Tortoise and Hare tools

[Sputter]

Have you ever tried to use a faster tool, only to find it wasn't ?

Earlier this week, after grinding some bolts to pass up through a base plate to fasten a cross slide, I had only 4 nuts to tighten up, but my impatience got the better of me. With limited access it was slightly slow going with an open ended spanner on the first nut, as I could only turn it a fraction at a time, so wanting to speed things up I got out a ratchet ring spanner. Much quicker, except ...

With spanner over the last nut, I slid it along the slot and tightened down. Job done in no time - only I realised too late that I couldn't now lift the spanner up off the nut as it was fouled from above by the slide. Neither could I loosen the nut again, as the spanner is the sort that needs to be turned over to reverse the ratchet, so it was now stuck there on the nut and could only freewheel !
Couldn't get in with a pin punch on the nut and my attempts to jam the mechanism failed too. Finally in fear of cracking something I would later regret, I resorted to dismantling to get it free.

Now I need to fit excessively long bolts to everything for at least a year, just so I can feel better again about ratchets saving time.

 

[Wallace]

And the nuts where due to access you can only turn half a flat at a time then need to flip the spanner...........

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Yup. Use a 10mm ratchet spanner joining kitchen worktops but some suppliers are a little too long and occasionally had to back off and use the other end.

Moved on to Mr zippys now. Stick an impact drill in and crank em up.

 

[Agrismith]

Surely the obvious answer is you need to buy another set of spanners with reverse on them
The answer is always more tools

 

[Sputter]

Surely the obvious answer is you need to buy another set of spanners with reverse on them
The answer is always more tools

This time I was the tool - it was all so obvious afterwards

 

[Wallace]

Friend of mine bought a Jago Jeep, and found a 7/16” ring spanner jangling about on a brake pipe underneath.

 

[8ob]

I cant remember what they are called but facom make these hook type spanners that work like a ratchet spanner, really handy for tight spaces where getting a ratchet type spanner would be impossible. Good for things like propshaft bolts on landrovers, not for the final tighten but good as a nut/bolt runner.

Bob