Looking for thoughts on Jumbo hand tools?

[RedOak]

I was just reading this similar thread, but the OP has a fairly strict budget that seems to have restricted the discussion a bit. As our heavy equipment is getting a bit long in the tooth now, we, too, have a need to expand our hand tools from standard sizes to "jumbo" sizes. We've got a CAT 420D, for example, that's slowly losing reverse, so a transmission rebuild or a replacement is coming in the near future.

Although it would be great to simply contact our regional Wright Tools representative and order new jumbo/industrial tools, our budget won't allow for new US made tools, so I'm looking for thoughts on used quality tools and, more to the point, brand names that are known to have manufactured reliable large hand tools. To be a bit more specific, we have a fairly decent selection of "Top 3" hand tools, but their max sizing is fairly standard at roughly 24 mm and 1-inch.

Thank you kindly for your time.

 

[RedOak]

Any recommendations on who makes quality "jumbo" hand tools?

 

[Garcky]

Well, without some more specific idea of what types of larger tools you'll need, it's difficult to make suggestions. Metric or SAE? You also mentioned used tools.

If you mostly need inch-sizes, USA made tools will probably be your best bet. If you want used, eBay will probably offer what you want at reasonable cost, but that might not work for your purchasing system.

For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/195438107642

If you can be more specific about your needs, you'll probably get a better response.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Tekton , sunex, harbor freight, all have decent reasonably priced tools. Sounds like you need to go to a 3/4" drive for sockets, 1 1/2" wrenches? As Garcky said look on ebay, I buy lots of new old stock usa stuff.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Also define jumbo,I keep a 3/4" dr set in the truck,I don't consider that jumbo.

 

[Garcky]

Also define jumbo,I keep a 3/4" dr set in the truck,I don't consider that jumbo.

Well, the CAT 420D he mentioned isn't a monster wheel loader/backhoe. He mentioned that their tool set goes up to only 1". So, I'm thinking that he's thinking about 3/4" drive as jumbo.

I dunno, though...

 

[Sumboodie]

I can't think of much over 2" on most smaller equipment. Ie under ~100k lbs.

 

[Zewnten]

Pretty much brand will work. Big wrenches, 3/4 breaker bars, and such a person isn't going to break by hand. By big wrenches I'm thing anything over 1-1/4 to 2. Some consider over 1-1/2 to be big.

 

[DieselSaves]

John Deere sells a wrench set to 32mm that is of decent quality. They also have metric sockets in 1/2 drive that go to 32mm. I have their 3/4 drive large metric socket assortment, 32–really big. The price is fair in todays world and I abuse their stuff about like my SO tools. About half my field kit is from them. Our dealer stocks some of the Deere tools and I’ve used my sets for years.

Used Proto end wrenches show up in my area somewhat frequently. Big sockets, unfortunately, don’t come up often.

 

[RedOak]

Also define jumbo,I keep a 3/4" dr set in the truck,I don't consider that jumbo.

@Renegade1LI - Perhaps I can learn something new about larger tools here. Until we started having troubles with our CAT backhoe (TLB) and our skid steer, we didn't really have a need for hand tools larger than those I described in the original post. We also have a sawmill that we operate and it, too, has never required anything larger that what I would call "standard sizes." We had to have one rear tire serviced on the CAT TLB, a few years back, so we purchased a pretty nice US made 22-piece 3/4-drive Craftsman SAE Ratchet & Socket set [and a 3/4" breaker bar] to get us through that issue. As I recall, that set contained 7/8" through 2 - 1/2" sockets, but that's the extent of what I think of as large hand tools.

I was using the word "jumbo" because that's what one often sees in ads for anything larger than...say...24 mm. What do you consider to be jumbo tools? I'd honestly like to know.

Have a great weekend

 

[RedOak]

Well, the CAT 420D he mentioned isn't a monster wheel loader/backhoe. He mentioned that their tool set goes up to only 1". So, I'm thinking that he's thinking about 3/4" drive as jumbo.

I dunno, though...

@Garky - As I wrote about in the previous post (to Renegade), I was definitely thinking about our Craftsman 3/4" SAE socket set as being "jumbo," but I was simply going with some of the ads I've seen. Apparently, they throw that word around quite a bit. Anyway, I love to learn new things, especially about tools, so I'm really looking forward to learning from folks who seem to know what the word actually means...

 

[RedOak]

John Deere sells a wrench set to 32mm that is of decent quality. They also have metric sockets in 1/2 drive that go to 32mm. I have their 3/4 drive large metric socket assortment, 32–really big. The price is fair in todays world and I abuse their stuff about like my SO tools. About half my field kit is from them. Our dealer stocks some of the Deere tools and I’ve used my sets for years.

Used Proto end wrenches show up in my area somewhat frequently. Big sockets, unfortunately, don’t come up often.

@DieselSaves - I don't spend a lot of time on the internet, so I was totally unaware of the fact that John Deere even made hand tools. Knowing this now, as soon as I get some time for it, I will definitely be giving their website a good look. Thank you.

 

[RedOak]

I can't think of much over 2" on most smaller equipment. Ie under ~100k lbs.

@Sumboodie - At the present time, none of our equipment exceeds 10 tons, so, needless to say, I really hope that you're right about that.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I'd go brand name on the ratchet.

@DieselSaves - I don't spend a lot of time on the internet, so I was totally unaware of the fact that John Deere even made hand tools. Knowing this now, as soon as I get some time for it, I will definitely be giving their website a good look. Thank you.

They don't, but they source tham from an adequate tool manufacturer. Or you can get CAT tools if you like a yellow box.

For me 1/2 drive goes up to 1_1/4+ some bigger hub and specialty sockets.

I consider my Plomb 1946ish 3/4 ratchet to be good to the same 1450 ftlb as it's proto brothers, and it still operates flawlessly.

 

[DieselSaves]

I'd go brand name on the ratchet.

They don't, but they source tham from an adequate tool manufacturer. Or you can get CAT tools if you like a yellow box.

The tools Deere has been selling for the last twenty years are all coo Taiwan but they’ve been good and available locally for me and I think they’re cheaper than ICON. They source a screwdriver set from Wiha and their pry bars are US and look like Mayhew.

The Cat tools are largely Snap On/Williams. Rebranded 936 ratchets are awesome. I picked up the 1/2 long flex head this past winter because I like that style. Full priced at $115 or so. I’ll run most any sockets but I rarely go away from SO for my ratchets.

 

[RedOak]

The tools Deere has been selling for the last twenty years are all coo Taiwan but they’ve been good and available locally for me and I think they’re cheaper than ICON. They source a screwdriver set from Wiha and their pry bars are US and look like Mayhew.

The Cat tools are largely Snap On/Williams. Rebranded 936 ratchets are awesome. I picked up the 1/2 long flex head this past winter because I like that style. Full priced at $115 or so. I’ll run most any sockets but I rarely go away from SO for my ratchets.

It appears that the John Deere tools have gone through some significant changes over the years. As for the CAT brand tools, I couldn't find much on their website. Do you happen to know where to find their hand tool lineup?

 

[ihateminimumwage]

CAT tool listings aren't laid out well on their site. Usually have to find one of the tool catalog PDFs and enter the part numbers into parts.cat.com to see price and availability.

 

[JradM]

First things first, if you're on a budget, consider what sizes you need. You will probably want a 3/4" socket set, but you probably don't need a no-skip wrench set from 32mm to 50mm. I'll bet your machine actually has only a half-dozen or so plus-sized fastener sizes.

I also wouldn't be afraid to mix-and-match, but maybe that's just me. I've got large wrenches from a few different brands (I'm considering this range to run from roughly 32mm to 50mm). I've got some plus-sized Tekton and Urrea wrenches I'm particularly happy with. I picked up some of them from Amazon when the algorithm, probably responding to low sales numbers, made the price tempting.

Although I use these wrenches, I don't use them a lot. I have some "metric" wrenches I use on SAE fasteners and vice versa, because I'm not going to buy a second wrench when it measures out to the same size anyway.

One thing to consider, is that the "cheap" wrenches are sometimes much shorter than the expensive ones. E.g. I have a couple of wrenches from Princess Auto (a Canadian retailer roughly comparable to Harbor Freight), those wrenches are skinnier and shorter than the same or similar sizes from other companies - probably to use less metal so they can be cheaper. Maybe that's good enough for your use, maybe not.

 

[ecotec]

CAT tool listings aren't laid out well on their site. Usually have to find one of the tool catalog PDFs and enter the part numbers into parts.cat.com to see price and availability.

Until a year or two ago, you could find pretty much anything on their site. Their site used to work pretty well. I would order tools on their site and pick them up at a local CAT dealership. The prices were, in my opinion, really really reasonable. A socket set could be had for what 2-3 individual Snap-on sockets cost.

I bought a bunch of the socket sets (they look just like Snap-on with different stamping), a wrench set (Williams), some individual wrenches, a pick marked Snap-on, a bunch of screwdrivers (3 of the 5pc sets in the PAKTYs and some individuals of other sizes and the ratcheting screwdriver), and a few other things. It is all made in USA except for a 22mm ratcheting wrench (Taiwan).

In my opinion… CAT was the best deal in high end tools at retail… but that ship has sailed… I sure as hell can’t find them.

After the CAT tools disappeared… I looked at all of the semi truck and agricultural brands websites for cheap Snap-on and other high end tools… I didn’t get far. The only thing that I found were some rebranded Williams ratcheting screwdrivers, but I already have a couple. Back when I was looking, I found Case IH and New Holland Agricultural. I did not buy them, because I have a CAT version and a Williams version.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Until a year or two ago, you could find pretty much anything on their site. Their site used to work pretty well. I would order tools on their site and pick them up at a local CAT dealership.

Absolutely agree. I bought a fair share of tools through the local CAT dealer up until a couple of years back.

 

[Shocker]

So here is the link to the Cat tools that I found. Not sure if you can order them or what

https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/hand-tools

 

[ecotec]

So here is the link to the Cat tools that I found. Not sure if you can order them or what

https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/hand-tools

That is the site… but nothing is available anymore. A couple years back, you could find pretty much any tool. Not necessarily at the quantities you wanted… but it was pretty great.

 

[Shocker]

Hmmm, bummer deal. Anyone just go to a dealer and ask them? I have one pretty close, I might stop by and see what's what.

 

[ecotec]

Hmmm, bummer deal. Anyone just go to a dealer and ask them? I have one pretty close, I might stop by and see what's what.

No, but I would be curious to hear what you find out.

 

[DieselSaves]

No, but I would be curious to hear what you find out.

I’m going to my local Cat dealer today to get injectors. I intend to price out a 1” ratchet and handle as well as their version of what I think is a flex head, dual 80 3/8 ratchet (the 2011 catalog I found online lists it with a 4.5 degree swing, total length is 11”). I ordered a 1/2 long flex ratchet last fall after gambling on a part number and it came in a week.

Below is the link I found to the 2011 catalog.

CAT Hand Tools Catalog - [PDF Document]

2011 Cat Hand Tools and Shop Supplies ® Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…

vdocuments.net

Edit to ad that I order a few parts through them over the year and have gotten to know the parts guys a bit. They’ve become more accommodating to my tool requests as I’ve done more business with them.

 

[DieselSaves]

I priced out the ratchet head I’m after. The part numbers are all good. $290 for the one I’m after. I can pay for it and have it in about three days from a hub.

 

[Zewnten]

The key is to know what tool art number you want. Find the pdf and then order it but be warned cat raised thier prices high.

 

[ecotec]

The key is to know what tool art number you want. Find the pdf and then order it but be warned cat raised thier prices high.

I had a feeling that they would raise the prices.

 

[RedOak]

I priced out the ratchet head I’m after. The part numbers are all good. $290 for the one I’m after. I can pay for it and have it in about three days from a hub.

@DieselSaves - Would you mind adding a bit more information about the ratchet you're interested in?

 

[DieselSaves]

@DieselSaves - Would you mind adding a bit more information about the ratchet you're interested in?

I’m after the 1” ratchet head and handle. My 3/4” works for most things but I run into a few times a year that it needs a cheater and I have a personal anti-cheater pipe policy.

 

[AJHD]

I can't help with prices, but I have the October 2022 CAT tools catalog PDF.
I don't think it's confidential. I will try and upload it somewhere and share a link.

 

[ecotec]

I can't help with prices, but I have the October 2022 CAT tools catalog PDF.
I don't think it's confidential. I will try and upload it somewhere and share a link.

Cool. Thank you.

I have very few needs, hardline wise, but there were a few more things that I should have bought when these tools were available and cheap.

I should have bought the Torx screwdriver set. It looked like the Snap-on set, except more pieces and no PAKTY. I have the (I assume) Pratt Reed made USA Menards brand set plus all the other individual sizes that the set did not come with.

 

[DieselSaves]

I can't help with prices, but I have the October 2022 CAT tools catalog PDF.
I don't think it's confidential. I will try and upload it somewhere and share a link.

Every newer catalog I can find for Cat Tools is behind a paywall. If you had a link to one, I’d like to see what they’ve added since the 2011 version I was using.

 

[AJHD]

Every newer catalog I can find for Cat Tools is behind a paywall. If you had a link to one, I’d like to see what they’ve added since the 2011 version I was using.

Sorry, I completely forgot about that.

Send me a PM with your email address and I will try to email a copy.

If anyone has a suggestion on a place to upload it, let me know. I'm not up to speed on file hosting sites.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I was just reading this similar thread, but the OP has a fairly strict budget that seems to have restricted the discussion a bit. As our heavy equipment is getting a bit long in the tooth now, we, too, have a need to expand our hand tools from standard sizes to "jumbo" sizes. We've got a CAT 420D, for example, that's slowly losing reverse, so a transmission rebuild or a replacement is coming in the near future.

Although it would be great to simply contact our regional Wright Tools representative and order new jumbo/industrial tools, our budget won't allow for new US made tools, so I'm looking for thoughts on used quality tools and, more to the point, brand names that are known to have manufactured reliable large hand tools. To be a bit more specific, we have a fairly decent selection of "Top 3" hand tools, but their max sizing is fairly standard at roughly 24 mm and 1-inch.

Thank you kindly for your time.

Flea market, eBay, and Cripes Distributing has done well to outfit me with large tools for cheap. For new I buy almost exclusively Cat because I get them for cost but even at retail they are still half price of snap on a lot of times.

 

[cherrybomb]

I'd grab a notebook and figure out at my machine do I have the tools to adjust or remove this part.The ones that are most frequent maybe spend a bit more on quality. The hydraulic lines hidden away can take angles of a few different ones.Some times picking the brains of a tech on what works will help.You probably don't need a no skip size assortment