Overland Sourcebook 2018 EAST

A word on handle material: Some ratchets come
with a rubber-covered handle, others with plain
polished steel. The rubber offers a nice grip and
won’t scratch paint if you slip while using it;
however, it also collects grime and is difficult to
clean in the field. Another personal choice, but I
prefer the plain steel.
If your 1/4-inch or 3/8ths-inch socket set does not
include deep sockets, buy a separate selection from
about 8mm up to 14mm. I’ve rarely encountered
bolts or nuts larger than that that required a deep
socket.
Years ago Snap-on invented a feature they called
Flank Drive, by slightly rounding the corners on
the inside of sockets so they bear on the flat of the
nut or bolt rather than the angle, thus reducing the
chance of rounding off. Once the patent expired,
everyone copied it, so you can expect to find this
feature on any good socket. Note, too, that sockets
come in either six or 12 point. A 12-point socket
is faster to place over a fastener as you don’t have
to twist it as far; however, six-point sockets are
slightly stronger, so I use those in the field and
accept the trade-off.
For your 1/2-inch socket set you’ll want a breaker
bar—an extra long handle, usually without a
ratchet mechanism, used for freeing (or tightening)
large fasteners such as those on suspension parts,
transmissions, etc. An 18-inch-long bar is sufficient
for almost any fastener. I splurged for my kit and
bought an 18-inch Snap-on SX80A flex-head
ratchet. It has a fine 80-tooth mechanism yet is
strong enough to handle any job I can tackle. It was
worth every penny of its $180.
2. Wrenches
Wrenches are the companion tools to sockets—they
both apply to nuts or bolts, and very frequently
you’ll be using them in tandem. Unlike ratchets
and sockets, however, I don’t ever recall breaking a
wrench that wasn’t pot metal, so you can economize
here—although keep in mind that the better the
wrench, the tighter the tolerances will be and the
better fit over the fastener.
Snap-on’s superb SX80A flex-head ratchet,
Swiss-watch smooth yet immensely strong.
Your socket set should include deep
sockets from about 8mm to 14mm.
Combination wrenches, with a box and
an open end, are the most versatile for
field use.
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