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Socket drive size just a little smaller than 1/2"???

ajchien

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I picked up a single double square 13/16" snap on socket out of a pile at a swap meet. Cool! I Actually have some 13/16" square bolt heads on some old equipment. It's a underline snap on with No.426 stamped on it. I thought it was 1/2" drive, but it's not. It's a shade smaller than 1/2". Much bigger than 3/8". Was there ever a drive size just smaller than 1/2"? Or do I have a weird defect?
 
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Murphy4570

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There used to be a lot more drive sizes than there are these days.

It is possible you have found one.

I have some 5/8" drive sockets myself.
 

bigbubba

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I picked up a single double square 13/16" snap on socket out of a pile at a swap meet. Cool! I Actually have some 13/16" square bolt heads on some old equipment. It's a underline snap on with No.426 stamped on it. I thought it was 1/2" drive, but it's not. It's a shade smaller than 1/2". Much bigger than 3/8". Was there ever a drive size just smaller than 1/2"? Or do I have a weird defect?

Don't know but i once bought a ratchet that i thought was 1/4" drive at a yard sale,When i tried to use it it was between 1/4 and 3/8"?Still got it somewhere,Figure I'll hand it to a "Buddy" who wants to bowwow a ratchet one day and see how long he fools with it:D
 

rusty65

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Try a different 1/2 drive tool I've had the same thing happen to me with a old snap on socket I picked up. It wouldn't fit on anything but my 1/2 breaker bar. Please take a pair of calipers and measure the square just to be 100% sure on what size.


Sent From Snap On Headquarters deep in China.
 

jjjrmx5

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Don't know but i once bought a ratchet that i thought was 1/4" drive at a yard sale,When i tried to use it it was between 1/4 and 3/8"?Still got it somewhere,Figure I'll hand it to a "Buddy" who wants to bowwow a ratchet one day and see how long he fools with it:D

9/32" drive.

Popular pre-war and used up until the 50's or 60's IIRC.

When I buy larger lots of 1/4" drive tools, there are always a few in there.
Grind them down on three faces for extensions to 1/4" drive or sell off to collectors if Snap-On.

Not overly valuable, but also not very useful in this day and age unless you have a full set.

:)
 

priceman1414

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Jul 8, 2013
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Midwest, USA
When I got a handful of sockets a few years ago, one of them turned out to be 9/32 drive, an old Hinsdale 'double d' socket
 
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ajchien

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All right. 7/16" drive it is.

The square actually measures closer to 15/32".

And yes, I tried the socket on 3 breaker bars, 1 T handle, and 5 ratchets, none of which fit in 1/2 drive.

Well, into the back corner of the miscellaneous drawer this socket goes. Thinking if I should grind down a 1/2 adaptor just for the use for a single socket.
 

otis66

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ajchien

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Snap On has made 10 different drive sizes. It sounds like your tool is very old. Check out this web-site. Alloy Artifact has a lot of info on really old tools.
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/so-early-sockets.html
Also check out this web site...
http://www.collectingsnapon.com/index.php
http://www.collectingsnapon.com/index.php?page=socket_sets/C9-32inch/9-32 socket types

Ok. That's weird 7/16" drive does not exist on those websites.
 

98sierra

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Jul 28, 2013
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Before modifying a ratchet that serves multiple purposes.. Why not modify the cheap socket that is currently useless... Just open it up a little. He'll get all high tech and send it to a style of the art machine shop and have them use a square drill bit! Don't ruin a good ratchet.. Fix a cheap socket!
 

Provincial

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