Wheel hub-nut wrench

[Chucktin]

I'm looking for an alternative to a ratchet and socket to use on a wheel hub-nut.
Here's my situation: Wifie has a pair of mini horses and they are trained to drive, that is pull a carriage, rather than to be ridden. She bought a new 4 wheel carriage that has alloy wheels (_not_ wood). And the nut on the wheel seem to be inch & seven-sixteeths.
I'm assembling a tool kit for the carriage to take along for competition meets (during which I serve as "pit crew"). It will have selected wrenches and screw drivers as well as a punch and rivets to make temporary harness repairs. But I also want to include a socket to service the wheel hubs.
I can add a 3/8s tee handle, short extention and socket but that seems pretty much like overkill.
Since we are not talking a lot of torque here, the nut needs to be tight enough, not tightened to *** foot-pounds, what really I'd like to find is a socket made from tubing with the correct 8-point socket shaped into one end. (I have seen these made for spark plug wrenches, single and double ended, with a metal rod at 90* in them).
Does anyone know of a source for this sort of tool?
Thanks in advance.
CVT

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

maybe a water heater sockets

 

[srmofo]

I use channel locks or slip joint pliers unless they don't fit. Like you said, snug them up, back it off a little, drop in the cotter key

 

[454ragtop]

Are the nuts 6 point or 8 point? Don't know what you have available as far as metal fab, but could probably make one either by welding up some flat stock, or heating a piece of exhaust tubing cherry red and forcing it over the nut.
Jim

 

[Bondo]

I use channel locks or slip joint pliers unless they don't fit. Like you said, snug them up, back it off a little, drop in the cotter key

Ayuh,..... Ditto that,.....

 

[upstateny918]

Maybe a heavy truck hub socket and weld a piece of 1/2" cold rolled steel to it? Or a cheep 3/4 drive socket from say HF and weld a piece of 1/2" cold rolled to it?

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

 

[defektes]

Any channelocks or those knipex above since the torque is not high will be perfect, and can be used on other parts of the wagon.

 

[smiffy]

Box spanners are what your thinking of facom make them or atleast used too as would king **** and tbh would expect snapon to have them somewhere in there catalog

 

[Chucktin]

I think what I am looking for would be called a (38mm?) Spindle Nut Socket.
I have seen several ads for them but I like the idea of making one by heating exhaust tubing and expanding it by forcing the correct sized axle nut into it. A bit of ethnic engineering perhaps but appealing to my Slovak heritage!

 

[smiffy]

I think what I am looking for would be called a (38mm?) Spindle Nut Socket.
I have seen several ads for them but I like the idea of making one by heating exhaust tubing and expanding it by forcing the correct sized axle nut into it. A bit of ethnic engineering perhaps but appealing to my Slovak heritage!

forcing the correct size nut into it wouldnt work as it will cool and shrink and be too tight you would have to use a bigger nut
on the proper ones havnt got flat sides either there bent in not sure why but probably to add strength and help grip the nuts better

 

[Chucktin]

Hmm, good point. Use an oversized hut, maybe 1 & 1/2 inch.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

You sure it's not just 36mm?

 

[Chucktin]

Not certain at all. Inch and 7/16s seems to fit though isn't that 38mm? Reason I'm talking metric is that that's the tool sizing I'm seeing.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Not certain at all. Inch and 7/16s seems to fit though isn't that 38mm? Reason I'm talking metric is that that's the tool sizing I'm seeing.

36.5mm apparently.

 

[Chucktin]

I accustomed to seeing an actual hub nut. When you say "4-prong Dana" that suggests something different to me. ????

 

[owenst7]

I accustomed to seeing an actual hub nut. When you say "4-prong Dana" that suggests something different to me. ????

If you meant octagonal, you can make them pretty easily with a piece of strap welded to a tube after you bend the angle in to it either with a hammer and vice or a press brake. You could also weld 8 lengths together too, but bending is usually faster provided you don't use really thick steel.

If you can fit pliers in the hub though, that's usually the easiest way to go. You usually only need like 30-50 ft lbs tops, and that's pretty easy with a good pair of pump pliers on a large diameter, provided you have room for the jaws.

Maybe a picture would help.

 

[Chucktin]

Yes I see the picture and that's what I thought you meant. These axle nuts are octagonal though.
I suppose I could find a nut like that to substitute but I like your idea of bending a strap and welding it on to a tube.

 

[Chucktin]

Hmm, Google turned up any number of "box-end tubular wrenches" in Britain, Australia and New Zealand!
Closest I could find, in the Continental US, is Basin Nut Wrenches.
The local Lowe's has a set, for instance, they would be ideal as they're formed from sheet metal bent tubing into a hex on one or both ends.
But (ain't there always a but?) I did not find one large enough.
We went by the Carriage builder and he gave me a piece of 1/4 aluminum plate with 2 teeth tapped in to the flat, a "spanner".
When I get home I'll examine the wheel hubs and shoot a few pics but I really think they are either 1 & 1/2" or 1 & 7/16" hex-nuts.
Looks like I'll need to get some thing custom made: Measure the flats (of the hex) and bend a "\_/" shape maybe 12, 14 inches long in a piece of 0.10 flat stock, cut it into 2 pieces 6" or 7" long, then weld up a tube for myself. Got a small electric welder have yet to try using it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I use channel locks or slip joint pliers unless they don't fit. Like you said, snug them up, back it off a little, drop in the cotter key

That's what I use on trailers !

 

[srmofo]

You're making this into more than it needs to be. Just use channel locks and be done with it, unless there is some aspect of this you are not telling us

 

[Chucktin]

I have these reasons not to want to use slip-joint plers: the axle nut is recessed into the hub to where it's awkward to use pliers, pliers would be larger than I want to carry around in a field kit, and I'd just rather not use them.

 

[Chucktin]

I think I finally found one. It's a shallow 38 mm, 3/8s hex socket designed specifically for removing an oil filter from a Ford Cortina.
I'll know for certain when it arrives.

 

[Chucktin]

No sign of the socket yet
Got to go back into browser history and see what's up anyway.

 

[Coach James]

Had you thought about asking the people you bought the carriage from?

Coach

 

[Chucktin]

Yes they gave me a home-made "spanner" they use. It's a flat-stock handle with 2 studs in tapped holes. The studs are spaced to fit in the recesses of the castle nut on the hub. Looks usable to me, just not to wifie.

 

[owenst7]

Yes they gave me a home-made "spanner" they use. It's a flat-stock handle with 2 studs in tapped holes. The studs are spaced to fit in the recesses of the castle nut on the hub. Looks usable to me, just not to wifie.

If it's a castle nut, take the proper diameter and wall thickness tube and notch it with a cutoff wheel so that it mates up That's how most 4x4 bearing adjuster sockets work.

 

[Chucktin]

That's the best solution yet. Thanks. I think I got some heavy wall tubing that will do just fine.

 

[Chucktin]

The 38 mm socket arrived.

It's a 3/8 drive so it's lite enough. Next I need to make sure it fits.