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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Biggest wrench you ever used....

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Easy

01-17-2006 08:08:19

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I saw a mention of a 6 ft pipe wrench in another thread. I remembered that I have seen 6 ft pipe wrenches, but the largest wrench I ever saw was a giant Snap On socket wrench. The ratchet head had handles on it, so 2 guys could pick it up. The handle was a sectional affair in 2 8 ft sections. The smallest socket was the size of a coffee can. I was working for a machine builder in Detroit at the time. Anybody seen anything similar?

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Dell (WA)

01-18-2006 16:04:36

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

Eazy..... ....don't remember the exact size of the NUT that held the frontfan of the then NEW P&W 4037 Jet Engine being developed for the then NEW Boeing 757 jet airplane but they had to pull the frontfan while still installed on the wing so I could install some special vibration measuring accelerometers on the #1 bearing. (Lord help me iff'n they went bad) What I do remember is the frontnut was torqued to 3.2 ft/TONs. About 12hrs of air-drive drillmotor whine thru 3-stages of gear-reduction torque wrench. I got the accelerometers back 4-yrs later and they still worked..... ..Dell, retired Boeing Flight Test Engineer

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williamf

01-18-2006 07:43:04

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

The paper machine I work on was built by a German company, Voith. To tighten the bolts back after a fabric change they supplied us with torque wrenches, two meter handles. A real pain up on the catwalk, tight places, two people to work it. After a year or so we gradually switched to knock wrenches and short handle sledge hammers. Precion maintenence, eh?
Wm

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Butch(OH)

01-17-2006 18:17:53

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

When I worked for Harsco Corp we had a big ole adjustable wrench with a pin and a multitude of holes to adjust the movable jaw. Now being a bit prone to exageration and being 25 years ago I'm not going to make an attempt at the size bolt head or nut it would fit but to give you an idea of the size of the contraption we did not pick it up by hand. It had an eye bolt and clevis for attaching a cable. I remember having a 1250 Lima on it when we were working on an old Lippman jaw crusher flywheel, lol

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kidbob

01-17-2006 13:04:52

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

I am manufacturing a very heavy duty nonmaring strap wrench with a capacity of four inch diameter and up. I have used it on six inch hydraulic cylinder tube with an eight foot long handle.

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thejdman01

01-17-2006 10:50:03

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

Biggest wrench was an 1 1/2 inch drive impact gun with a 4 1/2 inch socket on it.chained that down to a forklift. saw a guy use it one time to tighten some u bolts on a mack camel back (supposed to be torqed to 2200 ft lbs (i owuld have personally piggy backed some torque multipliers)) but he didnthad it propped up on some wood (to support the weight), he pulled the trigger and it spun him around and smashed his arm broke it. I then bought all the tools from the mechanic that had them. Havnet used them in years though. One day should be quite a chunk of change for my kids at an auctionl. I bought them pretty cheap when the old man that owned them retired.

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Bob

01-17-2006 19:12:07

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to thejdman01, 01-17-2006 10:50:03

I have a 1" drive, army surplus, torque wrench that maxes out at 2100 ft. lbs.. I never have used ut!

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Jake R.

01-17-2006 12:31:21

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to thejdman01, 01-17-2006 10:50:03

I used to work at a truck suspension shop and we had a one inch drive hydraulic drive for torquing down the Mack camel backs. It was a basically a small cylinder moving a starwheel one tooth at a time. You put the socket on one nut and it had a leg that braced against the opposite corner and held the whole thing up with a small floor jack. You ran the pump with an electric switch. How high did the guy with the busted arm have the truck jacked up to have it set up like he did? I'm having a hard time picturing his set up since the nuts are on the bottom. I'm picturing it with the nuts on top, I've only seen one with bolts and not the normal u-bolts. The biggest socket we had was 3 1/8" for Reyco equalizers.

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thejdman01

01-18-2006 04:49:25

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Jake R., 01-17-2006 12:31:21

He had the truck jacked way way way the heck up. Had a pair of jack stand for the Euclid haul truck we had and used a loader to pick the frame up and down. He didnt stick around much, wasnt a bright kid. Was a good kid just not bright, always a hard worker always busy but always smashing fingers and breaking bones.

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Jake R.

01-18-2006 09:21:33

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to thejdman01, 01-18-2006 04:49:25

Thanks, I just couldn"t figure it out. I know that I would set the axles on stands just high enough to just get my 1" gun under the spring buckets with a little wiggle room and never had any problems and then lower the trunnion down on stands once the u-bolts were loose. I guess some people just have to make it as difficult as possible! Thanks!

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Bud in NC

01-17-2006 09:02:11

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

It used to be pretty common that we had to break out the Ingersoll-Rand 588 on power plant turbines - it's a 2-1/2" drive impact wrench. The sockets for the sucker weighed 50 pounds or more. The wrench itseld weighed almost 300 pounds - usually used a cherry picker to move it. Using it required at least 2 men holding the handles while it was supported by the crane and it took ALL the air supply you could get!If the 588 didn't bring it loose, we'd just torch it! 8" diameter, fine thread (8 tpi) studs are common on large steam turbines. And they wonder why most of us old hands have retired crippled and no young people are going into turbine work!

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Stickler

01-17-2006 17:39:18

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Bud in NC, 01-17-2006 09:02:11

I work on 165,000hp hydro turbines. We've got some pretty wild sized wrenches too. Turbine coupling bolts are about 8" across. the nuts are a sort of sline drive, and the wrenches for them are hydraulic. we have chain wrenches too with handles about 8 feet long. Sockets up to about 6 inches.

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Bus Driver

01-17-2006 08:28:38

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

Lowell makes "bridge rachets" intended to tighten the cables on suspension bridges. I bought one new but surplus and modifed it for 1" drive sockets. I also use adapter to 3/4" drive sockets. Handle is 4' long.

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Bus Driver

01-17-2006 18:41:45

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Bus Driver, 01-17-2006 08:28:38

Link

I have driven buses for 48 years, but not as a primary occupation. Just when-and-as needed if I was available. Now it mostly is day trips for church groups. Still pass my license eye test with no glasses.

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ldj1002

01-17-2006 08:51:00

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Re: For Bus Driver in reply to Bus Driver, 01-17-2006 08:28:38

Bus Driver, I assume you are or were a Bus Driver. I retired from Greyhound after 29 years. Been retired over 10 years.

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big fred

01-17-2006 08:24:35

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

I've never seen the wrench they used, but each leg of the Space Needle in Seattle is held down with some big honkin' bolts. I'm guessing they take about a 7 or 8 inch wrench. If the picture doesn't show, you can see them at Link

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Charles (in GA)

01-17-2006 12:13:20

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to big fred, 01-17-2006 08:24:35

Along these same lines, if you ever drive across the Ohio River on I-24 at Pudacah, KY, look closely at the suspension rods, where they attach to the arches of the bridge. The rods are threaded with huge clevis ends screwed onto them, and jam nuts. The clevis ends are pinned to the bridge with huge clevis pins, which, just like regular sized pins, have a cotter pin put thru them and spread. The cotter pins appear to be about 6 inches or more in diameter and around 3 to 4 ft long.

Charles

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Bill WI

01-17-2006 08:13:30

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Easy, 01-17-2006 08:08:19

Would be fun to see one like that, but sure wouldn't want to buy one. lol I used about a 5 ft pipe wrench with aluminum handle. All I want to carry.

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Jon Hagen

01-17-2006 08:57:12

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Re: Biggest wrench you ever used.... in reply to Bill WI , 01-17-2006 08:13:30

Nothing I used,but saw the wrench used to tighten the single propeller nut used to hold the props on the shafts of the queen mary. as I recall,a person could crawl through the hole in the prop nut,and the big open end wrench had hooks to lift/pull each end with a small crane.

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