Auto Repair: Do I need multiple socket wrench drive sizes?

[Finky198]

I have to agree with AdamC on this... Although I own 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4" drive chrome as well as impacts, 12 points, swivels and specialty sockets in numerous drives... I find that I used chrome 1/4" and 3/8" drive hand tool 50% of the time and the other 50% is 3/8" impacts and 1/2" impacts on cordless and/or Air tools...

MY 1/2" and 3/4" chrome don't get used often but there is always that one socket or dive tool that you need... like the 13mm 12pt shallow 1/2" drive socket for pulling jeep hubs... or The 36" 1/2" drive snappy breaker bar, when you feel like u need a little Hang time.

Id say for most of us it comes down to having the right tool at the right time.

SSDAVE^^^ well said sometimes impact are to thick and won't fit in a desiered location.

 

[md21722]

This is conventional wisdom and I'm not arguing. If you have craftsman tools, this is good advice.

If you have truck tools however, the answer could be different. The strength of the sockets, extensions and ratchets allow:

I have Snap On, but I don't work on sub compact cars. Where space is tight 1/4" comes into play more often.

 

[M6erfan]

This is conventional wisdom and I'm not arguing. If you have craftsman tools, this is good advice.

If you have truck tools however, the answer could be different. The strength of the sockets, extensions and ratchets allow:

1/4" for just about everything. You buy long handled ratchets which are as long or longer than "standard sized" 3/8" rats. If I need a bit more grunt, I grab some **** double box wrench, crack it loose and move on with 1/4" drive.

For engine work, brakes, etc I use 3/8". But most of these fasteners probably could be worked with 1/4" drive. For me the choice of 3/8" is based on the length of extensions and ratchets, not strength of the sockets or drives. 3/8" extensions are stiffer, wind less, and inspire more confidence that nothing's going to let go and bust my knuckles open.

1/2" I pretty much only use with an impact gun. I have one set of chrome sockets which I almost never use. If its stuck, I get a gun on it. If I can't get a gun, I use my beloved 26" flex head ratchet (SHLF80A) often with an impact socket on the end of it.

Reason for this two-fold:
1) the low weight of 1/4" drive allows you to ratchet faster. The cracking loose part is actually a very small part of the job. I spend way more time threading stuff in and out. And if you can do it with 1/4" drive, then do it. SnapOn's 1/4" drive can't be broken by hand without doing something stupid. You can safely pull 100lbs on a long handled SnapOn 1/4" ratchet.

2) The tools are smaller and easier to fit in tight areas.

With respect to the OP, this is a really basic question which tells me you need to take a book out of the public library or take a class. This is the kind of thing I learned fixing bicycles when I was 12. So take a tactical pause and do some remedial reading. No offense intended. We can't all know everything and there are no stupid questions. This one just indicates you may have others and you may be better served with a book or a class than an internet discussion group.

For everyone else, I thought my gravitational move to 1/4" might be of interest. Its taken me many years to grow confident with 1/4" drive tools. And to some degree, I was conditioned by a lifetime of working with fairly crappy craftsman tools. Now that I have truck tools, I'm changing my work approach.

1,000% with Adam C on this!

 

[bcradio]

3/8" is what you'll want for general use and 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" drives for special use as needed.

 

[nelstomlinson]

A good rule of thumb is that the square drive should be about the same size as the bolt you are loosening.

I work on chainsaws, cars, trucks and tractors. I have 1/4" through 1" drive, and I use them all.

 

[ItsNemo]

This is GarageJournal...isn't the correct answer that you want all drive sizes?

In 1/4" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, Semi-Deep, and Deep.
In 3/8" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, Semi-Deep, and Deep; impact SAE in Shallow and Deep; impact Metric in Shallow and Deep.
In 1/2" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, and Deep; impact SAE in Shallow and Deep; impact Metric in Shallow and Deep.
In 3/4" I have chrome SAE in Shallow only.

That's not counting where I have both 12 point and 6 point or universal/swivel sockets or doubles/triples of the same size.

Never have too many, as long as they're organized and you can always find the right tool for the job.

 

[burke753]

I am in the camp that everyone needs more than one set of every drive size. I just threw away all my plastic cases that I've been hoarding and there was 20 of them. But I've got more than that.

Shallow, deep, semi deep in both SAE and Metric in all 3 drive sizes. Plus a couple sets of 12 point and lots of extensions. You never now what situation you're going to come across


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nelstomlinson]

...
In 1/4" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, Semi-Deep, and Deep.
In 3/8" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, Semi-Deep, and Deep; impact SAE in Shallow and Deep; impact Metric in Shallow and Deep.
In 1/2" I have chrome SAE in Shallow and Deep; chrome Metric in Shallow, and Deep; impact SAE in Shallow and Deep; impact Metric in Shallow and Deep.
In 3/4" I have chrome SAE in Shallow only.
...
Never have too many, as long as they're organized and you can always find the right tool for the job.

Yes. Same here, sort of.

*In 1/4" I have shallow, semi and deep SAE and metric, and metric flex, all chrome.
*In 3/8" I have shallow, semi and deep plus flex in metric, shallow and deep plus flex in SAE, and crowsfoot sockets in SAE and metric. That's all chrome. I also have shallow and deep impact in SAE and metric, and metric flex.
*In 1/2" I have shallow and deep in SAE and metric, impact and chrome.
*In 3/4" I have chrome shallow in SAE and metric, and impact shallow and deep in SAE.
*In 1" I have impact shallow in SAE.

Obviously, I have found that impact gets more important in larger sizes, and chrome more important in smaller sizes. Having SAE and metric is vital in smaller sizes, but the difference hardly matters in the biggest. Also, the biggest sockets cost so stinking much that you buy individual sockets as you need them - above two inches, forget about sets.

 

[R-Savage]

My selection is 1/4 inch drive, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4. That's the range I'll use. Smaller confined spaces 1/4, general 3/8, larger general 1/2, turn a crank case 3/4 torqing lugs etc 3/4 inch.

 

[jeejay]

1/2 inch is in the middle, that's what I figure (they seem to be selling stubby stuff all over the place for confined space). I'd compare mechanic's tool sets and see what was in them for the popular sizes (roughly I see as many 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch things everywhere). Searching for anything bigger, those get in the way (kind of ironic, since they're smaller).

 

[jeejay]

Was looking at the Facom catalog too, they categorize them as radio (1/4), junior (3/8), standard (1/2), truck (3/4), and mammoth (1"). Something about "standard" sounds most useful to me.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Buy the Hayes or Chilton manual for your car... The introduction pages will suggest what tools work best for certain repairs.... Some of the tools You already have may be more than adequate for any work that should be done by a beginner...

If Your plans are to hone Your mechanical skills by hands on experience;; I strongly suggest raising the bar a few notches and purchase fewer tools, and of better quality..
The cheapest stuff is the cheapest for a good reason....
Take Your time, ask questions, and do Your research..

 

[Loscaldazar]

It's always interesting to see what other people can do with their tools. For me, 1/4 drive is barely used (and is the drive size I would suggest skipping). It's not because I'm worried about breaking my 1/4 drive sockets or ratchets, it's because they just aren't long enough/stout enough for what I need.

For me, my 12" 3/8 drive ratchet is about the shortest tool I can use to break free fasteners. The SK tough 1 12" 3/8 drive ratchet has a head about the size of a 1/4" ratchet too, so it's super compact. I use 1/2 drive almost everywhere (even on 10MM bolts) to break things free and remove them. My Snap On SL80A (long 1/2 drive ratchet) is my most used ratchet probably.

3/4 drive comes out sometimes too. I'm not working on trucks or large vehicles, mainly smaller cars and crossovers that have seen 10+ years of salty winters. My 1/2" drive 32" SK and 36" Snap On (sold the snappy because it was next to useless at that length) flex way too much on some of the bolts I need to remove that are so rusted. Work great when the fastener is just really tight though. My 40" 3/4 drive tekton comes out then and I haven't had a problem with that (either the fastener snaps or it breaks free with that). Just used it over the last few days to get the lateral link bolts loose on a Subaru for a rear wheel bearing job (sheared the head off one bolt, and the other came free THANK GOD).

Had previously borrowed a friend's ingersoll rand 2235 and that was unable to move these bolts at all, so I must of been at well over 1200 ft-lbs of force to get that bolt moving. That was just a bolt with a 19MM head too and I had been spraying it with PB blaster for about a week before I even started the job (these bolts are known for being hell, and a lot of people give up trying to remove them when working on their own vehicles... it's the Subaru equivalent of the Honda crank bolt).

I also find (probably because I use 1/2 drive almost everywhere on the exterior of the car) that chrome 1/2 drive fit a lot of places I just wouldn't be able to get impact sockets.

Can't remember the last time I've used 1/4 drive though. Don't do much interior work though, and if I do, it's usually held together by screws, not nut/bolts. Wrenches the length of craftsman raised panels are also entirely useless (too short to remove pretty much anything) and even long pattern (or the regular length snap on) wrenches don't do much. Finally got the snap on extra long double offset box wrenches and those are finally a usable length.

Moral of the story is I work on rusty cars in MN and and small tools don't work well. I'm not a small or weak person who needs a lot of leverage to get things done either.

 

[toolaholic]

It's always interesting to see what other people can do with their tools. For me, 1/4 drive is barely used (and is the drive size I would suggest skipping). It's not because I'm worried about breaking my 1/4 drive sockets or ratchets, it's because they just aren't long enough/stout enough for what I need.

For me, my 12" 3/8 drive ratchet is about the shortest tool I can use to break free fasteners. The SK tough 1 12" 3/8 drive ratchet has a head about the size of a 1/4" ratchet too, so it's super compact. I use 1/2 drive almost everywhere (even on 10MM bolts) to break things free and remove them. My Snap On SL80A (long 1/2 drive ratchet) is my most used ratchet probably.

3/4 drive comes out sometimes too. I'm not working on trucks or large vehicles, mainly smaller cars and crossovers that have seen 10+ years of salty winters. My 1/2" drive 32" SK and 36" Snap On (sold the snappy because it was next to useless at that length) flex way too much on some of the bolts I need to remove that are so rusted. Work great when the fastener is just really tight though. My 40" 3/4 drive tekton comes out then and I haven't had a problem with that (either the fastener snaps or it breaks free with that). Just used it over the last few days to get the lateral link bolts loose on a Subaru for a rear wheel bearing job (sheared the head off one bolt, and the other came free THANK GOD).

Had previously borrowed a friend's ingersoll rand 2235 and that was unable to move these bolts at all, so I must of been at well over 1200 ft-lbs of force to get that bolt moving. That was just a bolt with a 19MM head too and I had been spraying it with PB blaster for about a week before I even started the job (these bolts are known for being hell, and a lot of people give up trying to remove them when working on their own vehicles... it's the Subaru equivalent of the Honda crank bolt).

I also find (probably because I use 1/2 drive almost everywhere on the exterior of the car) that chrome 1/2 drive fit a lot of places I just wouldn't be able to get impact sockets.

Can't remember the last time I've used 1/4 drive though. Don't do much interior work though, and if I do, it's usually held together by screws, not nut/bolts. Wrenches the length of craftsman raised panels are also entirely useless (too short to remove pretty much anything) and even long pattern (or the regular length snap on) wrenches don't do much. Finally got the snap on extra long double offset box wrenches and those are finally a usable length.

Moral of the story is I work on rusty cars in MN and and small tools don't work well. I'm not a small or weak person who needs a lot of leverage to get things done either.

Good points! Makes me feel good about having 3/4 sockets and a 3/4 24" wright ratchet and tekton 3/4 40" breaker. I see a lot of corrosion in eastern PA.

 

[The Slurpee King]

My tooling started out with a hardware store set of 3/8 and 1/4 sockets and ratchets. They still form the basis of my tools, though I've expanded from there. I buy as I need (or as I find on sale because I saw someone else using it and thought, "hey, cool.") for my middling DIY skills. I do own some 1/2 stuff, but not as much as I do of the smaller gear. I have one 3/4 ratchet from Princess Auto and one socket for it, bought as a set for a specific job.

I find I use my 3/8 for almost everything. I use the 1/4 when my 3/8 won't fit, or is unnecessary. I only started picking up 1/2 by accident; I cribbed a bunch of tools from a scrapper, and there were some 1/2 sockets buried in there. A ratchet to use them came later, when I decided the 3/8-1/2 adaptor was an unnecessary extra step. Nearly all of my 1/2 sockets are now on a rail in the handbox for my highway tractor. There's a rail each of 3/8 and 1/4 in there, too, just in case.

 

[Sine Swept]

1/8" drive for this guy

 

[stevenhs]

You will need all the sizes eventually

 

[AKJeeper]

I did a lot of work on aircooled VWs in my past as well. A snug-fitting 36mm socket and 1" drive breaker bar was the winning ticket for me and well worth the money I put into them. It was amazing how hard it was to find a 36mm socket or wrench back then, now I see them all over the place...including the GearWrench ratcheting combo wrenches. To think, I had to chase down a SnapOn truck to get my good 36mm socket back in the day.

I'm a former Auto/Diesel Tech who switched careers to the IT Support world. Still do a lot of mechanical side work and if I had to have 'just' one set for the majority of the auto work I do - it would be a good 3/8" drive set, and a long-handled flex head ratchet for extra leverage (when you have space).

Also quality counts. I've twisted off the square drives on 3/8" cheapy extensions and bars.



When 1/2" just isn't enough.

I used to do a lot of VW work - spent a small fortune on that ******** 36mm socket and a 1" drive that would fit it, so I could throw a cheater bar against it to get that %@^$#$!!!! of a rear axle nut off... I could jump up and down on it... but it was worth every penny I paid for it.