Spanner kits

[Neeves]

I note the negativity (and to adjustable spanners as well).

I have found 2 applications, bleeding the diesel fuel line where the bolt head is not torqued up (or ours are not) and the nut that holds the CAV filter together, which is also not torqued up. Both can be adjusted with the same tool and both are hexagonal heads whose size is unique (one different spanner is needed for each and that spanner is not used for anything else). They also work well in releasing an anchor shackle, unless you have an adjustable spanner or shackle key to hand.

They are of no value, except to scrape knuckles, where you have forgotten to use Duralac - but omitting Duralac is a worse crime than using one of these tools instead of a spanner.


On a more general note - those that were brought up as mechanics and were taught the arcane demands of nuts and bolts live in a totally different world to me. I appreciate the value of a good set of spanners and their saving the hexagonal shape - but when you are upside down in an engine bay or at the top of a mast there are other priorities.


The day before we were due to leave for Tasmania our yacht was broken into. This delayed our departure by about a week. The Police took it all under their wing and the culprits, 2 backpackers were found and deported. We continued to SW Tasmania. We were fully stocked with food, water and fuel. After 3 months catching crayfish, climbing hills etc, we returned. I topped up the fuel tank from the jerry cans as we motored across a large bay in the early morning mist. I filled the main tank and the engines died. I knew exactly what had happened - the thieves had stolen our fuel and filled the gerry cans with water.

I know I should have checked - but why - I filled the gerry cans at a servo, put them on the boat etc etc - why would I think some idiot would swap our diesel for water.....??

In instances like this you don't worry about the right spanner - you are trying to remove 40l of water from the fuel tank as quickly as possible.

Jonathan

 

[wonkywinch]

John Cadogan (Autoexpert Channel) chatting about his nuts ..

 

[Neeves]

John Cadogan (Autoexpert Channel) chatting about his nuts ..

I watched the linked Vid and another in the series (both were/are about HT bolts rather than nuts).


There are tools for most applications but you don't need a toque wrench, spanner, to assemble a CAV filter nor bleed a fuel line. It is of value to use a torque wrench if you are assembling a 4t tow bar (and don't use a spring washer ) but extrapolating from assembling a tow bar and using a torque wrench instead of a common spanner (or a multitool ) to bleed a diesel fuel line or assemble a CAV filter - seems ...... unnecessary.

In both applications you know if the assembly is sufficiently tight (it does not leak).

The only application I could think of where a torque wrench (or a decent ring spanner) would be essential is on keel bolts (and the lesson was - don't use spring washers), or the bolts holding Josepheline's cross beam (which did not have spring washers either). If you are disassembling your inboard diesel I'd expect 3 or 4 different styles of spanner and many different sizes ....... bleeding a fuel line (and most tasks on a yacht) are essential but pretty mundane?

Jonathan

 

[Skylark]

Having worked within mech eng all of my working life I have a bit of respect for the need to correctly torque fasteners. If someone has made the effort to define a specification I’m happy to follow their recommendations. Also, I have a bit of a fettish for torque wrenches.

 

[johnphilip]

I, very recently, bought and received some of these 'things', they are multiple spanner kits. I've put shrink covers on the handles.

Mine came as a set of 4 and I bought the 'silver' one as an extra.

The top one is 5mm thick and is said to be made from chrome vanadium (but how would I know?).

I've not tried them in anger but they seem to do what it says on the box. Oddly they come in Imperial sizes.

The top 4 pieces cover the exact same sized nuts, or bolts, the long one allows more tension the short one works in tighter spaces (and the little black on is for smaller bolts).

The silver one is simply a variation on the theme.

They would 'make' a shackle key

They are as cheap as chips from Time and seem to offer an alternative to a heavy spanner set.

https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9....MI0q2v8-j1jQMVatMWBR2Slx82EAQYASABEgK89_D_BwE


View attachment 194857


Jonathan

Trying to think of any of the jobs around my MD2030 that these would accommodate, in almost every situation the nut is obstructed by the component it is holding in place so that the "overhang" on the end of the spanner would prevent the tool from turning. Another reason to agree with the sceptics on this wonder product.

 

[Dockhead]

. . . On a more general note - those that were brought up as mechanics and were taught the arcane demands of nuts and bolts live in a totally different world to me. I appreciate the value of a good set of spanners and their saving the hexagonal shape - but when you are upside down in an engine bay or at the top of a mast there are other priorities. . .

I would argue that fixtures at the top of the mast or in some inaccessible corner of the engine room are the LAST PLACES IN THE WORLD where you would want a boogered up bolt head. And therefore those places where a proper spanner is most imperative.

Just imagine dealing with a no longer undoable bolt at the top of the mast.

It might not be that big a deal in a place where wielding hacksaws and angle grinders and whatever else you need to use to deal with a fatally rounded off bolt head, but there . . .

 

[wonkywinch]

Having worked within mech eng all of my working life I have a bit of respect for the need to correctly torque fasteners. If someone has made the effort to define a specification I’m happy to follow their recommendations. Also, I have a bit of a fettish for torque wrenches.

View attachment 195023

My first torque wrench (as a skint student) was one of these awful things ..

 

[colind3782]

This morning I would have killed/paid anything for an electric/battery operated ring spanner. I had to put a nut on an 80mm M8 bolt in a really tight space, holding the bolt head with another spanner. After the "500th" 45° turn with the ratchet spanner, I was sweating, swearing and bleeding!

 

[thinwater]

Having worked within mech eng all of my working life I have a bit of respect for the need to correctly torque fasteners. If someone has made the effort to define a specification I’m happy to follow their recommendations. Also, I have a bit of a fettish for torque wrenches.

View attachment 195023

. Yeah, I think!

I have one. In fact, I have also used a fish scale on the end of a wrench when I did not have the right size and felt the torque was important (usually something that vibrates, like a motor or pump). Very rarely, but also accurate and a little awkward.

 

[thinwater]

I'm surprised Vice-Grips (and the UK knock-off Mole Grips) didn't come up. The wrong tool for most jobs, and the right tool for some.

My most common use for vice grips? Totally unrelated to wrenching. Ground clamp when welding smaller parts with some rust or paint; the jaws bite through and give a very good ground that will not slip when you reposition them to weld the back side. Very handy. After attaching the Vice-Grip you slap the main ground clamp onto the handle.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I'm surprised Vice-Grips (and the UK knock-off Mole Grips) didn't come up. The wrong tool for most jobs, and the right tool for some.

My most common use for vice grips? Totally unrelated to wrenching. Ground clamp when welding smaller parts with some rust or paint; the jaws bite through and give a very good ground that will not slip when you reposition them to weld the back side. Very handy. After attaching the Vice-Grip you slap the main ground clamp onto the handle.

Yes mole grips are excellent at gripping objects and ideally suited to welding applications, the problem comes when people use them or attempt to use them as spanners in which case it's not the mole grip that's the problem as they do have legitimate if limited application but the idiot on the other end of them.

 

[Mister E]

On some rusted nuts and bolts Mole grips are the only solution before an angle grinder.

 

[Mister E]

This morning I would have killed/paid anything for an electric/battery operated ring spanner. I had to put a nut on an 80mm M8 bolt in a really tight space, holding the bolt head with another spanner. After the "500th" 45° turn with the ratchet spanner, I was sweating, swearing and bleeding!

I have a 3/8 battery ratchet and it is my normal go to tool. If you can get it in. Next is 1/4 drive socket for restricted access.
Ratchet rings can also be a bit bonus.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

On some rusted nuts and bolts Mole grips are the only solution before an angle grinder.

Why does a rusted nut or bolt require a mole grip when a light cleaning and the correct size of spanner or socket would be far more appropriate. Now if you mean a buggered bolt head or nut then it's most likely buggered because people have used things like mole grips or adjustable spanners on it in the past. Rust in itself is not something that a mole grip will overcome.

 

[Mister E]

Why does a rusted nut or bolt require a mole grip when a light cleaning and the correct size of spanner or socket would be far more appropriate. Now if you mean a buggered bolt head or nut then it's most likely buggered because people have used things like mole grips or adjustable spanners on it in the past. Rust in itself is not something that a mole grip will overcome.

When you have used a six side impact socket and it turns on a rusted nut what do you use?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

When you have used a six side impact socket and it turns on a rusted nut what do you use?

Well a mole grip certainly won't turn it but I don't understand what you mean by it turns on a rusted nut do you mean it doesn't fit and therefore turns without turning the nut?

 

[Mister E]

The socket turns and doesn't undo the not due to the rusted metal flaking off the nut.
Mole grips do undo them if you are professional enough to have cleaned the threads.

 

[Cerebus]

I, very recently, bought and received some of these 'things', they are multiple spanner kits. I've put shrink covers on the handles.

Mine came as a set of 4 and I bought the 'silver' one as an extra.

The top one is 5mm thick and is said to be made from chrome vanadium (but how would I know?).

I've not tried them in anger but they seem to do what it says on the box. Oddly they come in Imperial sizes.

The top 4 pieces cover the exact same sized nuts, or bolts, the long one allows more tension the short one works in tighter spaces (and the little black on is for smaller bolts).

The silver one is simply a variation on the theme.

They would 'make' a shackle key

They are as cheap as chips from Time and seem to offer an alternative to a heavy spanner set.

https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9....MI0q2v8-j1jQMVatMWBR2Slx82EAQYASABEgK89_D_BwE


View attachment 194857


Jonathan

Look useful and cheap (which is often desirable on a boat).

Interesting spanners too, one size fits a few nuts.

Thank you.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The socket turns and doesn't undo the not due to the rusted metal flaking off the nut.
Mole grips do undo them if you are professional enough to have cleaned the threads.

Still don't understand if the socket turns then the nut either turns or shears or or deforms, if it's a good fitting hexagonal socket it won't deform.

 

[Mister E]

Still don't understand if the socket turns then the nut either turns or shears or or deforms, if it's a good fitting hexagonal socket it won't deform.

Not if is properly rusted with bits flaking of.
As in it has been in the elements for years not new in a factory.