr8461]

thx for the video, mine started to not stop when torque was reached in 1st gear but works great in 2nd.. service seems terrible in my country and they don't aknowledge this as an issue because it "runs ok" on tests

[@briannactoch5889]

Bro ayudame tengo mi taladro con Problemas en la velocidad 2 al estar girando al hacer fuerza suena super fuerte como los embragues antiguos como si los engranajes pasarán en banda, desarme mi taladro revise los engranajes pero no estaban rotos

[@user-vj1hy8si7p]

Your channel is now officially better than AvE's. Thanks for the effort, although a few expat-Newfie malapropisms wouldn't necessarily be out of order, assuming your cat don't mind.

[@JoeDplummer_]

Great video!... Thanks 👍🏻

[@CatusMaximus]

Glad you liked it!

[@valdomeros4303]

Buenos días donde puedo obtener la caja de engranajes milwaukee gracias

[@joshblanks9479]

I'm building something with mine. I need to gut the inside and just use then trigger to activate my project. Which wires would I use for simple positive and negative from the trigger?

[@srooster4410]

hey so mine works fine in every way except when in first gear, i can grab the chuck with my hand and stop it dead.. what do you think the issue may be? i’m wondering if maybe the clutch isn’t fully engaging into the lower gear? maybe a drop jostled something out of alignment.

[@rafextreme2879]

Any chance a video could be made about the 2606-20 18v model. I took mine apart but when put back together and used i starts smoking. Any tips of what i made wrong. I feel like i missed something. Thank you.

[@heribertomunoz7149]

Very informative video. Thank you

[@TheBootyWrangler]

I just left a comment on another one of your videos earlier but I finally found a chuck replacement video for dewalt’s that doesn’t require you to smack on it or twist it with a pipe wrench. I gotta go find it again but the guy used various levels of pry bars from teeny tiny ones up to larger ones to finally get it off. He just went around it left, right, top, bottom like if a tire had only 4 lugs. Methodically and slowly without applying much force to any one part of the chuck. It worked exceptionally well. Could you try this method out?

[@gregdoecke7099]

That was very interesting thankyou. I have one that is sparking inside, why would that be if it is brushless?

[@netomx8797]

Hi, my father-in-law Teardown his and i cant put it together i think is the 1st generation. Any chance you have a video of it. Thanks

[@joshjoy2535]

Nice review mate👍 Appreciate it.

[@danielfink6271]

Love the variation keep it up!

[@KhanafiZuhri-oi2et]

Boss bongkar milwauke M12 3404 gen3

[@joef.2908]

Taking the chuck off would have been nice

[@facundin128]

Hi! i have this one, i want to but need anotherone, how do you recomend the Milwaukee 2407? Thank you!!!

[@MustPassTruck]

The body of this drill is about the same size as my old 18v dewalt with the exception of length. Probably do to motor being a more compact brushless and not having a mechanical clutch.

[@danut9041]

This really deserves more likes and views. + 1 like and subscribed. :)

[@lutsevyat]

hello. please tell me why the Milwaukee 2504 micro-punch went missing .

[@edgarruiz4544]

Nice video Catus Maximus, I have a drill as the one in the video, when I use it the motor of this heats up quite a bit, so I leave it idle for a while and then I continue using it. I haven't risked that it disconnects automatically when is too hot. Could you suggest me how to fix this issue and if is the motor or the electronic card that is failing.

[@martinaguado3113]

How did you take apart the clip?

[@abdelhalimhamich912]

Good video, i have an m18 impact wrench which won't change the direction and speed. Do you know what the problem is?

[@upsidedowndog1256]

Very cool. Lots of stuff in such a small tool. If US made it would probably cost 4X as much!

[@InsuranceIsLegalizedRobbery]

Impossible. No 1 would ever purchase

[@InsuranceIsLegalizedRobbery]

4x the cost, would be at least. say $400-500!! That’s bare tool !! Lol then it would’ve been the same if not a little more of value than snap-on products! and the result is = Milwaukee casted out by everyone, lol just like snap-on.

[@upsidedowndog1256]

@@InsuranceIsLegalizedRobbery So am I the only person buying SO tools now? Our local dealer is good at not falling into the trap himself. He continues to sell the best tools made.

[@regibson23]

But is it skookum?

[@nguyent2477]

M12 -2504-20 Gen2 _Fuel _ Hammer drill/Driver supper trong very very 👍/ Thank you sir

[@evolvep2747]

I like this channel.

[@michaelhodge9902]

Do a video about the Milwaukee gen2 cordless nail gun.

[@on-site4094]

I prefer Milwaukee brand over dewalt I not sure is more durable

[@sutidjo]

Good versi mexico atau versi china???!!!???

[@nidhincp298]

👍

[@tsutenkakurobo9642]

Great stuff. I'm looking to drill small, accurate holes in metal with a compact drill. Would this with a Rohm chuck thrown on it do the job?

[@CatusMaximus]

Yeah that would work great or you could get a Jacob's 700 series which is the carbide tooth in about the same as the rohm but a little cheaper

[@MustPassTruck]

The digital clutch on these is useless though. If you use a clutch for preventing driving screws too deep than look for one with a mechanical clutch.

[@benjaminvaradi-dancsa1123]

Where do the three balls have a place?

[@Dee-F]

Can we add grease to drill or its lock

[@Shredtard]

I need to replace the ball bearings on m12 drill. Does anyone know the part number?

[@macbook802]

M12?

[@Shredtard]

@@macbook802 yes 12volt drill.

[@Shredtard]

Pretty much the drill in this video

[@ckkhightech]

Hello sir good morning

[@TylerHankss]

If you’re not taking off the chuck why are you even calling it a tear down?

[@johnp556]

Nice to watch a teardown without all the cussing and blaspheming.

[@whatzittooya1696]

What an uncultured man you must be.

[@procrastinator1842]

The cussing and blasphemy is what makes me watch AvE

[@nobadhabits]

Plot twist. Its AvE's family channel

[@gsxr2fst498]

You think that’s dirty? Lll

[@user-fp8sw3ug5o]

Зубр дешевле

[@TolaTrucking]

Milwaukee:Overpriced Over rated. Chinese junk