1-3/16" Crow Foot Help

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'm in need of a 1-3/16" Crow Foot that is no thicker than .4" in order to finish a project. Unfortunately, I don't have a regular wrench in that size, and the jaws of my adjustables are too thick. It looks like I will need to buy one, but I don't want to spend big bucks as I will probably never use this thing ever again. It looks like my most cost effective option is a Sunex 97738, but I can't find a spec regarding it's thickness. Does anyone have a Sunex set with this size (or maybe even bigger) that they can measure for me?

This is what I'm working with.....

 

[A_Pmech]

Grind down a cheap one?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Grind down a cheap one?

The Sunex is the cheapest I have found. Autozone had nothing for wrenches in that size and it doesn't look like Harbor Freight has anything. I can get the Sunex for $13 shipped, which is the same cost as an adjustable I would have to grind down.

 

[Provincial]

For a low torque situation, modify a 1-1/8" open end by grinding the opening to 1-3/16. Even a wrench made in India should handle the kind of torque applied with a crowfoot. If the sacrificial wrench is too thick, use an angle head grinder carefully, cooling the wrench often to keep it's temper. Once the wrench will fit the nut, weld a handle (or square drive) in place.

I pick up cheap or rusty tools for just this sort of modification.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

For a low torque situation, modify a 1-1/8" open end by grinding the opening to 1-3/16. Even a wrench made in India should handle the kind of torque applied with a crowfoot. If the sacrificial wrench is too thick, use an angle head grinder carefully, cooling the wrench often to keep it's temper. Once the wrench will fit the nut, weld a handle (or square drive) in place.

I pick up cheap or rusty tools for just this sort of modification.

That's not a bad idea, but I would have to go buy one, which is probably going to cost about as much as the crowsfoot. Also, my 1-1/8 wrench (Blackhawk) is too thick as well, which means a lot of grinding.

 

[Fcvapor05]

What you're looking for is, in various circles, known as a checknut wrench, service wrench, or pump wrench. They're very commonly needed for hydraulic service on heavy equipment and in other situations.

http://www.kahntools.com/1-13-16-angle-service-wrench.html

PS, Wilson Combat makes great stuff

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

PS, Wilson Combat makes great stuff

Yeah, the TRIM hand guard is a real nice peice, but using a non-standard size for the barrel nut is a huge pain in the ***. It wouldn't be bad if you could get an adjustable on it.

I wonder what most people end up using to tighten the nut? I have a vast tool collection, yet I don't have anything that will work.

 

[Fcvapor05]

Yeah, the TRIM hand guard is a real nice peice, but using a non-standard size for the barrel nut is a huge pain in the ***. It wouldn't be bad if you could get an adjustable on it.

I wonder what most people end up using to tighten the nut? I have a vast tool collection, yet I don't have anything that will work.

Yeah sorry for my post- I just realized you're trying to torque the barrel nut (as you should...) and a wrench isn't going to help much. I'm assuming most people just tighten by hand. When I built mine I already had a set of Snap-On crows feet, and the 1 3/16" was narrow enough (barely..) to do the job.

 

[Nak]

Use a 30mm. Common size. You can get that pretty much anywhere cheap.

 

[Ign]

Use a 30mm. Common size. You can get that pretty much anywhere cheap.

30mm was gonna be my suggestion as well. But I'm guessing you'll still have to customize a production one to make it thinner.

 

[Regnar]

In the past I have been know to weld some steel bars together to get the right size. Drill a hole that matches your wrench size and file the corners down. 5 bucks and a few minutes of time.

 

[franzdom]

bicycle headset wrenches are thin and some come in 30/32mm combo. 32mm is more common but the 30mm are out there. They would be perfect if you don't need a crowfoot.

 

[tbaggz]

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/de...__25122934024_c_S&026=-99&025=c&item=07829864
would this type of wrench work?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/de...__25122934024_c_S&026=-99&025=c&item=07829864
would this type of wrench work?

Yeah, just trying to avoid spending that type of money on a one time use tool. I foumd one similar on ebay for about $12.

 

[jeremy v]

You mentioned not wanting to spend much money on a one time use tool, but what about spending a little bit more money ($40-50) and ending up with a high quality tool you can use regularly for the rest of your life like a Knipex pliers wrench?

A 10" pliers wrench has jaws that are only about 5/16" wide and it will pinch down hard on the nut while you are turning. It will be a lot less likely to round out or damage the corners of the fitting like can happen with an open end or crowfoot, especially since I assume your fitting is anodized aluminum. Just put a couple thin sheets of paper between the wrench jaws and the barrel nut and you can torque safely and securely without even leaving a scratch.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X4OG94/?tag=atomicindus08-20

If you end up needing to grind something down, one thing to remember is that in many situations it is possible to just bevel the edge instead of grinding down the entire side of the wrench. The wrench also remains stronger with just beveled edges. The picture is a quick example of a 6" adjustable I modified in order to fit a couple of my narrow die grinder chucks.

A Ridgid e-110 hex wrench would also work for your purposes. It has smooth 3/8" thick jaws and it can handle quite a bit of torque without issue. You will find other uses for it once you have one, as it is a pretty handy tool for home plumbing and for taking apart things like air tools for servicing. It is around $35 new, but the nice thing is you can walk into any Home Depot and buy one off the shelf.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-E-110-Hex-Wrench-31305/100151329

Super cheap and dirty option would be to just buy a 12" adjustable from Harbor Freight for $7 and grind it down to fit. The dollar cheaper 10" would work also, because it has a max opening of 1-1/4".

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-steel-adjustable-wrench-65802.html

A Sunex 1-1/16" crowfoot is just over 7/16" thick, so you would definitely have to grind a larger 1-3/16" crowfoot down a bit for it to work. A 3/8" drive Williams 1-3/16" crowfoot would work though. It is only 3/8" thick.

http://www.toolsource.com/drive-crowfoot-wrench-open-p-146421.html?osCsid=q5cuebt5tuitlgbc228l5pln16

 

[franzdom]

What a great response Jeremy, very well done!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Yeah, thanks man!

The Knipex idea sounds good, I didnt realize they were so thin in the jaws. I have been wanting to see what all the knipex fuss is about, so maybe this will give me reason to take the plunge!

 

[Packard V8]

I was all set to loan you one, but my set skips from 1-1/8" to 1-1/4".

FWIW, I bought a Kennedy box filled with tools which must have come home from the Air National Guard. Among the many neat and unusual stuff were all the Snap-on crow's foot up to 1-3/4". About half were chrome and half industrial finish. I've never used most of the larger sizes as I assume they're for hydraulic or oil line fittings.

jack vines

 

[losabio]

Heh. I was coming into this thread to recommend a set of Cobras, since they're super narrow. The pliers wrench idea sounds like a winner too.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I appreciate the thought Jack.

I ended up going down to Sears today and buying a pair of the 10" Knipex pliers. $50 is a lot of money, but after using them I feel like I made a good tool purchase. These are built really nicely and work extraordinarily well. The spec on the nut is 30 ft lbs, whch these should handle with ease. I'm glad I didn't waste money on a wrench I would never use again.