To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Is this really a triple square socket?

I

impactims

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
1,168
Been shopping for some 12 point sockets lately and came across this.

Is this a screw up on the part of the vender (zoro) or is this really a triple square? Looks like a plain jane 12 point to me. Or maybe the photo is generic and not reflective of the actual part, but every other vender has a 12 point socket for the pic as well, for that part number.

proto.png

proto1.png
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
I

impactims

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
1,168
But a triple square socket is a special type of socket in and of itself. Never had one, never used one. Just heard of them.
 
A

AdAstra

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
198
No, Zoro's description is wrong, it's a conventional 12 point, i.e. double hex. As confirmed by looking up that PN in Proto's catalog.

Triple square would be 90 degree included angle on the corners, which would not work well on hexagonal fasteners.
 
C

cgrutt

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
8,356
Somebody should write to Zoro and tell them the socket in question is in fact Double Hex lol.

ETA sorry @AdAstra beat me to it...
 
P

purplezr2

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2010
Messages
5,299
Location
Central MN
dchawk81 said:
Like what?
Click to expand...
VW/Audi used them on CV axle bolts(tranmission flange), Flywheels, and Unit hub bearing fasteners. That is just off the top of my head.

They may have also used them for head bolts, as I have a long #12 size one, but know the Polydrive(I think that was the name) for head bolts as well.
 
U

unslow1

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2012
Messages
7,880
Location
Illinois
VW/Audi uses them on all kinds of stuff just to make them even harder to work on. The use the triple square stuff in both male and female so you need a bit set also.
 
R

rockbaron1

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2022
Messages
59
I have a 1988 BJ73 land cruiser imported from Portugal. It has VM motori diesel engine with triple square head bolts.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
C

Chipm

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 10, 2020
Messages
440
Location
Georgia
Oh dang, I have not run across the need for triple square sockets on VAG, just bits. Now I need the sockets too...
 
D

dnschmidt

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2014
Messages
7,287
Location
Phoenix, AZ
impactims said:
But a triple square socket is a special type of socket in and of itself. Never had one, never used one. Just heard of them.
Click to expand...
But the phrase is always used for male bit type sockets not female. A triple square has 90 degree points. Whereas double hex has 60 degree points. XZN (used everywhere on German cars) are in fact triple square. One major use for the double hex bit is Toyota head bolts which are in fact double hex having 60 degree points rather than 90 degree points. Makes a big difference.
 
W

Wamsutta

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Messages
10,885
Location
Amarillo, Texas
If you think about it, a square has 4 points. If you take 4 points and times it by 3 as in triple, you get 12 points.

STSM18E.jpg
 
Last edited:
J

Jack Ryan

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2022
Messages
340
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
Wamsutta said:
If you think about it, a square has 4 points. If you take 4 points and times it by 3 as in triple, you get 12 points.
Click to expand...
If you think about it, a hexagon has 6 points. If you take 6 points and times it by 2 as in double, you get 12 points.

However, ZXN (triple square) has 90 degree points and double hex has 120 degree points.

They are not the same.

Jack
 
S

SusKatCas

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 22, 2021
Messages
83
This was a fun thread.

Sorta off topic, but we had a set of eight point sockets around the farm. They were really nice when dealing with square headed bolts and nuts that were common on old farm machinery.

Cheers, Alan
 
B

bassJAM

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
868
Location
Cincinnati, OH
A few years ago I decided to help out my niece when her old Audi A4 dumped coolant in our driveway while she was babysitting our kids. I thought replacing the cracked coolant flange at the back of the engine would be easy but I tried for like 2 hours to remove what I thought were Torx heads before finally hitting up the Audi forums and learning about these triple square drives that german automakers like to use. After calling all the local Autozones and O'reilly's and Napa's and not finding anything in stock I had to do an overnight delivery from Amazon. It still wasn't an easy job working entirely by feel but at least I finally had the right tool for the job!

1727792656612.png
 
M

mreisner

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Messages
913
Location
North of Detroit
AdAstra said:
No, Zoro's description is wrong, it's a conventional 12 point, i.e. double hex. As confirmed by looking up that PN in Proto's catalog.

Triple square would be 90 degree included angle on the corners, which would not work well on hexagonal fasteners.
Click to expand...
Oddly enough I had to order one of those about a year ago to replace one that I had lost in a place that I knew I wasn't going to be able to retrieve it. I was pleasantly surprised it was a 12 point and I thought I had screwed up when I ordered it from the description. I was relieved when I received the correct one even though I had ordered the wrong one in my mind. I did let Zoro know and apparently nobody paid any attention to it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom