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Wrenches, Ratchets, and Sockets

J

JMyers1

Member
I’m looking at which sets to buy and what I really need. I cannot find the head size for AN bolts anywhere. Maybe this is a dumb question but what size wrench/socket is used for the common AN bolt sizes?

I was looking at the Icon (“compare to Snap-On”) as a rest of my life set but not sure I want to spend $200 on a set of wrenches.

What do you have and find you use? So many options, stubby sets, universal sockets, ratcheting wrenches, crows feet, pivoting, curved, offset, etc. etc.
 
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Buying good tools makes work so much easier. I’m not a big big fan of HF tools but their professional series or Icon are decent for the price. The Pittsburg sets are junk. A good rule for HF is if it cuts, grinds or sands don’t buy it from them. What is a great buy at HF is their rolling tool chests. I have one of their mechanic’s carts set up with the build tools I use the most. It is very handy to be able to roll around the plane to wherever I’m working.

A 1/4 in through 7/8 wrench set will be sufficient for most of your build needs. You will use 3/8, 7/16 and 1/2 the most. I would highly recommend ratchet wrenches over the standard box wrench. Stubby ratchet wrenches are very handy to have in addition to a standard length set. For sockets I would get a 1/4” and 3/8” drive sets with wobble extensions. You will need a torque wrench and a good spring scale to calibrate it
 
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JMyers1 said:
I’m looking at which sets to buy and what I really need. I cannot find the head size for AN bolts anywhere. Maybe this is a dumb question but what size wrench/socket is used for the common AN bolt sizes?

I was looking at the Icon (“compare to Snap-On”) as a rest of my life set but not sure I want to spend $200 on a set of wrenches.

What do you have and find you use? So many options, stubby sets, universal sockets, ratcheting wrenches, crows feet, pivoting, curved, offset, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

AN-3 bolts 3/8
AN-4 bolts 7/16
AN-5 bolts 1/2

Torque values for these bolts will be in in-lbs, so make sure the torque wrench you purchase is an in-lb torque wrench.
 
After you have bought your “forever set”, go someplace that sells individual wrenches and sockets and buy half a dozen inexpensive 3/8” and 7/16” sockets and combination wrenches, (various depths) as well as a couple of ratchets to have around the shop - it’ll save on walks back and forth to the tool chest! These go along with several pairs of cleco pliers so you always have one handy.

Yes, I know this goes against the grain of those who want to know the exact position of very tool when they turn out the lights on the shop each night… but life is full of compromises….
 
Forever tools

I own quite a few high end tools, plus Craftsman, Husky and HF. I prefer to buy tools that match the work because they get used more on cars than airplanes. Bolts and nuts are six sided so most of my wrenches and sockets are six-point. They are hard to find these days but make a huge difference on stubborn fasteners. HF doesn't sell many. Most companies tools are warranted for life and I've only broken a few. One Craftsman wratchet gave up after 30+ years and I destroyed four HF 2lb Dead blow hammers. C-frame is really hard on a hammer. They replaced every one.

Start with SAE sets but you will need Metric at some point.
A set of wrenches. Get a full set from 3/8 through 1" in 1/16" increments. Most sets don't have them all. AN fittings fall into the missing wrench category. 11/16"
A set of 1/4" drive standard and deep well sockets
A set of 3/8" drive standard and deep well sockets
A wratchets for each. Just a plain jane. I do like my stubbies though.
Set of Extensions for each
A set of wobble extensions for each. Don't use a wobble for torque use but they sure come in handy for working in tight spaces.
There's probably a list of tools on VAF if you search. There are so many must haves and nice to haves.
Like Paul said, go to a Pawn Shop and dig in the junk bins. Usually less than a buck and often they will take offers on a pile. Buy one of every size socket and wrench. If you need a modified tool, they are cheap. I keep mine in a seprate tool bag. Most have been ground thin, cut or bent.
While your there, see what Snap-On tool sets they have.
 
You could go visit another builder and see what they have and what they use. Seems to me that wrenches etc get used a lot more in maintenance than in building. And if you really want to do things right, get a torque wrench -- most people way, way, way over-tighten AN3 bolts during construction.

Also, I've found that good quality Philips screwdrivers are worth the money.

And no matter how much you get, there's always one task that would work better with a different tool...
 
I have a few different socket sets that I've been using. The thing is most of those sockets are actually not used since there is a limited set of bolt sizes used on the plane. Not to say that you don't need sets though, but you'll want to be able to buy extra sockets. I originally bought some Kobalt tools but now those are not available ( not that great anyway) I've moved onto Gearwrench. Those are available from Amazon and they seem pretty good or good enough at least.

A couple of things I found to be useful are:

1) Ratcheting combination wrenches. I have the Gearwrench ones. Sometimes you can't get a socket into a space and these work great. I bought extra wrenches for AN3 and AN4 sizes. They can also be helpful for 8-32 and 10-32 screws when you have a screw and a nut that you are tightening down. Prior to working on the plane I had never really used these types of wrenches but I have found them to be super helpful.

2) The other thing is that since AN3 and AN4 bolts are the most common I have multiple sockets of each of the sizes that Dan mentioned. Sometimes I use two ratchets so I need 2 sockets. I even have ground down sockets that were required in special situations. I have a dedicated socket holder strip for these aircraft sockets that is separate from all of my other sockets. That is just a convenience for me. I also have multiple 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets, 2 of each.

Once you are into the build you will get a feel for what you need. It is helpful to have tools where you can buy the separate sockets and wrenches though so you can buy duplicates.
 
There are always going to be specialty tools that will make a job easier, and there are some cases where you're going to need crows feet or wrenches with weird bends in them or whatever. But, those aren't the norm.

Rather than trying to pre-plan for every possible what if, just start simple and then add as the need arises.

After decades of tinkering with every kind of vehicle under the sun, I've got enough tools to start my own Home Depot, but For 90% of my RV build these are what I found myself using on a daily basis;

A simple Craftsman 1/4 drive socket set with short and long sockets going up to 1/2", a good ratcheting screwdriver with various sized bits, a good pair of cleco pliers, and a 4" long ruler graduated in 1/64th" to 1/8th". Nothing metric required.


Oh, and a box of fine line sharpies, and a 3x rivet gun, and a hand squeezer, and a air drill, and a torque wrench graduated in 0-200 inch lbs, and and and...
 

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Desert Rat said:
There are always going to be specialty tools that will make a job easier, and there are some cases where you're going to need crows feet or wrenches with weird bends in them or whatever. But, those aren't the norm.

Rather than trying to pre-plan for every possible what if, just start simple and then add as the need arises.

After decades of tinkering with every kind of vehicle under the sun, I've got enough tools to start my own Home Depot, but For 90% of my RV build these are what I found myself using on a daily basis;

A simple Craftsman 1/4 drive socket set with short and long sockets going up to 1/2", a good ratcheting screwdriver with various sized bits, a good pair of cleco pliers, and a 4" long ruler graduated in 1/64th" to 1/8th". Nothing metric required.


Oh, and a box of fine line sharpies, and a 3x rivet gun, and a hand squeezer, and a air drill, and a torque wrench graduated in 0-200 inch lbs, and and and...
Click to expand...

Nice little set. I have a Cornwell very similar. It's my daily use on airplane stuff.
 
Since some builders have mentioned Craftsman, I've found that the current stuff is not at the high quality from years earlier. Learn to tell the quality of the tools.

also, in my opinion, Proto is similar quality to Snap-On, and might be an acceptable alternate choice.

Dave
 
I specifically bought some 3/8" & 7/16" Wera ratcheting wrenches, and I also bought Milwaukee 9/32" & 11/32" open end/ring spanners. As others mentioned, these sizes are used on 95% of the nuts & bolts on the plane, and the 11/32 was for 8-32 nuts. My wife laments my tool-junkie status, and I like to buy high quality tools (though I have bought cheap one-off's) as others suggested.

The other thing I did was to get a 1/4" universal & shrink heatshrink around it. This has been a god-send to help access some hard to reach fasteners where you can't quite align the tool, but also don't want the socket drive to be too floppy.
 
Said it before...but can't help myself

All good suggestions here...but one more thing: When you DO get your set of various tools, go to Dollar Tree or similar and buy a bunch of those little plastic tubs (long enough for wrenches, etc. ) and sort and label everything by SIZE, not by TYPE of attachment...i.e. everything that is 3/8 in one place...wrenches, ratcheting wrenches, nut driver, deep and shallow sockets of all configurations, crow's foot, hex socket...everything in one place. By size. Same with metric.
I used the dark tubs for SAE and white tubs for metric.

Over the past 2 years, this has saved me hours of tool-search time. If I had done this on the first RV build, I would be a year younger.
 
The story goes that an RV builder was showing off his shop to a friend, and his friend asked, "Don't you have enough tools?" And the RV builder replied, "Why? Do you know where there are some for sale?"
 
bkc3921 said:
All good suggestions here...but one more thing: When you DO get your set of various tools, go to Dollar Tree or similar and buy a bunch of those little plastic tubs (long enough for wrenches, etc. ) and sort and label everything by SIZE, not by TYPE of attachment...i.e. everything that is 3/8 in one place...wrenches, ratcheting wrenches, nut driver, deep and shallow sockets of all configurations, crow's foot, hex socket...everything in one place. By size. Same with metric.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of doing something similar, but putting adjacent tool sizes in the same bin for when I misjudged. I like your idea better, but maybe there's a way to combine the two.

Haven't actually tried this, but I'm going to go to the hardware store and get nuts of various sizes and make socket holders in each bin so I know where the sockets go. Or maybe paint colored stripes on the sockets corresponding to size.

Wish I was flying the -9A instead of frittering with tools, but I'm waiting for the repair estimate so the insurance company can make up a settlement offer...
 
Buy tools that are in organized holders. I find it easier to grab the 1/4" socket set and take it to the plane than to grab one socket that I think is the right size.
If the area is tight, I grab my stubby wrench set, not a handfull of wrenches. I would get Tekton 1/4" and 3/8" socket sets - two different sets, not one big combined set. I would get a set of open end wrenches, and a stuby open end wrench set. I would get a set Gearwrench combination wrenches. get a decent set of screw drivers and a set of pliars. You will add specialty tools to these, but that will get you 90% of what you will use on a plane and in life.
Everything on a plane is US, but the sets should come with metric to also work on your car.
 
I've been happy with this (though I do wish the top half would stay open at 90 degrees). $200 or so at big jungle. Not saying it's has everything, but has saved me some trips to the hardware store.

DEWALT Mechanics Tool Set, SAE and Metric, 1/2, 1/4, 3/8 Drive Sizes, 192-Piece (DWMT75049)

And another vote for the HF tool chest.
 
Wow what great information in this thread! Until I change my mind again I've decided to get:

- Wera (expensive) individual ratcheting combination wrenches for 3/8, 7/16, 1/2 sizes only
- Wera sockets for 3/8, 7/16, and 1/2 sizes only
- Wera pistol grip ratcheting driver
- I'll plan to use these as my daily use and rely on the below Pittsburgh cheaper stuff when an extra is needed.

- Pittsburgh SAE combination wrench set
- Pittsburgh stubby ratcheting wrench set
- Pittsburgh 1/4" composite ratchet
- Quinn SAE 1/4" socket set
- Stanley hex-a-matic nut driver from eBay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UbwqO-2_kM)
- Two sizes of universal sockets (I'll put shrink tubing on these as suggested)
- HF Wobble socket extension kit


I have the HF torque wrench in inch pounds, but I wasn't willing to bet my life on it so I also got an inexpensive wrench from Amazon. I'll compare the two for a few bolts and make sure they closely match.

I also have a pair of Knipex "plierswrench" that covers 3/8-1/2". I think I will need a flex-head/pivoting ratchet but I'll wait until/if I need those to buy them.
 
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rapid_ascent said:
2) The other thing is that since AN3 and AN4 bolts are the most common I have multiple sockets of each of the sizes that Dan mentioned. Sometimes I use two ratchets so I need 2 sockets. I even have ground down sockets that were required in special situations. I have a dedicated socket holder strip for these aircraft sockets that is separate from all of my other sockets. That is just a convenience for me. I also have multiple 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets, 2 of each.
Click to expand...

What tasks would you need the two ratchets for? One on the bolt one on the nut?
 
Don’t forget good screwdrivers.

Take a walk through local pawn shops. Sometimes you’ll stumble across some great finds.
 
Yes one for the bolt head and one for the nut. Remember most of these threads are fine pitch and it can take a while to tighten them. The other thing is when you use a socket you can still tighten up a longer bolt that a normal wrench would fall of.

Add 11/32" to your list for the nuts of 8-32 screws.
 
My policy is that unless you are going to Snap-on or other professional brands, tools are cheap compared to paying an A&P. If you own a Jabiru, about 85% of fasteners are SAE socket head cap screws (on the engine). Working on engines you will definitely need additional tools.

Also the landing gear has some larger fasteners. A few pairs of large adjustable crescent wrenches are handy there. Dont forget drills. I used the smallest drill in my drill set on almost the first day working on the carb. I have a fair amount of experience sharpening drills and any time drilling thinner material I modify the outer edge of the drill by removing the helix anglebelow the cutting edge so that it does not have the tendency to tear through the material in 1 spot instead of making a circular hole.

With screw drivers one definitely needs short and long depending on the circumstances. Multi meter, high wattage soldering iron, heat shrink, heat gun, cable ties on and on... I did go to Harbor freight and buy the Yukon 46" tool chest with drawers ($350). I bought an Icon metric and SAE socket set and set of Icon wrench sets. By the time I bought oil, filters and spark plugs there was only 1 drawer free.
 
GeoffP said:
...

The other thing I did was to get a 1/4" universal & shrink heatshrink around it. This has been a god-send to help access some hard to reach fasteners where you can't quite align the tool, but also don't want the socket drive to be too floppy.
Click to expand...

Very good idea, Geoff!
 
The Tekton stubby 1/4" ratchet and wrenches are by far some of my most used tools. Here are a few others I use quite often:

TEKTON 14901 1/4-Inch Drive x 3-3/4-Inch Stubby Low Profile Ratchet https://a.co/d/c84uFK3

Lisle 40120 1/4" Magnetic Socket Holder https://a.co/d/bdoIoyQ

Craftsman 1/4" Drive 6 Pt Point 11 PC Piece SAE Socket Set Standard Inch STD https://a.co/d/31D1Fu5

Craftsman 1/4" Drive 10 Piece Deep 6 Pt Point SAE Socket Set Standard STD https://a.co/d/7rhTZN2

Performance Tool W30681 SAE Ignition Wrench Set, 10 Piece https://a.co/d/aW2Kp5y

I should've bought this instead of piecemealing:
TEKTON 1/4 Inch Drive 6-Point Socket and Ratchet Set, 55-Piece (5/32-9/16 in., 4-14 mm) | SKT05301 https://a.co/d/5Ejn3Q6
 
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