3/4 drive 12-pt sockets?

[Lomotil]

Just curious, but I've noticed that many of the larger (3/4" drive) sockets I've seen are usually 12-pt. Why is this?

Is it a cost-saving measure to use less material per socket? I rarely have a need for large sockets, but it would seem to me that a 6-pt would be a logical choice unless 12-pt nuts/bolts are common on heavy equipment.

I'm sure there's got to be a reason, anybody know why?

 

[diesel research]

I started to head in that direction in the "do i need 12pt" thread.

Esentially, you have a LOT more ways of clocking the socket when using a breaker bar or tee handle.

No there is not a terribly lot of common 12pt fasteners in that size.

I also mentioned in the other thread, the bigger the fastener, the less prone to rounding. You could almost get away w/o any chrome 6pt sockets in 1/2-up sizes. I said almost.

 

[crewchief888]

the only 6pt 3/4" dr i have were ones i bought for doing track/ undercarriage work.

everything else is 12 pt



edit: i do have a 15/16" deep 6 pt i bought for head bolts

 

[Crdmiller]

Typically 12pt 3/4 dr sockets have a significantly thinner wall than the typical 6pt.

Previous poster is 100% correct about the breaker bar positioning issue.

Sometimes, expesc for pinion nuts on larger diffs, etc, even 12 pt chrome sockets have to be turned on lathe or ground to clear the yoke.

Imho any size you care about it going to be 12 point so you can torque it. Undercarriage work i just use 6 point and impact, hammer it on etc. Gone threw plenty of 1 1/8
sockets.

Anyway, i always suggest 12pt chrome for 3/4 drive and 6 point impact.
The crazy part is that i regularly have to use chrome sockets to handle torque far in excess of a 3/4 drive impact gun.

At the shop we have a snap on 3/4 drive impact and we often end up using a 18.5:1 torque multiplier (snap on) with 3/4 and 1 inch drive chrome 12 point sockets (snap on proto etc)

IN the larger sizes i don't think snap on is worth the money. We put 3-4k regularly into a china socket that wont break and its been turned on a lathe.

Same with wrenches, we like hf wrenches we can weld them torch them etc and use bottle jacks on them, make great tubular wrench alternatives. They replace slugging wrenches, too!

Plus your not going to modify a 200 dollar wrench, ya dig?

 

[bobcatdan]

Anything over 1 1/4" , persion is not that important, cheap sockets and wrench will do the job simply due to the mast of the tool. As for being 12 pt, in all honesty 12 pt is ok for all fastener in all drive sizes. 12 pt only fail's on less then idel fasteners and on power tools. Normal nice bolts, you could use 12 pt all day with a ratchet. One thing I need to say, big wrenches, everybody always say, a chicon wrench are fine, you will never break a wrench that big. Have you ever seen or held a USA made wrench over 1 1/2". I bought some large Wright and SK wrenchs and holy ****, chicom can not compare to good ole USA iron.

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

12 point is also slimmer and lighter...fits in smaller spaces. I don't think cost of extra steel is significant part of cost on good grade wrenches...
Parenthetically, I generally prefer 12 for everything except fasters in near junk rusted condition, AND every respectable socket I have cracked (Snap-on, SK, Craftsman V) has been a 6 point. Somehow I think those 6 points create worse stress risers...

 

[Lomotil]

Thanks for the insight, y'all. This was just one of those things in the back of my mind that I've been wondering about for a while now. I don't work on anything that calls for anything this large, but was curious 'just in case.'