Do you find yourself using larger tools for more leverage over time?

[ericedelman]

Not that I'm old, but I did turn 40 this past year.

I'm getting my car ready for the track next weekend, which means it goes up in the air, take off the wheels, inspect the brakes and suspension parts, and I changed the front pads and rotors and bled the brake lines.

The calipers are held on with 18mm bolts which I will usually remove with an 18mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet. Since I recently splurged and bought a whole set of 1/2" drive sockets, I used the 18mm out of that set and a snap-on SL80 ratchet, which is like 15" long.

I was in my garage looking at that ratchet and socket thinking, "Where have you been all my life?".

 

[1969]

Not that it matters I suppose, but I have always used 1/2" dr for removing lug nuts. Breaker bar coming off, torque wrench going on. PI split beam.

 

[slip knot]

I find myself in a similar situation. I used to never use any type of power tool but now I find myself reaching for the air impact, nail guns and drill drivers more and more. I like to tell myself that I'm getting more efficient but I think its more of an age thing catching up to me.
running a nail gun all day hurts just as bad as driving nails all day long with a hammer but I can sure get a lot more accomplished in a day with the nailer.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

I think that if i a larger tool will get the job done easier then i will use it, and usually easier equals faster. cheater bars and good penetrating lubricants also make things easier.

 

[stricht8]

Definitely 1/2" drive for caliper retaining bolts.

 

[Danglerb]

I like the control you get from the long handles, which is why I have 25" 1/2 drive ratchet. Muscling a short handle tool is a recipe for getting hurt, and I have all the scars I need.

 

[larry_g]

As I age I spend less time twisting wrenches and more time in a chair taking care of business. I have exchanged muscle for brains. That said I have always reached for the tool that requires the least amount of work from me. Leverage is a tool, use it as necessary. Power tools require even less expenditure of my energy.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[vssjim]

Yes I use longer tools when possible to make things easy, I actually buy tools now in some cases because it will make my job eazier

 

[TheGrooveking]

Yep, in my younger days I was proud of my power, but through the years of knuckle busters and other injuries it adds up. I'm pushing 50 in a few years and will say I have a few fingers on my right hand that are becoming more painful. So with that cordless impact wrenches or pneumatic impact wrenches are being used more and more. It is a classic case of when we are young and stupid we do not understand why the older guys complain about aches and pains, we just think they are wimps or winers. Now that I am getting older, I know I was a stupid *** when I was young.

TheGrooveking

 

[billymade]

Whats the saying; working smarter, instead of harder? I also think; that I have allot more tools now that are more "correct" for the job; when I was younger I had hardly any tools and no access to air or air tools for that matter! I'm definitely not 18 anymore either! I think the idea enjoying myself or having the patience to spend hours on my back struggling with something is gone... I just wanna get it done! I've been off work for awhile because of a back injury; I'm wondering if I should be doing this stuff anyway!

 

[wafrederick]

Some bolts will not come loose with an impact including lugnuts.Break them loose by hand and hear a loud "snap" noise.I even hook the box end of the larger wrenches on the open end of a small wrench,not supposed to do this and does work.Eastwood sell an attachment to do this,$50.00 and $60.00 a piece made out of magnesium.

 

[Scout Driver]

Always hated the idea of straining a small tool to do a job. Plus, the added leverage from a bigger drive tool is hard to ignore. To sum it up, I have always used a larger drive tool (or a longer wrench) when I have had the chance.

Scott

 

[dwm]

Not just larger tools, but more comfortable tools (I love the handles on the Wera Zyklops even though the heads are too big to fit in some places). I also find myself wearing gloves a lot more often (nitrile under mechanic's gloves). And I actually wear some hearing protection these days (McMaster-Carr has a fairly nice dispenser of 250 pairs of earplugs for less than $40).

 

[BigE]

The more experienced you get (notice I did not say older), the more you realize that you shouldn't do that to yourself. When you first start wrenching, it's a macho thing to do a lot with a little and power through a job. But pride is a luxury of the uninitiated. I haven't seen as many Christmases as most here, but I've been wrenching for the better part of 25 years. I learned after I beat my hands, neck and back enough that there were better ways.

 

[illmatyk]

I've been working as a tech for roughly 3 years now and been working on cars since high school but I would say that I do use larger tools for more leverage especially removing brake calipers etc etc, I'm still kinda young but i do have pain in my right foot( had surgery last year ) and some back pain and using larger tools and air tools does help out a bit.

 

[mrholeshot]

1/4 inch drive and a hammer

 

[mrholeshot]

What caliper do you have held on with 18mm bolts. You must be pulling off the caliper bracket and caliper together

 

[zsuperbee]

I like to keep a breaker bar thats as long in inches as I am old in years (56)

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Work smarter, not harder. I don't strain when i don't have to. Age doesn't come in to that for me.

 

[_CY_]

a hollow pipe works good for a cheater bar on a 3/8 drive ratchet.
but usually do that on 1/2 in ratchet/sockets

 

[bayou985]

Better leverage was always, one of Mans first tools...

 

[ericedelman]

What caliper do you have held on with 18mm bolts. You must be pulling off the caliper bracket and caliper together

It's one of the new Camaro's. I take the car to road course events, and after two weekends, the front pads will be worn and the front rotors warped. Rear pads last 4 weekends, rear rotors may last loner, I haven't had to change those yet. I use the Hawk HP+ pad and the OEM rotors. SLP that makes the tuner Camaro's will sell their takeoff rotors cheap, so I buy those to save some money.

So I take the caliper off with the bracket because it's easier and clean and inspect everything. I also think that with the amount of times it will come off, a failure will be more obvious there.

 

[Chris Adams]

Getting older.

These days I'm using longer wrenches, ratchets, breaker bars on even easy tasks.

I also use dead blow hammers a lot.

Plus way more use of power tools over manual (although much of that is the power tools are much better than they used to be).

I also far more often use heat (usually a heat gun) and more liquid wrench type chemicals than I used to.

Getting older beats the alternative

 

[rayzor32]

Yep, in my younger days I was proud of my power, but through the years of knuckle busters and other injuries it adds up. I'm pushing 50 in a few years and will say I have a few fingers on my right hand that are becoming more painful. So with that cordless impact wrenches or pneumatic impact wrenches are being used more and more. It is a classic case of when we are young and stupid we do not understand why the older guys complain about aches and pains, we just think they are wimps or winers. Now that I am getting older, I know I was a stupid *** when I was young.

TheGrooveking

got any advice for a young stupid guy like me? I would like to try and avoid the aches and pains later in my career