grouch
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- Jan 23, 2019
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A lot of folks don't like the 4 way. That's cool but I still keep one in each of my vehicles. I also put a piece of electrical tape on the arm that fits the nuts on that particular vehicle. I use mine because it lets me put stress on both sides instead of one side of the wrench. When I was younger, I was known to snap studs off.
I make certain when I have wheel work done, like getting tires, I specify that the nuts be hand tightened. I have a '96 Ram 1500. Just the basic wheels. When I went to replace a tie rod end, I had to remove the wheel. No big deal, right? It took me two days, a chisel and cut off wheel to remove the one nut. The other 4 on that wheel, and the remaining 16 nuts on the other wheels, I used a 4 foot cheater pipe and every trick for getting nuts loose I've learned over the last 50+ years, to get them off. All my impacts would just sit there and vibrate.
The socket was a good one and wasn't the only one I broke. The 19 lug nuts I didn't have to cut off, had to be replaced as the threads were warped. I've only seen that a couple of times. I even broke two VERY heavy duty stripped nut extraction tools.
When I later went to replaced the wheel bearings, the same individual had put those on too. The PO told me where he had the work done and I told him to never go there again. To get the axle nuts off the front shafts, I found a shop that works on coal mine trucks. Extreme heavy duty equipment. The mechanic finally got it off with a one inch impact wrench set to max torque. He even broke one of the impact sockets for that.
So, in short, use what's convenient for you, but make sure they don't over tighten the nuts. At 2 AM, in the rain, when it's 35 degrees F and the wind is blowing up the back of your coat, you want the nuts to come off reasonably easy.
I make certain when I have wheel work done, like getting tires, I specify that the nuts be hand tightened. I have a '96 Ram 1500. Just the basic wheels. When I went to replace a tie rod end, I had to remove the wheel. No big deal, right? It took me two days, a chisel and cut off wheel to remove the one nut. The other 4 on that wheel, and the remaining 16 nuts on the other wheels, I used a 4 foot cheater pipe and every trick for getting nuts loose I've learned over the last 50+ years, to get them off. All my impacts would just sit there and vibrate.
The socket was a good one and wasn't the only one I broke. The 19 lug nuts I didn't have to cut off, had to be replaced as the threads were warped. I've only seen that a couple of times. I even broke two VERY heavy duty stripped nut extraction tools.
When I later went to replaced the wheel bearings, the same individual had put those on too. The PO told me where he had the work done and I told him to never go there again. To get the axle nuts off the front shafts, I found a shop that works on coal mine trucks. Extreme heavy duty equipment. The mechanic finally got it off with a one inch impact wrench set to max torque. He even broke one of the impact sockets for that.
So, in short, use what's convenient for you, but make sure they don't over tighten the nuts. At 2 AM, in the rain, when it's 35 degrees F and the wind is blowing up the back of your coat, you want the nuts to come off reasonably easy.
