On 30 Dec 2011 14:46:52 GMT, notbob wrote:

On 2011-12-30, Vic Smith wrote:


Says Snap-on flank drive wrenches, which are all they offer now,
round nuts like there's no tomorrow.

Sounds strange, as the whole point (no pun intended) of flank drive is
to engage the flats of the hex so the points are not rounded or
rounded points can still be worked. Is he saying the wrench
intentionally rounds the points so it can work? That's jes silly.

Bonney originally invented the flank design. When the patent expired,
everyone and their dog copied it, even Craftsman. Perhaps not everyone
got it right.


Got no idea. Just what he said. Could have just used them on nuts
that were going to round anyway, or maybe the wrench spread.
Maybe he was just talking to talk.
Never used them myself, and never had many problems with rounding
unless the nut/bolt head was rusty.
I always start with a 6-point box or socket if I can.
But he works on dump trucks, fire trucks, busses, crane trucks, etc.
Ends up torching off a lot of stuff.
It's all beyond anything I did, so all I can do is listen to the
stories.

I'd love to hear some of the stories. I have a lifetime of them,
myself. And yes, not all tool companies are good at all tools and a
brand name doesn't ensure quality. One of the cheapest pieces of
Chinese junk I ever paid good money for came off a SnapOn truck. It
broke the first time I used it.


The latest story is the fire marshall told the shop to store their gas
cans in a metal cabinet. So the asst manager spent $300 on a
put-together cabinet of thin metal, and hurt his foot trying to get it
on a pallet after putting it together, and went home.
The manager then manhandled the cabinet onto the pallet to move it to
where it was supposed to be, When he lifted the pallet with the
forklift, the cabinet collapsed into a pile of bent metal.
My sons favorite stories are about managers.
Or his own injuries.
I'll find out later what happened with that cabinet.
But I made the mistake of asking why they have cans of gas.
Seems too many customers come in with an almost empty gas tank, mostly
pick-ups.
Whoever does the work has to test drive the vehicle, and they don't
want to run out of gas.
Then he went on about that, but I cut him off after a couple stories
because I had to get some sleep.
Don't mind hearing the stories - most the time.

--Vic