Good Uses for 1" and 3/4" Sockets & Ratchets?
- Thread starter winlinmac
- Start date
watch repair and electronics work........
seriously? i use 3/4 and 1 inch for changing truck and tractor tires. adjusting and maintaining the same items. i would guess heavy equipment, railroad, bridge and building construction, mining, shipyards and any other place you see moderate to heavy equipment and structures. seems pretty apparent where they would be used to me.
seriously? i use 3/4 and 1 inch for changing truck and tractor tires. adjusting and maintaining the same items. i would guess heavy equipment, railroad, bridge and building construction, mining, shipyards and any other place you see moderate to heavy equipment and structures. seems pretty apparent where they would be used to me.
speed bump
Well-known member
Wherever they fit and I need to use it.
slip knot
Well-known member
I probably use my 3/4 stuff to drive in seals as much as they are used as sockets.
If you gotta ask, you probably dont need them.
If you gotta ask, you probably dont need them.
rockinacummins
Well-known member
Tractors and farm equipment. And semi trucks.
Negen
Well-known member
We use 1" sockets for installing steel stair cases and light posts in parking lots.
davethorik
Well-known member
I have 3/4 drive SAE sockets down to 3/4. I'll use my 3/4 rat if I need a little more oomph than with a 1/2.
Last time I used my 3/4 rat was to take out the bolt holding the swivel base on my 4" Prentiss vise. It was square but a 1-3/16 socket fit. I don't have any 12pt sockets that large in 1/2
Last time I used my 3/4 rat was to take out the bolt holding the swivel base on my 4" Prentiss vise. It was square but a 1-3/16 socket fit. I don't have any 12pt sockets that large in 1/2
gooseadrian
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2012
- Messages
- 158
Concrete trucks. Surprisingly use my bigger stuff a lot but we use a lot of bigger bolts for these.
CutterFarms
Well-known member
A must for rear tractor tires and some farm equip.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
If you run into a lot of bolts above a 1" head, then having 3/4" laying around for really tight stuff is handy. 3/4" impacts hit so much harder then any 1/2" impact. For general auto work, very little use. Even working on tractors, I personally have no use for 1" drive.
rear diffy pinion yoke...anything over 1.5" I generally break out the 3/4" drive...as others said, tractors, trucks, big stuff. I have the cheapo Taiwan 3/4" set everybody used to sell for $39 in the red metal box, and picked up the expanded socket set from 2-3" at a yard sale. They are surprisingly robust, although the ratchet isn't great, a 4' cheater on the breaker bar that comes with it hasn't phased any of them yet...
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Apart from the obvious (big bolts & nuts) large sockets can make
excellent seal drivers and also bushing and bearing extractors using
a threaded rod and a load of washers.
Pretty much this. If they're impact sockets, I use them to press bearings and the like.
Ditchdigger
Well-known member
I have a 5 gallon bucket of 3/4" Williams chrome sockets from my millwrighting days that lives next to the shop press. That is all I ever use them for these days.
trackwelder
Well-known member
1" is what we use all day. We rarely use anything smaller.
TomB19
Well-known member
I have a 1 1/4" socket in 3/4 drive to attach a breaker bar to the smooth bucket of my skid steer. I drive it with a 1/2 -> 3/4 adapter and a long breaker bar. I've never had any trouble but I wonder if I'm taxing the 1/2" bar.
If the bar hasn't been off in a while, the bolts come off pretty hot.
3/4" drive isn't a bad idea if you have much cause to deal with large fasteners.
If the bar hasn't been off in a while, the bolts come off pretty hot.
3/4" drive isn't a bad idea if you have much cause to deal with large fasteners.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
Put the tinker toys away, today I had to break out the the 1 1/2" drive for a 3 5/16 piston nut on a cylinder. Adapted that to a 15 to 1 torque multipler with my 24" 1/2" ratchet on that. Heated the nut nice and red and started cranking. All in vain thou, we decide to buy a new cylinder after we snapped the jaw off the 6" Morgan vise holding the rod. All that to turn the nut about one revolution before it locked tight.
Attachments
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I wouldn't know apart from mechanic's. That is what I use my large 3/4" stuff for, big stuff. Heavy truck, RV, large equipment.
I agree with Rico, I do on occassion use a large socket for seal installation on the press only if I don't have the appropriate seal driver as I hate using them for that.
Mike.
I agree with Rico, I do on occassion use a large socket for seal installation on the press only if I don't have the appropriate seal driver as I hate using them for that.
Mike.
sberry
Banned
My Bud was an auto guy and bought a set from China and they did everything he ever needed and on occasion for drivers. I got a lot of stuff but to tell the truth the real need for heavy drive could pretty easily be met by a simple set with maybe an improved handle once in a while. I have a few things bu its so rare to use anything bigger than 1/2 in my shop I really kept it all on my heavy service truck originally for oilfield.
A guy could find a handle and get one off sockets if he really had to or today used is great.
A guy could find a handle and get one off sockets if he really had to or today used is great.
sberry
Banned
Yes, I glanced back thru and generally agree with this.
Actually I have seen many of these end up as last resorts in gang boxes and get beat really bad. I saw a set way better than my 1980 Sears, never bust a socket, every day on a oil job. Cheater handles all the time by dumb **** don't know enuf to spray threads.
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sberry
Banned
The question is open ended and purely speculative, chances are if you have to ask then you probably don't need it.
sberry
Banned
Nothing I own anymore has a bunch of stuck stuff and its been a while since I had a big truck wheel off. I need something when I need it but my investment in big stuff sits idle. I can do about anything I really have to service with a 1/2 air gun.
I might not even bother with a big air gun anymore and go HF socket set and battery impact.
I might not even bother with a big air gun anymore and go HF socket set and battery impact.
After reading everyone's comments so far, anything higher than 1/2 would be great for removing fasteners it seems when all previous options do not meet the cut. I'll avoid the 3/4 and 1" for now, 
Thanks for the feedback. 
Thanks for the feedback. sleepy127
Well-known member
I use them to fill up a drawer for the most part though they do come in handy for the occasional axle, pinion, and to press in a seal.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Don't understand the "thumbs down"...
Working on Caterpillars. I also use the 3/4" bar to break loose tight nuts, and the 1" to pop VW rear axle bolts. I'm sure I've used them on other things, but that's what comes to mind right now.
We had a set of 2" drives when I worked on the bridge... sure made life a hell of a lot easier than not having them, or having to use a spud wrench for everything.
Working on Caterpillars. I also use the 3/4" bar to break loose tight nuts, and the 1" to pop VW rear axle bolts. I'm sure I've used them on other things, but that's what comes to mind right now.
We had a set of 2" drives when I worked on the bridge... sure made life a hell of a lot easier than not having them, or having to use a spud wrench for everything.
tshetter
Well-known member
I picked up a 1" drive impact set from Harbor Freight at least ten years ago. Covers 1"-2" by 1/8ths.
They had it sitting in the bottom of their closeout table without a price on it. I brought it up to the register to price check it but it wasn't in the system.
I offered the manager $20 for it and he accepted.
To this day I have never used any of them.
The one time I did need a socket that large was for a hub nut on a hydraulic drive motor. I needed 2-3/4" but just used a large adjustable wrench.
So, was it a good deal or just a waste of $20?
Who knows....
They had it sitting in the bottom of their closeout table without a price on it. I brought it up to the register to price check it but it wasn't in the system.
I offered the manager $20 for it and he accepted.
To this day I have never used any of them.
The one time I did need a socket that large was for a hub nut on a hydraulic drive motor. I needed 2-3/4" but just used a large adjustable wrench.
So, was it a good deal or just a waste of $20?
Who knows....
LumpyMusic
Well-known member
My friend works on the city's fire trucks, garbage trucks, huge stationary compactors etc. He calls my 1/2" drive stuff whimpy. He has some sockets that are about the size of an oil filter for his 1" drive stuff.
Those nuts that I see at the base of streetlight mounting bases seem pretty darn big. The bolt/stud itself looks like it's about 1".
Sgt Lumpy
Those nuts that I see at the base of streetlight mounting bases seem pretty darn big. The bolt/stud itself looks like it's about 1".
Sgt Lumpy
Amazing how often these piston nuts do that.
Few years back I had to split a screw-on type piston in order to avoid destroying the hollow 30ft long rod. Telescopic cylinder from 60 ton Link Belt crane if memory serves. The piston was actually coming off nicely turning it by hand, suddenly it just locked up with few turns left. Fortunately the customer I was working for understood the situation and handed me the angle-grinder to split a several $K piston in pristine condition. We managed to save the rod.
Re: Good Uses for 1" and 3/4" Sockets & Ratchets?
I hear you....
I picked up a new £450 end of line 3/4" Britool socket set, complete with ratchet,
extensions and 19mm-55mm sockets for £120 just before they went to the inferior
"expert" branding.
I haven't used any of them either, but for some reason I'm glad I bought them...
Edit... All the smaller 6 point, 12 point and impact sockets are SAE stuff... I don't use those either...
I hear you....
I picked up a new £450 end of line 3/4" Britool socket set, complete with ratchet,
extensions and 19mm-55mm sockets for £120 just before they went to the inferior
"expert" branding.
I haven't used any of them either, but for some reason I'm glad I bought them...
Edit... All the smaller 6 point, 12 point and impact sockets are SAE stuff... I don't use those either...
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kblazer87
Well-known member
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That's why I'm glad we have a cylinder bench at work. Clamp the jaws on the nut, hook a small cylinder to the torque head, and it'll push 20 or 25 thousand foot pounds if need be. You may have found use for this :
1.5" drive impactool, for when **** gets really hairy. Hook up a 1" air line and let her eat!
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bobcatdan
Well-known member
That's why I'm glad we have a cylinder bench at work. Clamp the jaws on the nut, hook a small cylinder to the torque head, and it'll push 20 or 25 thousand foot pounds if need be. You may have found use for this :
1.5" drive impactool, for when **** gets really hairy. Hook up a 1" air line and let her eat!
Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Our 1" gun, recently tested to 2000 lbs couldn't touch it. The torque multipler did all it could. Pretty impressive for a nut with a torque spec of 300 ft lbs.
They work great to press bearings.
3/4 and 1'' are used much more than you may think.
Any industrial maintenance will have plenty of 3/4 action going.
Whats amazing is the cost of sockets we needed a 2 3/4 1" drive socket for a yoke on a eaton fuller ******. Damn I had to purchase the socket (i am the purchaser for the company) and it was almost four hundred dollars. The big stuff cost big bucks. For the guys that use this stuff daily at what point do you stop buying and let the shop buy.
Shop buys 3/4" and 1" drive up to about 4". I have my own 3/4" drive impact and sockets but it's not required.
markbugno
Well-known member
Machinery. I once replaced a mill stand on a hot strip finishing mill at U.S. steel. The nut was over 7 inches. The socket alone weighed about 30 lbs. never mind the 2 1/2" drive hytorq required to torque it, I think that was upwards of 100 lbs. 3/4" and 1" drive ratchet sets are standard equipment when working on industrial machinery. 1 1/2" drive impacts are also pretty common.
Mark
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Mark
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