jumbo sized combination wrenches

[mdnelson86]

anyone have a recommended brand for the extra large combination wrenches? my set currently only goes up to 1 1/4" and I'd like to expand that up into the mid 2" range. I'm a farmer and working on some equipment I've run into several cases this year alone where I really needed a big combination wrench and my big crescent that I usually use is to thick to fit in the space. I obviously wouldn't be using them every day and it's more likely a 3 times a year type of tool. That rules out snap on or other tool truck brands simply because they're way too big of an investment for what I need them to do, but they will get used if I have them.

I looked into craftsman but it doesn't look like they make anything that big. I'm leaning more towards the harbor freight pittsburgh line at the moment because they have a couple sets that are cheap and for what I need them for they would probably be fine. When it gets up to those sizes I personally don't think the tolerances need to be that exact anyway.

anyone else have any input on other brands I should check out? I don't have a problem spending more money if the pittsburghs just won't cut it, but I've used some of that brand at home and they seem to do fine for the price. I wouldn't use them if I'm worried about rounding something off or something like that but for the most part they get the job done.

 

[Pro-Painter]

JH Williams or proto. Or if your looking for cheap/imported, Northern tool has nice wrenches that go upto 2-1/2"" and 32mm. They are only sold in store, as singles and are between $10 and $30 each depending on size.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

snap on , but the prices are insane lol
Wrench, Combination, Standard Length, 2", 12-Point
Item Qty Price**
Wrench, Combination, Standard Length, 2", 12-Point

Stock#: OEX64A
$261.95

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

big wrenches , all of mine are old sk

 

[kartracer55]

Northern tool might be a safe bet. For all I know, they could be the same exact OEM as the Pittsburgh stuff. Full polish, and you can order them online. For price comparison, their 32mm full polish is listed as $8.29.

Armstrong or Proto would also be a no brainer for quality but probably more than your looking to spend.

 

[tankboy_taylor]

Ive been upgrading my ultra cheap chinese with Cornwell up to 1 5/8 they can get pricey

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You probably don't care whether they match or not. If that is the case, I'd first look at flea markets, pawn shops and estate sales. After you've expended a reasonable amount of time looking and buying there, then I'd go the Northern or Harbor Freight route. Even if you end up with a HF Pittsburgh set, some duplicates would not hurt to have. A co-worker has the HF Pittsburgh long pattern large wrenches and they are pretty nice looking and fitting. I was quite surprised when I picked up and used one of them.

Charles

 

[crewchief888]

i have an import set from 1 3/8" to 2",
bought them many years ago from a northern tool/hf kinda place.
havent broken one yet, they've been double wrenched, beat on with sledgehammers & had pipes slipped over them.

one is kinda tweaked a little at the box end from using the hydraulics of the machine to break 1" loctited bolts loose.

 

[TozziWelding]

Proto, Williams, or SK

 

[mdnelson86]

I think I'm going to go with the Nothern tool/Harbor freight wrenches. I'd love to have Proto or SK but for the times I'm going to be using them I just can't justify the cost compared to the cheap import brands that will still get the job done. Most of the time what I'd be working on isn't really all that tight....if it is it's usually in a space open enough I can get on it with the big ratchets or impacts.

thanks to all for your replies!

 

[lwlobo]

I don't reccomend very many HF products. But it's hard to beat their really big wrenches for the price. You can get the set for $39 on sale right now, then use 20% off. 1 3/8 to 2". I think I used to see it on sale for $29 but I haven't been watching closely for a while.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-sae-jumbo-combination-wrench-set-925.html

My Dad has this set and it has held up well to occasional farm use.

These wrenches can get you out of a pinch and buy to time to continue to watch garage and estate sales, flea markets, CL, for upgrades to quality brands.

 

[speed bump]

If you don't need them right away you can pick up a lot of good brands cheap one at a time. Or buy a cheap set and slowly upgrade over time.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

When I started wrenching on equipment I only had basic small handtools. The job gets stuff up to 1 1/2 allmost daily and on up around 3 on some jobs. Mostly hoses / fittings for hydraulics or high pressure water systems. Anything even bigger yet usually just take a huge pipe wrench. To get covered for those bigger ones fast, I ordered a set of large "economy" wrenches from Harbor Freight. I had 2 of them fail one the same job with nothing more than my own weight on them. One snapped in the middle and the other broke out the open end.... luckily niether one caused me any injury...The boss bought a second set of the same wrenches to keep around the shop. We have yet to break any of them, but I try to avoid using them unless theres no other choice. The big adjustable is a better option, especially since the handle will take a cheater pipe slid over it when I need more force.

 

[Michiganskibum]

That would be my biggest concern with some of the cheaper alternatives, failure. Usually with big wrenches, if they fail someone can get hurt. Chances are they will hold up to normal bodyweight/strength for a long time but when you start putting cheaters on them all bets are off.

I've got a mixed set of mostly blackhawk and proto but I use them daily.

An advantage to having some cheaper wrenches around, if you need to modify one it hurts less than cutting up a blackhawk or williams.

 

[Pro-Painter]

IMHO, Northern wrenches are nothing like the HF Pittsburgh wrenches. Northern wrenches are made by Danaher, have surface drive box ends (same as Gearwrench) and are much higher quality then HF's Pittsburgh wrenches.
IMO they are more comparable to the new Gearwrench non-ratcheting wrenches then Pittsburgh.

 

[Danglerb]

With HF I can pick the wrench up and look it over before I buy, and swap it in minutes if I have a problem. Sure if it doesn't look good skip it, but last I looked over seemed fine to me.

 

[Borrego]

I know the OP may have previously made up his mind, but for my money, I prefer older USA quality. I have a mismatched set all the way up to 2". Proto, Plomb, New Britain, American Forge and Williams. I have not needed them, but they are there "just in case".....When I was actively looking for them, $20 each was my limit, but that was a few years ago.
BTW - the Amercian Forge 1 3/4 wrench has the thickest beam by far, nearly double what the Proto wrenches are.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

snap on wrenches have a satin finish

 

[YZ Rider]

I would only recommend name brands, but that's just me. My Large wrenches consists of everything: SK, Proto, Cornwell, Lectrolite, ect

 

[plinker]

I bought some Williams and an Armstrong wrenches on ebay pretty reasonably (20-25 each shipped, IIRC) in sizes up to 1.5".


Evercraft from Napa is a good option, reasonably priced, Taiwan.

 

[diggerrick]

I purchased this set individually with ITC & "Super" coupons:

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/15-inch-18-inch-and-24-inch-jumbo-adjustable-wrenches-751.html

With the 20% coupon, you can get them for $30.

Yes, I know they're not combination wrenches, but they are big...

 

[bgott]

I decided a while back to expand my combos out to 1 1/2". I had bought a 1 1/4" Proto to fill out my wrenches to that size so I went Proto on the bigger ones. It took a couple of months of looking at the flea markets but I finally got the sizes I needed. I gave $5 for one, $10 for one, $12 and $15. I've seen larger in Proto, I am in an industrial area so lots of stuff that left the plants and refineries ends up at pawn shops and flea markets.

 

[Concrete B]

My larger wrenches are MasterHand from Tractor Supply. I use them at work (once in a great while) and they've held up great. They are inexpensive as well, but I think they stop at 2". I know I don't have larger than that.

 

[Chadro]

I'd recommend Northern or HF, mine are all HF and I've never had an issue.

snap on , but the prices are insane lol
Wrench, Combination, Standard Length, 2", 12-Point
Item Qty Price**
Wrench, Combination, Standard Length, 2", 12-Point

Stock#: OEX64A
$261.95

Anybody that pays $261.00 for 1 wrench needs their *** kicked.

 

[toolmaker1]

quote(Anybody that pays $261.00 for 1 wrench needs their *** kicked.)


AMEN!!

 

[Buckgnarly]

Cripe...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390328076295&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[wreckercologist]

I'd recommend Northern or HF, mine are all HF and I've never had an issue.







Anybody that pays $261.00 for 1 wrench needs their *** kicked.

quote(Anybody that pays $261.00 for 1 wrench needs their *** kicked.)


AMEN!!

This is why I don't drop by here much anymore. Read this:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109158


For the OP: While I own Snap-on's up to 2", buying used is recommended if you wanted to go with that brand. Any of the other brands mentioned in this thread will do fine (Wright, SK, Proto, Williams, and so on) and the imports are usually pretty good depending on what brand they are. I replaced my imports due to their peeling chrome and inaccurate sizing, but they were no name cheapie's.

Just a personal opinion: I like black oxide wrenches in the larger sizes. Nobody seems to have figured out how to keep chrome stuck to a large wrench yet.

 

[diesel research]

go with crows foot and various breaker bars...

 

[speed bump]

I'd recommend Northern or HF, mine are all HF and I've never had an issue.







Anybody that pays $261.00 for 1 wrench needs their *** kicked.

When downtime costs you $2000 an hour and the nearest tool supplier is 1.5 hours one way I would have no qualms about paying $261 for one wrench.

Not that Snap-on is the only way but you must remember eventually quality matters more than price. At home screw it I can just replace it when I get the chance or posses two because they were cheap and life goes on. At work I have limited amount of space and a lot of money/future work riding on downtime do you think anyone out here wants to risk injury/lost time due to something preventable like cheap tools?

As far as wrenches I would really suggest Ebay and Cripe. I have a bunch of US made wrenches (proto, Armstrong, Allen, KD) for and I am into them maybe $120. If you want a complete set now buy some cheapies and wait patiently for good ones to pop up at next to nothing.

 

[Grogan14]

When downtime costs you $2000 an hour...

How many of us is this going to realistically apply to?

 

[back2class]

I agree only a fool would use is personal funds to but a $250 wrench. Not because quality should not come first in some industrial applications, but because quality wrenches can be purchased for about 1/3 of the silly snap-on price. But some people just get hung hp on brands.
That said

Farmer.....most farmers I know and tractor mechanics buy the HF or Northern sets that go from 1-1/4-2" for like $40. Stronger than any farmer needs and cheap. I purchased a set too for $40, but found buying the big ones in Proto and other USA brands at the fleas cost me about the same per wrench and if and when I am done, will have no holes in the set up to 2". But of you don't do fleas and just want them on hand and ready..get the HF ones for $39

 

[speed bump]

How many of us is this going to realistically apply to?

Well the thread is started by a farmer so come harvest time he is very concerned about down time.

Anybody that works on a oil rig will see anywhere from $1000 an hour up to $100,000/hour for downtime.

If your in mining it can easily cost up to a million dollars an hour at a big mine if the right thing goes down. Hell even at the smaller mine I worked at you could easily see $20,000 down time for 1 mill going down due to something simple.

Industrial plants can easily have several thousand dollar an hour downtimes as well.

$2k an hour isn't really that hard to get anymore.

 

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[Chadro]

When downtime costs you $2000 an hour and the nearest tool supplier is 1.5 hours one way I would have no qualms about paying $261 for one wrench.

Not that Snap-on is the only way but you must remember eventually quality matters more than price. At home screw it I can just replace it when I get the chance or posses two because they were cheap and life goes on. At work I have limited amount of space and a lot of money/future work riding on downtime do you think anyone out here wants to risk injury/lost time due to something preventable like cheap tools?

As far as wrenches I would really suggest Ebay and Cripe. I have a bunch of US made wrenches (proto, Armstrong, Allen, KD) for and I am into them maybe $120. If you want a complete set now buy some cheapies and wait patiently for good ones to pop up at next to nothing.

Well the set that includes 2" is $40, Just buy 3 sets and call it a day.

If you break 3 wrenches then you have the wrong tool or you don't know what the hell you're doing.

 

[wreckercologist]

I agree only a fool would use is personal funds to but a $250 wrench. Not because quality should not come first in some industrial applications, but because quality wrenches can be purchased for about 1/3 of the silly snap-on price. But some people just get hung hp on brands.

Seems like you missed this:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109158

But some people get hung up on brands.

 

[vssjim]

I have Proto, SK and Wright wrenches in the real large sizes. I just bought them one at a time or Ebay on a deal. I didn't want to buy cheapy wrenches from overseas so I have the ones I need now and they are all top knotch US quailty that will never fail and I will probably die with them still able to work for years after. I am happy I waited and good good quality wrenches that I am proud to own.

 

[Jay H 237]

We have the Northern brand ones at the railroad shop for the big 2" + sizes and they have been beat on many times and have held up so far.

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

Farmer.....most farmers I know and tractor mechanics buy the HF or Northern sets that go from 1-1/4-2" for like $40. Stronger than any farmer needs and cheap.

Sorry, I just find that line a little funny. As a farmer I've been known to use a backhoe as an engine hoist ...Imagine my joy when I realized that said backhoe could also be used to lean into wrenches on BIG stubborn bolts.

And I know I'm not alone as I've witnessed fellow farmers using what could only be described as "unique wrenching techniques" aka "tool abuse"

I use a mix of SK, Wright, Mac, Williams, Northern, HF, and Snap-On and I haven't broken one yet.

 

[WHT]

Well the thread is started by a farmer so come harvest time he is very concerned about down time.

Anybody that works on a oil rig will see anywhere from $1000 an hour up to $100,000/hour for downtime.

If your in mining it can easily cost up to a million dollars an hour at a big mine if the right thing goes down. Hell even at the smaller mine I worked at you could easily see $20,000 down time for 1 mill going down due to something simple.

Industrial plants can easily have several thousand dollar an hour downtime as well.

$2k an hour isn't really that hard to get anymore.

Many people don't realize than auto shops are only a part (small) of wrenching and tools in this country.

We have two rigs running now that cost $22,000 per hour shutdown (thank you president obama) and almost three times that amount when drilling).

 

[oilslick]

The farmr should go to the nearest case IH dealer and buy there brand made by bluepoint 1" - 2" 175$ and another no tax write off for him.