Crow foot, again

[rhp]

Having studied the previous thread on crowsfeet, (& admired Uncle Buck's tools) I have a simple question:

A bolt should rotate on a thread, but logically attaching a crows foot to a ratchet make the center of rotation the slot rather than the bolt. Empirically, attaching a ratchet should turn the crows foot at right angles rather than a 360 smooth arc, since the center of rotation is the square attachment slot.

1) Am I missing something?, & (2) if not, are there drive rings available to drive an off-center attachment, such as a crowsfoot in a smooth rotational 360 arc?

Thanks, RHP

 

[Stephenw]

A crowsfoot operates like a short wrench. Not like a socket.

 

[rsanter]

like a short wrench with a ratchet or other lever on the end of it

bob

 

[ToolGlutton]

With a breaker bar.

like a short wrench with a ratchet or other lever on the end of it

bob

 

[DetroitDIESEL444]

think of them as extreme offset wrenches.

Its not something you use very often but when you need them they are life savers.

 

[garfunkle24]

Voila:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?search=true&item_ID=63264&PartNo=m3503b&group_id=1311&supersede=&store=snapon-store&tool=all

Have seen others before, often lumped in the 'distributor wrenches' category.

BTW, besides this specific application, when would you ever need the setup you describe? ie a socket wouldn't fit