Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at the Mini-Ductor II for rusty bolt removal, automatic wire strippers for the perfect wire cut and the ChassisEAR to determine where those nasty noises are coming from. This week’s cool tool, the extension wrench, can remove bolts in the tightest of spaces.
This tool isn’t to be confused with the wrench extender that I featured in the past. This suggestion comes from Tohru from opposite-lock.com, who says that an extension wrench will get the job done when nothing else will.
Sometimes I find myself staring at a bolt located deep within the engine bay of one of my cars. Just my luck, it’s that one bolt keeping me from completing the job. If I’m lucky, I can sneak a ratchet into the space, but all too often there simply isn’t enough room to swing the handle. Then I’m removing other parts to make working room.
Thankfully, there is sometimes a better way, in the form of the extension wrench.
This tool lets you use your ratchet or impact wrench in an area with plenty of room while turning a nut or bolt hidden deep in a tight space. An extension wrench doesn’t need to move within that tight space, as all the moving parts are internal. On one end of the tool you have a place to fit your ratchet or your impact wrench. On the other end, you have a place to slot in a socket or bit.
The two ends are usually connected by a chain. When you use a ratchet or impact on one end, the motion is transferred to the socket on the other end.
Check out this video by EricTheCarGuy to see one of these tools in action:
They can be pretty affordable, too!
Tohru uses more costly Mac Tools extension wrenches. They’re $93.99 to $154.99 from the Mac Tools site.
For the weekend wrencher, the far cheaper Tite-Reach Extension Wrench should work well enough. It’s about $10.
Do you know of a weird or unique but must-have tool that every wrencher should have? Do you want to see us put a type of tool to the test and see how it performs? Shoot me an email or drop it down in the comments!