s-style wrenches

[chipper]

Do i really need these would it just be a clearence issue or what they take up valuable space in my box i guess i bought them just cause i didn't have them they are about to make the transition from work box to home box anybody have any input

 

[gagreen]

You don't need them til you need them. Those times that you need them they pay for their drawer real estate.

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Examples of where you'd use them?

 

[btbsandman]

Do i really need these would it just be a clearence issue or what they take up valuable space in my box i guess i bought them just cause i didn't have them they are about to make the transition from work box to home box anybody have any input

I would spend the money. They were worth gold when putting a new starter onto my V6.

 

[wise]

Just because you own them doesn't mean they have to be layed out flat in your wrench drawer taking up valuable real estate. I just bundle mine together in an elastic band and tuck them away. The rare time you need them they really save a lot of time and swear words. They're better served at work.

 

[KSB]

Only place I every used one was injection pump bolt on a Perkins.

 

[HTGTS350]

Ive got half moons and have never found the need to have s types as well.

 

[dirtmister16]

generally those s wrenches and half moons are for starters or injector pumps. diesel work tend to use the more to my understanding, when you need em you need em. dad has em but they don't get used very often.

 

[Chuck122]

Just keep a set of cheap wrenches and hit them with the torch when you need a specialty wrench

 

[CWP1616L]

Don't buy them unless you have a specific purpose for them. There was a time when I could've really used a half moon wrench to remove an A/C compressor from a Cadillac 425, but since then, never needed one again.

 

[devilsnight]

Just keep a set of cheap wrenches and hit them with the torch when you need a specialty wrench

This! I have 5 or 6 wrenches that are highly modified for that one job that I see once in a great while. why have a whole set that you may not ever use? (I've never used a S or a half moon before)

 

[cowboy73]

I found a use for mine: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150591

 

[Outlander]

Half price this week for us Canadians http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/Wrenches/CombinationSets/PRD~0582515P/Mastercraft+8-pc+Obstruction+Wrench+Set.jsp?locale=en

 

[diesel research]

Don't buy them unless you have a specific purpose for them. There was a time when I could've really used a half moon wrench to remove an A/C compressor from a Cadillac 425, but since then, never needed one again.

if you are a homeuser, you pretty well know most of what you will need, since you arent encountering many new experiences.

if you are working in some kind of wrenching capacity on a wide variety of "other peoples junk", it is much more difficult to gauge when they will be needed, since it's hard to guess what will come through the bay door, especially if you are an all makes/models/years type of indy shop.

 

[devoncoolman]

Been wrenching for years and never needed an s wrench. But whos to say i wont need one tomarrow. But anyway. Typically a home user wont really run into the need for specialty wrenchs of that sort. But ive bent up plenty of craftsman wrench's with a torch for various odd ball aplications to save my self some time by not removing an ac compressor or a starter that was in a difficult spot. Being a flat rate tech tends to get ur gears moving to find a better way to get that oil pan out. Instead of pulling the motor out. The difference between taking 12 hrs to do the job vs 5hrs. Ill sacrifice a craftsman wrench to save me a few hrs. Then typically ill mark that wrench what i bent it for. Just for reference so i can reuse it. Or even heat her up and tweek it another way for another job.

 

[diesel research]

i sure wish i had one for an old gm injection pump. 3 bolt "flange". 2 bolts out in a matter of seconds. lines off within 5-10 minutes. last bolt....additional 30 minutes of inching it along, 1 "tooth" of a 12pt box end or moon wrench at a time.

doesnt matter if you are hourly, salary, flat rate, or home owner, or "wrench for fun", no one has time for that kind of nonsense. there are quite a few tasks like that, where 1 bolt is extremely slow to remove, and there is nothing to reasonably be able to remove/trim/cut to make the job any quicker.

 

[KSB]

i sure wish i had one for an old gm injection pump. 3 bolt "flange". 2 bolts out in a matter of seconds. lines off within 5-10 minutes. last bolt....additional 30 minutes of inching it along, 1 "tooth" of a 12pt box end or moon wrench at a time.

And you know if it takes forever coming out it is going to take just as long going in... My sausage fingers could rarely get the 3rd bolt started on the perkins pumps.. I worked with a guy who was able to accomplish getting these started and usually asked him to start that bolt. Once started it was still a tedious operation getting it the rest of the way.

 

[2oolhound]

Half price this week for us Canadians http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/Wrenches/CombinationSets/PRD~0582515P/Mastercraft+8-pc+Obstruction+Wrench+Set.jsp?locale=en

Not a bad deal, I might pick up a set just to keep on hand. For less than $3 ea I can always straighten them out if I need to.

I see there is a 19/32", I can only assume there is a 5/8, 9/16, 7/16 and they have eliminated the 11/16. Don't know why they don't publish the sizes.

 

[RCStocker]

I grew up in machine shops and on a farm. I have rebuilt huge tractors and farm machinery. Restored and rebuilt large machines and built buggies and did 99% of my own auto repair. I have never need one. I have the S wrenches and half moon in gear wrench but in 60 years of fixing I have never needed one.

 

[diesel research]

the fact several specific incidents have already been listed, pretty much nullifies that to simply not having a wide enough variety of experience. cant ever be experienced at working on it ALL.

"it hasnt happened to me yet" argument gets weakened the moment someone cites "it has happened to me".

thats like saying scan tools or oe type specialty tools arent needed because a guy with carburetors has yet to gain experience using one.

standard moonwrenches are arguably required for certain jobs. they (ratcheting) do the same thing, except perhaps less tediously, so a moonwrench user could justify claiming he never "needed" one, since he never knew the job could be done less tediously.

it was the same argument 10 years ago when most people hadnt seen/used the standard gearwrench and made the exact same claims of their uselessness, simply because they had not yet been experienced in knowing a task could be easier. had my balls busted daily 10yrs ago for that "gimmicky garbage".

 

[the gypsy]

Half price this week for us Canadians http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/Wrenches/CombinationSets/PRD~0582515P/Mastercraft+8-pc+Obstruction+Wrench+Set.jsp?locale=en

Where in Quebec do you live? I am in Montreal and these wrenches are not on special in the flyer, I will go to the store tomorrow and check in the store.

 

[Old Donn]

You don't need them til you need them. Those times that you need them they pay for their drawer real estate.

Truth.

 

[2mJps]

I have a set and in the 30 years i have had them tryed to use them but never have.

 

[crewchief888]

i've been wrenching on const eq for almost 30 years, i've never had a use for one.

however
a modified moon wrench has helped out several times, as well as snapon's version of a JD starter wrench.

the SO wrench was actually cheaper than buying 2 seperate JD starter wrenches

 

[gagreen]

Used them all the time hanging these.

 

[Rico.]

Do i really need these

The only truly honest answer anyone can give you is... I don't know.


To some people, as has been mentioned here, half moon or S shaped spanners have
saved them hours of work.... For other people, they have had them for years and never
used them... I fall into the latter camp, and I spend good money on a good set thinking
they would be so useful and never needed one......YET. Maybe that day will come, maybe
it won't.

So to definitively answer your question.... Do you really need these..?

The answer is obviously...
Probably maybe definitely possibly 100% absolutely yes no.

... and don't let anyone tell you any differently.

 

[#1SomeGuy]

How about getting those indexing gearwrench ones instead? Seems they have a few more uses and should serve the same purpose?

 

[Plombob]

What is this "need" you speak of?
Is there room in your roll cab? If yes, fill it. If no, get another roll cab.

 

[venturesomerite]

I use my half moons, but not "s" very often.

An example as you asked, most recently I use a half moon on a carb base bolt, that was covered from above from throttle linkage(no ratchet even with wobble) and from the direct side (so no traditional wrench) So I used a moon.

 

[Outlander]

Where in Quebec do you live? I am in Montreal and these wrenches are not on special in the flyer, I will go to the store tomorrow and check in the store.

I did not follow my normal ritual of reading the paper flyers this week, but happened to look through the web. To answer your questions though, my house in the Rive Sud and my chalet in Lanaudiere

These would fall into the category - buy them on sale at Canadian Tire so I have them when I need them.....but....I would never pay full price.

 

[Outlander]

Just because you own them doesn't mean they have to be layed out flat in your wrench drawer taking up valuable real estate. I just bundle mine together in an elastic band and tuck them away. The rare time you need them they really save a lot of time and swear words. They're better served at work.

I made one of these 10 minute wrench racks out of electrical wire.

View media item 29419
Besides hiding them away for a rainy day, anyone else have storage ideas? Can't picture in my head an alternative to lying flat in the tool box. Google and my morning coffee may reveal creative ideas.

 

[Vvmvbb]

If you'll need them I think you'll want the Gearwrench. I do a lot of home wrenching on the P-cars so I decided to get 10mm and 13mm, both S's and half-moons - playing the odds and pretty much guaranteeing I'll need a 15mm one of these someday

 

[the gypsy]

I did not follow my normal ritual of reading the paper flyers this week, but happened to look through the web. To answer your questions though, my house in the Rive Sud and my chalet in Lanaudiere

These would fall into the category - buy them on sale at Canadian Tire so I have them when I need them.....but....I would never pay full price.

Thank you for your time, I went through the flyer and they are not listed but went to the store and found them on sale. So you guessed it , I picked a set of sae and one metric.

 

[the gypsy]

The only other set left to buy is the offset, and I am done. At least, I hope.