Thread: Shifting Spanners and YouTube Videos

Colin, I had a fitter uncle who had a pathological hatred of shifters, just like your dad. Anyone who pulled out a shifter as a first resort was immediately branded a 'butcher' & relegated to a very low point in his esteem. His dictum was always use a ring-spanner if there was room, or a socket & ratchet if it was in a tight spot. The (correct size) open-ender was acceptable for light work.

However, he did own a couple of shifters (Sidchromes, of course!), because there are always those occasions when even he found them useful (those who know how to make the rules know how the break them, eh? ). But I was so heavily indoctrinated by him at an early age that I still feel sinful using a shifter. The changeover to Metric has caused me endless grief; I could once judge very accurately what size spanner to take to a job, but with the crazy mix of Imperial & Metric sizes rattling around now, I often pick up a shifter as well as the size I think I need, to save walking back to the toolbox several times!

Cheers,

In my old trade we called them shitters not shifters.
One particular young guy was named round off for obvious reasons [emoji849].
But I will confess to owning one or two shitters.

Cheers Matt

Youtube is full of this sort of rubbish - all the more reason to avoid it.

Shifters do have their place and I have a couple of larger ones as my ring spanners max out at 30mm.
My fave for light stuff light plastic plumbing is a wide mouth (60mm opening) Eclipse.
It has a surprisingly positive jaw action given its size.
Screen Shot 2019-08-01 at 7.03.39 am.jpg

I had a stud workmate who wanted to undo a large nut so he put across the flats a slip head G clamp and wondered why it didn't work.

This is a true story!!

Originally Posted by IanW

However, he did own a couple of shifters (Sidchromes, of course!)

Sorry Ian, but while Sidchrome can make adequate spanners and sockets they can’t make a shifter any better than Gripwell or Supertool.

As an instructor at HMAS Cerberus teaching basic mechanical maintenance techniques I used to tell the trainees that the best tool was a 6 point socket, followed by a 12 point socket or ring spanner, and then an OE spanner. There was a practically unused 6” shifter in the wall mounted Sidchrome tool cabinet and I used to go through the many flaws such as non-parallel jaws, the sloppy fit with the moveable jaw able to flop around in every direction and the very coarse threaded adjustment mechanism that wouldn’t really hold a setting. Then I’d reach into my pocket and pull out the Bahco that had lived in my overalls pocket through the last decade and four war zones; despite its age and obvious wear the tolerances were much tighter and had only a fraction of the slop of the Sidchrome. I wasn’t trying to promote the use of the tool, but to point out that the “best” branded tool they would ever be issued with was a piece of junk best suited for weighting bait lines so not to bother unless they were willing to shell out themselves for a top brand.

I agree with Bobl, they have their place. Plumbing and electrical glands are often quite huge but don’t require the torque offered by the correct sized OE spanner. And I have had success undoing rounded off fasteners with a Bahco that had been damaged by an OE spanner. I actually have most sizes between 6” and 24”; all Bahco. They don’t come out very often but are selected when I consider them to be the most appropriate tool for that specific job.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Sorry Ian, but while Sidchrome can make adequate spanners and sockets they can’t make a shifter any better than Gripwell or Supertool.....

No need to apologise to me, CT, it was my uncle's opinion, not mine.

In his defense, perhaps, I should point out that I'm talking two generations before your time, when there was a much more narrow choice of affordable tools, and Sidchrome still had a reputation for quality stuff. The 3/8" socket set I bought in the late 60s has done yeoman service for me, & is still in remarkably good condition, despite some pretty rough treatment at my hands, so I have no complaints, but that's pretty much the limit of my experience - the rest of my spanners are a motley collection of brands picked up as the need arose....

Cheers,

Some years ago I worked on a few HV switchyard construction jobs over in NZ. The guys there refered to shifters as 'Nut F@#kers", describes them perfectly.

Once upon a time I worked in a motorcycle shop. That establishment did not allow shifters at all. This was particularly because motorcycles tend to have smaller bolts than other vehicles and the chance of rounding off a bolt head is increased.

Then I came to Australia where it seemed that there was only one spanner: The ubiquitous shifter. However in industry the chances of round a nut are quite a bit less. Still I am with the rest of you blokes in decrying this tool. Having said that I do have a couple of those wide jaw shifters that Bob mentioned. One I keep in a small pouch that I always carry when at work. It has come in handy many times.

If I use a shifter at home: Yes, I am naturally lazy and I do use them, I check to see if it is slipping. If it looks like slipping I go to the proper tools of which I have many. I try not to be too pedantic.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by BobL

Youtube is full of this sort of rubbish - all the more reason to avoid it.

The problem is that there are some very good, knowledgable people on YouTube too, and avoiding it completely is a bit like chucking the baby out with the bathwater, although given the ratio of drivel to useful content perhaps ocean is a better word than bathwater.

Here's another example where long/wide nose shifters are real handy.
Many electrical electronics items are small and awkwardly shaped that makes it impossible to get a ring or other spanner into the limited space provided.
This is the 150mm version of the same shifter as I showed in the previous photo (that's a 250mm version).
I keep this one in my electronics workshop.
Shifter.JPG

I suspect shifting spanners are one area where you get what you pay for. I've never had any problem with high quality Bahcos and the like, not any different from open ended spanners. My real hate is the use of vice grips as spanners, now that will really chew up a nut.

Originally Posted by jimhanna

...... My real hate is the use of vice grips as spanners, now that will really chew up a nut.....

Horses for courses, Jim - a vise-grip has been my saviour on quite a few occasions when dealing with a rounded nut (probably due to someone previously attacking it with a shifter! ). The extra damage is inconsequential since the nut has to be replaced in any case.

They can also be mighty handy as a third hand, quick clamp when welding, etc., so I'll fess up to owning a couple......

Cheers,

This shifter is the only way I can release the tow ball nut, as I don't own any spanners (auto correct changed it to spandex, which I don't own any of either), and my socket set doesn't go large enough. My dad used to use this on the farm for his tractor.


And when we go on holiday two shifters always travel with us, they may not be the perfect tool, but far better than undoing a bolt with pliers (which i must admit to doing in a pinch).

Having said all that, I'm a really nice guy (I think) despite my tool choice

Remember, hate the tool choice, love the tool user [emoji12].

Lance

I took my Towball nut into a Hand Tool Preservation Society meet and found a suitable size spanner for $2.