Tekton Prototype Release - Service Wrench Set

[GeoBruin]

Got an email from Tekton this afternoon introducing a new "prototype release" program where they have manufactured a limited number of (in this case) service wrenches they are going to send out for customer use and evaluation. I don't want to break any rules regarding posting private email communication so I'm paraphrasing but essentially, they're offering Tekton Rewards in exchange for useful feedback on the products.

I thought this was interesting in that they seem to be genuinely interested in collecting feedback during the design/production process, and the wrenches are made in Michigan, which bodes well for more U.S. Made Tekton Tools.

Here's a link to the set on their website.

 

[BarrelRoll]

That's awesome. I've been contemplating a set of service wrenches. I sent them an e-mail asking if they are planning on offering bigger wrenches and in metric. I'd really like service wrenches to 2 1/2" and 65mm.

 

[zktk01]

More USA made tools is always a nice option.

 

[dnschmidt]

What exactly does one use these for. I got the same E-mail and said to myself "what he hell are these used for" and why would Tekton invest money making something I see no use for. I see nowhere on either my 911 or Camry where these would be useful.

 

[BarrelRoll]

What exactly does one use these for. I got the same E-mail and said to myself "what he hell are these used for" and why would Tekton invest money making something I see no use for. I see nowhere on either my 911 or Camry where these would be useful.

Hydraulics

 

[Tools4Me]

Service wrenches in general aren't very useful in car engine compartments. Open end and flare nut crowsfeet are the more common choice for that application. Lots of industries use service wrenches regularly though.

Upon first seeing their new service wrenches, my immediate thought was that they need to rotate the square drive in the handle 45 degrees so if you put a fixed head torque wrench on them the torque wrench shaft and handle would be oriented 90 degrees from the open end. That would allow you to torque fittings without needing to calculate the proper torque setting first. Having a rotated square drive also makes it more of a hassle if you are using a socket extension to work in a tight area and you need to flip the open end wrench over constantly to make the next increment of bolt turning progress. If flipping the wrench over also pivots the handle of the wrench noticeably from where it originally was, that reduces the chance the wrench would work at all. No need to change that standard way of designing things. There's a reason why torque adapters and crowfeet always have the square drives oriented perpendicular to the working end.

It's nice to see US based companies doing R&D and coming out with legitimately new tool offerings, so I will support Tekton where I can. Too many US based companies are resting on their heritage or coming out with new products that are largely just their take on tools other brands have already developed and mastered. I would personally like to see female square drives added to more tools in the future.

 

[KnurledNut]

That's awesome. I've been contemplating a set of service wrenches. I sent them an e-mail asking if they are planning on offering bigger wrenches and in metric. I'd really like service wrenches to 2 1/2" and 65mm.

Wright goes from 3/4 to 2-1/4 and are 30°.
https://www.wrighttool.com/products/wrenches/service-wrenches/service-wrenches-30-angle

 

[four.cycle]

They're probably wanting to cut a piece of this pie:

 

[Zewnten]

I like the torque adapting option but the sizes are too small for my use.

 

[GeoBruin]

I like the torque adapting option but the sizes are too small for my use.

So sign up for the test and tell them that.

 

[KnurledNut]

What exactly does one use these for. I got the same E-mail and said to myself "what he hell are these used for" and why would Tekton invest money making something I see no use for. I see nowhere on either my 911 or Camry where these would be useful.

Some of those 911 secondary air injection check valves take a thin/short 27mm(1-1/16) open end. A service wrench would probably fit.

 

[RedneckWelder]

What exactly does one use these for. I got the same E-mail and said to myself "what he hell are these used for" and why would Tekton invest money making something I see no use for. I see nowhere on either my 911 or Camry where these would be useful.

There’s a lot of “I don’t see the use for that” on this board.

Service wrenches are extremely common for hydraulic work, mostly running the nut of a hydraulic line, and occassional striking them with a hammer to loosen fittings. Also useful for the jam nuts found on bulkhead fittings. When fighting hydraulic lines in tight quarters it’s best to have an assortment of service wrenches, angle wrenches, and crows feet available.

 

[dnschmidt]

There’s a lot of “I don’t see the use for that” on this board.

Service wrenches are extremely common for hydraulic work, mostly running the nut of a hydraulic line, and occassional striking them with a hammer to loosen fittings. Also useful for the jam nuts found on bulkhead fittings. When fighting hydraulic lines in tight quarters it’s best to have an assortment of service wrenches, angle wrenches, and crows feet available.

That's what's called learning. It's up to those that know to tell those of us that don't what something is used for. Truth is that now that I do know it's obvious that I don't need one as I don't work on excavators or bulldozers.

 

[dnschmidt]

Some of those 911 secondary air injection check valves take a thin/short 27mm(1-1/16) open end. A service wrench would probably fit.

Never had to deal with those but this is good information. Thanks.

 

[LXCam]

That's what's called learning. It's up to those that know to tell those of us that don't what something is used for. Truth is that now that I do know it's obvious that I don't need one as I don't work on excavators or bulldozers.

I need a temp home for my skid steer and hoe attachment. Matter of fact the hoe needs a line replaced.


Sounds like the perfect learning opportunity

 

[bigfunwmu]

Service wrenches in general aren't very useful in car engine compartments. Open end and flare nut crowsfeet are the more common choice for that application. Lots of industries use service wrenches regularly though.

Upon first seeing their new service wrenches, my immediate thought was that they need to rotate the square drive in the handle 45 degrees so if you put a fixed head torque wrench on them the torque wrench shaft and handle would be oriented 90 degrees from the open end. That would allow you to torque fittings without needing to calculate the proper torque setting first. Having a rotated square drive also makes it more of a hassle if you are using a socket extension to work in a tight area and you need to flip the open end wrench over constantly to make the next increment of bolt turning progress. If flipping the wrench over also pivots the handle of the wrench noticeably from where it originally was, that reduces the chance the wrench would work at all. No need to change that standard way of designing things. There's a reason why torque adapters and crowfeet always have the square drives oriented perpendicular to the working end.

It's nice to see US based companies doing R&D and coming out with legitimately new tool offerings, so I will support Tekton where I can. Too many US based companies are resting on their heritage or coming out with new products that are largely just their take on tools other brands have already developed and mastered. I would personally like to see female square drives added to more tools in the future.

I hope they haven't made these thick and heavy for serious torque wrench use. The 1-1/2" wrench only needs to torque to about 125 ftlb to install, and (hopefully) under 200 to remove old crusty lines; not the 600+ ftlb on the 1" threaded bolt you would use it on otherwise.

I really like how the thin head of these (dimension from where the inside of wrench contacts the fastener to the outside of the jaw) look compared to other options. I have a couple Armstrong wrenches that are thin like that and fit nicely, and a Williams that is pretty thick there that doesn't fit well at all. The Williams will handle more torque, but you can't torque anything if the wrench won't even go on the hose end.

 

[Zewnten]

So sign up for the test and tell them that.

I emailed them before I commented but on the off chance on of tekton's people notice the thread hopefully they will see that the people that use these don't find this current set very useful.

 

[lardy1]

As I'm reading it, you need to actually purchase the prototypes to participate in the promotion.

 

[619DioFan]

I have the sae and metric service wrench sets from HF . up to 36mm and 1-5/8. Work fine for me. Very affordable. I use a short piece of pipe for leverage. Not used all the time but good to have none the less.

 

[KomatsuTech]

I wish they would go one more size to 1-5/8". That's the most common size I use of service wrenches.

Definitely going to try to snag a set as soon as they become available.

 

[BarrelRoll]

I got a response back from my e-mail asking about metric and larger sizes. The response was I'm not sure what we plan on offering, this feedback in helpful. Thanks for your feedback, I'll pass it along.

I'm tempted to buy a set though wish they had squares for 1/2" ratchets and knew for a fact they were going bigger/ metric.

 

[Steve_P]

I emailed them before I commented but on the off chance on of tekton's people notice the thread hopefully they will see that the people that use these don't find this current set very useful.

Dunno, but the only complaint I see is that the square drive isnt ideal for that one person. And sizes can be bigger. I personally don't need these, but I also don't see the square drive being an issue - how many people use a torque wrench that doesn't ratchet? And do the competition even offer a square drive?

 

[Zewnten]

Dunno, but the only complaint I see is that the square drive isnt ideal for that one person. And sizes can be bigger. I personally don't need these, but I also don't see the square drive being an issue - how many people use a torque wrench that doesn't ratchet? And do the competition even offer a square drive?

Yeah the fixed torque wrench concern was weird to me as well. But for me the bigger sizes are the most used and where having the 3/8 drive hole would be the most useful. No one puts a ratchet drive on the wrench that I'm aware of.

 

[darkzero]

Up until about 10 yrs ago I had never heard of service wrenches or have ever seen one. But I had only worked in automotive & electronic repair.

I wanted a large size open end wrench but not with a long handle that large wrenches would have, didn't want to cut down a typical combo wrench or whatever. That's how I came across service wrenches, Martin to be exact. They all seem to be pretty much similar in design. The few that I have are Armstrong & Proto. I use em for my ER collet chucks.

 

[neophyte]

Up until about 10 yrs ago I had never heard of service wrenches or have ever seen one. But I had only worked in automotive & electronic repair.

I wanted a large size open end wrench but not with a long handle that large wrenches would have, didn't want to cut down a typical combo wrench or whatever. That's how I came across service wrenches, Martin to be exact. They all seem to be pretty much similar in design. The few that I have are Armstrong & Proto. I use em for my ER collet chucks.

Service wrenches go back to at least the 1930s or earlier.
The 1926 Bonney Tools catalog shows them, although the term “Service Wrench” is used for wrenches with a straight on 0 degree head design, and “Water Pump Packing Nut Wrench” is used for the angle head design that is currently called a “Service Wrench”.
I presume the design might be earlier, but Bonney added the wrenches yo their line sometime between 1923 and 1926 according to the their catalogs.
Bonney and Wright used to be two of the major brands.
Martin is another.
Plenty of other companies offered the design.

Bonney Wrenches : Catalog No. 26 : Bonney Forge & Tool Works : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

44 p., illus., 13.3 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[charbar]

I got the email also. Considered it for a few seconds as extras until I seen that they don't go anywhere near big enough to be useful. I hadn't even seen the price when I had made up my mind either....now that I see its $275 for what I would consider 'half' of a service wrench set....no thanks.

 

[KomatsuTech]

I was able to buy a set of these, did anyone else get a set?

They should be at my door Friday afternoon when I get home from work. I'll post up some pictures over the weekend sometime.

Really looking forward to giving these a try, I have 2 major wheel loader rebuilds to do this year and they will see a ton of use. Just wish they included a 1-5/8".

 

[GeoBruin]

I was able to buy a set of these, did anyone else get a set?

They should be at my door Friday afternoon when I get home from work. I'll post up some pictures over the weekend sometime.

Really looking forward to giving these a try, I have 2 major wheel loader rebuilds to do this year and they will see a ton of use. Just wish they included a 1-5/8".

Be sure to give them that feedback! It sounds like larger sizes are a big request from a lot of folks in this thread, but you bought them so you have an avenue to provide feedback.

 

[KomatsuTech]

Be sure to give them that feedback! It sounds like larger sizes are a big request from a lot of folks in this thread, but you bought them so you have an avenue to provide feedback.

I definitely will give them the best feedback I can. I'm going to put them to the test! I already have some feedback prior to seeing them, but I can't form a fair opinion prior to holding and using them.

 

[KomatsuTech]

Edit: Finally got pictures to attach.

So, here's some pictures of the wrenches. Sorry for the picture quality, I couldn't quite get the lighting right. (Not a photographer by any means!)

First impressions are good. Nice finishing, feel hefty for the size. The only con so far, is the stamping on the wrenches seem light. Some of the numbers of the length for the torque conversion are hard to read. Other than that I am satisfied with them so far. Looking forward to get these dirty!

If anyone has some questions about them or want any more pictures let me know!

 

[Daveyclimber]

They need more offset so you can have a better chance of sneaking them behind an existing fitting, like on a valve bank.

 

[KomatsuTech]

They need more offset so you can have a better chance of sneaking them behind an existing fitting, like on a valve bank.

What about angle wrenches, or crows feet?

 

[bigfunwmu]

It would be good to see how the 1.5" holds up to 125 ftlb (net, corrected for length, etc) torque using the square and a torque wrench since that's the spec for torque on a new unlubricated #16 JIC fitting.

CDI has the math to correct for the additional length on the last page of this PDF http://cditorque.com/pdfs/CDITorqueFacts2005.pdf for anybody who needs it.

Would still be nice if there was an 1-5/8 or 41mm in that set, a lot of the new versions of hose ends are metric-ified versions of the old standards. Gates for example has their old standard 16gs-16fjx fitting take a 1-1/2 wrench where the newer one piece version 16g-16fjx takes a 41mm (but 1-5/8 fits pretty good).

 

[KomatsuTech]

It would be good to see how the 1.5" holds up to 125 ftlb (net, corrected for length, etc) torque using the square and a torque wrench since that's the spec for torque on a new unlubricated #16 JIC fitting.

CDI has the math to correct for the additional length on the last page of this PDF http://cditorque.com/pdfs/CDITorqueFacts2005.pdf for anybody who needs it.

Would still be nice if there was an 1-5/8 or 41mm in that set, a lot of the new versions of hose ends are metric-ified versions of the old standards. Gates for example has their old standard 16gs-16fjx fitting take a 1-1/2 wrench where the newer one piece version 16gs-16fjx takes a 41mm (but 1-5/8 fits pretty good).

As soon as I get ahold of a #16 JIC fitting I'll torque it with the 1-1/2" wrench. All of our #16 fittings are 1-5/8"/41mm. If I can't find one, I'll try to find a nut or bolt and torque it to 125 ftlb and let you know how it goes.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I definitely will give them the best feedback I can. I'm going to put them to the test! I already have some feedback prior to seeing them, but I can't form a fair opinion prior to holding and using them.

I'm just glad an actual tech got a set to put through the paces versus some of the retired hoarders around here...

 

[mikey03]

Coming soon!

 

[mikey03]

I realize these are for hydraulic fittings but honestly if they made these in smaller sizes like 1/2” or whatever I’d buy some to upgrade the cheap ones that come with various power tools like die grinders.