Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about using a regular wrench on governor bolts.

I always thought a standard wrench was fine for tightening governor bolts until a job in Denver last month. I used my 9/16" wrench and got the torque spec right, but the bolt head started to round off. A foreman saw it and said, 'You need a flank drive, man, the contact points are different.' I switched to a flank drive wrench and it made a huge difference. Has anyone else had a bolt issue that turned out to be the tool's fault?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley19d ago

Wait, you got the torque right and it still rounded off?

cole_lee919d ago

Remember when everyone said flank drive was just marketing? I used to think that too. Grabbed a set after ruining a caliper bolt and it was a total game changer. The way it grabs the flats instead of the corners makes a huge difference. I won't touch a rusty or tight bolt without one now.

josephs4919d ago

Oh man, that's rough. I've totally rounded off a bolt with a regular wrench before, it's the worst feeling. Good call on the flank drive.