Crowfoot wrenches for working on hydraulics

[65k10]

After having an angle wrench save me some trouble replacing a hydraulic line on a tractor I've been looking at tools to make that easier since I'm around a number of machines (farm equipment) that have hydraulic systems.

Since I already have some angle wrenches and seeing what some of their limitations are I went and bought a set of 12pt Williams flare nut crowfoot wrenches. This set specifically.
https://www.toolsdelivered.com/mobi...ls-Wrenches-Crowsfoot-SAE-Flare-Nut-Crowsfoot

In retrospect, I should have asked here before buying, but are these type of crowfoot wrenches suitable for hydraulic work? I wanted to check in case I made an expensive mistake and need to return them for something more suitable.

 

[plinker]

In general, open ended crowfoot wrenches are more useful for hydraulic work. Not enough room for the flare nut type in tight spaces.

 

[crewchief888]

for steel tubelines the flare nut type usually will work, for hyd hoses they dont have enough opening to slip over the hose.

the only flare nut types i have are for specific steel tubeline fittings.

everything else is open end, 1 1/4" is (i think the largest) all are 3/8" dr

 

[earthmover1980]

I run excavating company and I maintain the fleet as well. I fix all kinds of hydraulic leaks from hoses. I use Cornwell's angle wrenches. I also bought a big lot of American made vintage (how I roll) service wrenches.
The open end crowfoot wrenches are my go to's. Keep a good eye on ebay. I bought an Armstrong set of half drive crowfoot wrenches from 15/16" up to 1-1/2" in one auction for like $45!!! Couldn't say no at that price! Then I further searched eBay and found a set of Granco brand 1/2" drive crowfoot wrenches from 1-5/8" to 2-1/4" for like $85!!! Granco brand is USA made, but is a government contractor, and seem like strong built American quality. I use the Armstrong ones the most. For my home shop, I bought a used set of Mac tools crowfoot 1/2 drives also 15/16"-1-1/2" for $40 shipped!!! The Macs even have the square drive storage rail.
Seems like most of our hydraulic stuff is always within those sizes. I suggest adding a half drive crowfoot set to your arsenal of tools. I invested in large 6 point flare nut wrenches from Snap on years ago, thinking they would see lots of use. Boy was I wrong. I only use the smaller ones on hydraulic brake lines. Go figure. I've got em though. With heavy equipment, it's a guess on what breaks next, and when. Therefore, you just can't have too many tools. Cheers!

 

[Mr. T]

My go to wrenches for hydraulic fitting are DOE. Preferably from a reputable German Manufacturer.

 

[65k10]

Thank you all for the advice so far. I do have some open end crowfeet in 3/8 drive from 3/8" to 1" and 10mm to 24mm along with a few larger 1/2 drive sizes already. I'll look further into getting some larger open end crowfeet.

 

[plinker]

Something worth mentioning,

One trick for loosening a stuck hose or tube nut. First take an air chisel and square the end off and bevel the edges slightly (so it's not sharp), the using an air hammer, set the bit on the corner of the fitting (think flank drive/off corner engagement) and proceed to hit it. How much force depends on the fitting and how stuck it is.

It will loosen fittings very well, you do have to be careful not to damage what you are removing in case you're going to re-use it. Sometimes holding the air hammer at higher or lower angles works better, just depends. I have also used this method on rounded off bolts and other threaded items.

 

[cvairwerks]

Just watch out that you are not dealing with Rosan fittings. Using an impact or air hammer against them will cause them to leak or fail. The average mechanic does’t have the tools to install new ones.

 

[Steiger9]

I bought a Proto set of the same design as that Williams. My brother in law was a JD tech and told me flare style are still useful in hydraulics, not for the fitting on the line but for holding whatever it's attached to (jam nuts, etc) which are larger. Well the one occasion it could have helped the Proto just kept spreading. Ended up just cutting the line to get it off. It was showing its age anyway.

Angle wrenches are pretty great, as you've found. I've got the snap-on set (off ebay and it's my only snapons Ill ever afford).

The last thing you might consider is pump service wrenches. They're thin and short so great for close fittings and tight quarters. I had trouble finding much info on this style of wrench when I set out to buy a set. Ended up going with Martins and they were priced easy and seemed to be available everwhere. Since then I've seen some pics of Cornwells and wish I have looked at them closer. My main gripe with the Martins is that several sizes are made with the same blank, just cutting the opening bigger. This leaves some wrenches having fat jaws and others with ridiculously narrow jaws. They're a low torque wrench but still seems cheap. If the Cornwells don't do that, they'd be worth a buy IMHO.

 

[gregpack]

I know on my job I use standard crowsfoot. I use 1-1/2" for 1" high pressure hose fittings, the hose itself is slightly smaller, maybe 1-3/8". 1/2" hose requires a 7/8" and the fittings are 1". I'm working on water lines so corrosion is a big factor. The crowsfoot are invaluable for some tight locations.

 

[MJD1]

As for flare nut crowfoots, 12 point is the way to go. The 12 point has a larger opening than the 6 point ones. Angle wrenches work for most fittings, but when you get several ports close together, crowfoots are often the only option short of removing extra lines.

 

[ken w.]

I don't do as much hydraulic hose work as I used to , but I found a set of Ratcheting crowfoot wrenches on Ebay that were new old stock. I think they were made by TAC and were sold to Proto. I think they were made for the HVAC. I used them for farm equipment lines most of the time. They work quite well.

 

[65k10]

Coming back to post an update. Against my better judgement, I decided to keep the 12 point crowfoot set since I paid about $240 for the set vs full price and figured maybe they'll come in handy someday. You guys were right about them not being able to take much torque. The Snap-On product catalog helpfully lists the recommended torque for each size of that style and it isn't all that much. I guess I'll see if they are ever useful.

As for open end crowfoot wrenches, I changed my approach some. Since I only have to worry about the equipment on our farm, I checked to see what large sizes of hydraulic fittings were common to our equipment (1-3/8, 1-5/8, and 1-3/4 came up a lot) and have been buying crowfoot and angle wrenches for those sizes. I still need to look at service wrenches at some point, but I'm kind of interested in getting a set of the Caterpillar 30/60 degree angle wrenches if they are re-branded Snap-On as I have read. Thanks again to everyone for the advice.

 

[RedneckWelder]

The Cat angle wrenches are snap on, no worries


Open ended ones are the only crowfeet worth a damn for hydraulic lines. I asked about the 12pts here a couple of years ago and never got much of a good response either way then I found one of our field mechanics had them and said they were worthless .
Your experience may vary but the Sunex Jumbo's have been good to me. I typically use them with my 24" ratchet or 3' breaker bar. There is a gorilla in my area overtightening the hell out of hydraulic fittings apparently

 

[potato]

these look like they would be handy.

 

[4x4gearhead]

I use the open end styles. I have some sunex ones from 1-2 1/4 for bigger fittings. And some 3/8 us craftsmans in sae. As crewchief mentioned you will find the flare styles to come in handy on hoses with a 45 or 90 degree pipe near the nut, but you will find since straight hose fittings dont stand off of the crimp collar with a pipe like piece they will be mostly unusable for them. I am glad i saw this post because it is reminding me that i do need to get a metric 3/8 open end set sometime soon as i run into needing a certain size the sae set wont cover from time to time. I also use angle wrenches quite frequently and certainly love them.

 

[crewchief888]

Coming back to post an update.

As for open end crowfoot wrenches, I changed my approach some. Since I only have to worry about the equipment on our farm, I checked to see what large sizes of hydraulic fittings were common to our equipment (1-3/8, 1-5/8, and 1-3/4 came up a lot) and have been buying crowfoot and angle wrenches for those sizes. I still need to look at service wrenches at some point, but I'm kind of interested in getting a set of the Caterpillar 30/60 degree angle wrenches if they are re-branded Snap-On as I have read. Thanks again to everyone for the advice.

ive been working at const eq dealer for 30+ years, i only buy open end crowsfeet, angle and service wenches in the sizes ive needed, as needed.

i have a mismatched "set" (all truck brand_ of angle heads up to 1 5/8", bonney service wrenches in 1 3/8" - 1 5/8" all SO open end crowsfeet from 7/8"- 1 1/4" all in 3/8" dr.
the only 12 pt crowsfoot i have was for a particular tubeline on a JD dozer, that was approx 1/2" from the bottom of the cab floor. yea it was worth the money i spent for it.

 

[4x4gearhead]

ive been working at const eq dealer for 30+ years, i only buy open end crowsfeet, angle and service wenches in the sizes ive needed, as needed.

i have a mismatched "set" (all truck brand_ of angle heads up to 1 5/8", bonney service wrenches in 1 3/8" - 1 5/8" all SO open end crowsfeet from 7/8"- 1 1/4" all in 3/8" dr.
the only 12 pt crowsfoot i have was for a particular tubeline on a JD dozer, that was approx 1/2" from the bottom of the cab floor. yea it was worth the money i spent for it.

This reminds me of some of the large snap on 60/30 angle wrenches i bought singles of. The headache they help take away is worth the money if you do these jobs frequently. I dont care what anyone says

 

[crewchief888]

This reminds me of some of the large snap on 60/30 angle wrenches i bought singles of. The headache they help take away is worth the money if you do these jobs frequently. I dont care what anyone says

a guy that i worked side by side with for 8 years used to tell me anytime i bitched about the cost of ** tool, "why make an already difficult job even harder by NOT having the tools for it"

i see it as, i chose this line of work, whatever money it costs me in tools, it's worth it for the lack of aggravation the task is at times.

dont bother me a bit to take a sledgehammer to a wrench if thats what it takes.

i can hear the tool polishers groaning in agony

 

[vssjim]

Don't forget about Wright and Martin as they have those sets as well

 

[WittHay]

12 point crowfoot are usually used for fuel pump and injector lines. Couple of pictures of the usual large hydraulic fitting buried under smaller hose, lines and wires.

Picture of a Snap-on 1 1/4 angle vs. a longer 1 1/4 combination. I like angle wrenches, don't use crowfoot much