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3/4” drive sockets

Chicken lights

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7B445FA3-9420-4DD5-8D8A-2DB6BED9F852.jpeg Bunch of 3/4” drive sockets on Kijiji. Paid $550, the universal swivel is $200 by itself according to the website. I figure there’s about (new, truck money) $2300 sitting there. All Snap On, some barely used. It was local and what I figured was a deal

I’m happy anyway
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
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I often wonder if tool quality is really an issue with the big stuff. Does the quality of a 2-1/2 inch socket really matter?

By the time they get that big, you are not gunna break the socket. You might break the drive ratchet, but the socket itself is pretty bullet proof.

In fact, I recently ran across a few big aluminium sockets cheap. I bought them just for the aluminium, but decided to try using one as intended first. It worked just fine at 800 foot pounds. But it's a lathe jaw spreader now.

All my huge sockets are just junk Neiko.

Mind you, I'll happily pay the shipping for all the "Snap-off" stuff that @6.5 Fan wants to send me and they won't get used as jaw spreaders...... :p
 
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terry_g

Ultra Member
I have always wondered the same. I have never had a 3/4" or 1" socket fail even with a powerful 1" impact. A scary thought! One thing for sure having to turn down an inexpensive Jet or Westward socket to remove a recessed drive line yoke nut doesn't hurt as much as turning down a Snap-On socket.
 

Downwindtracker2

Well-Known Member
Well, I can tell you PA Powerfist sockets break with a 1' impact. At work the two most commonly used sockets 1 5/16" and 1 1/2" were always missing from the company set. So I got a couple of cheap ones for myself. The company replaced them with Proto when they broke. Propoint impact sockets have a good rep. BTW All brands of impact sockets are softer and they wear out roughly at the same rate, they say.
 

SomeGuy

Hobbyist
Well, I can tell you PA Powerfist sockets break with a 1' impact. At work the two most commonly used sockets 1 5/16" and 1 1/2" were always missing from the company set. So I got a couple of cheap ones for myself. The company replaced them with Proto when they broke. Propoint impact sockets have a good rep. BTW All brands of impact sockets are softer and they wear out roughly at the same rate, they say.

Dude, what does a 1 foot (1') impact look like? :D
 

historicalarms

Ultra Member
As I wrote in another thread recently, i broke a 3/4 Snap-on flex handle without a snipe on it one time , in the frame of this thread i will say I have found old Gray Tools the toughest. A buddy & I were attempting to remove the yoke nut off a 46,000 lb rear axle (1800 series drive line). We had a 10 or12 ft snipe on that old Grey flex handle and both of us 220 lb'ers jumping on that snipe couldnt break the tool or break the nut loose...unfortunately had to resort to the "blue wrench" on that one.
 

terry_g

Ultra Member
I used to be a mechanic in a truck and equipment dealership. I did a lot of engine rebuilding and repairing. Diesel engines use a lot of ferry head bolts that are real socket killers. A 5/8" ferry head bolt has a 5/8" twelve point head. Needless to say I have broken a lot of sockets over the years. Fortunately the major brands will replace them under warranty if you have not used an impact on them. I used to keep a couple of the commonly broken sizes in my tool box. I found that Proto Professional sockets were the toughest, Snap-On were second.
Lying on your back under a truck engine breaking connection rod cap bolts loose and have a socket break could be an unpleasant experience.
I sure don't miss doing that job anymore.
 

6.5 Fan

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I was almost hit with a piece of a 2" socket when it snapped in half. It was an older PA brand they no longer sell but still gave me a new one. How much torque is generated with a 200lb guy jumping on a 4' pipe on a strong arm? We were surprised the strong arm survived. :rolleyes:
 

Susquatch

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We had a 10 or12 ft snipe on that old Grey flex handle and both of us 220 lb'ers jumping on that snipe couldnt break the tool or break the nut loose...

Ironically, I just had this exact situation on my neighbours tractor. I watched him and his adult son putting all their weight on the snipe and failing to budge the nut.

I grabbed the snipe by myself, reversed it so I was lifting instead of using my weight, and gronked it. It came off.

This may not be obvious to everyone.

They were both big guys but not as big as me. Lifting a wrench is much stronger than putting your weight on it. Almost everyone can lift more than their weight yet they can't really put their full weight on a wrench. So you can usually double the available torque by lifting instead of using your weight.

Don't try it without a strong back and remember to lift with your legs.

I've also used a floor jack this way. Just remember that you can generate thousands of footpounds this way. Most wrenches will not survive.
 
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