Big tools, such as ¾-inch impact wrenches and 1,000 lb./ft. torque wrenches, are impressive, but many jobs are rescued or made easier by small specialized tools. For example:
- O-ring picks look like the nasty little tools your dental hygienist uses to clean your teeth, but they are much more fun when they simplify removing and installing rubber O-rings, especially those annoying flat spiral rings used in hydraulic fittings. Their long reach and sharp, angled tips reach deep in fittings to pry out damaged O-rings and help gently prod replacement O-rings into place. Yes, a small screwdriver or piece of baling wire will do the job, but a set of O-ring picks does it more easily.
- A jeweler’s screwdriver set is no longer an option in many farm shops, thanks to the teeny screws used in electronic circuit boards. Don’t be tempted to buy the cheap made-in-China mini-screwdriver sets sold at the counter of local hardware stores. When dealing with teeny little screws made of soft metal alloys metallurgically similar to Silly Putty, it’s best to use quality screwdrivers that have crisp, sharp tips of quality metal.
- A ¼-inch-drive socket set is a good defense against a secret, fiendish plot by engineers to drive farmers and mechanics crazy when working in the cabs of farm equipment. They intentionally use 25 different types of screws, nuts, bolts and fasteners to fasten panels, gauges, brackets and circuit boards deep inside consoles and inside seats and headliners. The only defense is a compact ¼-inch-drive socket set complete with not only standard and metric sockets, but also flat-blade, Phillips and allen-head bits that you can take into the cab with you. A fully-stocked ¼-inch-drive socket set in a compact plastic carrying case costs from $100 to $200, but is it worth $1,000 when you’re on your back in a tractor cab with your head on a brake pedal and your feet draped over the seat, trying to unbolt a panel or bracket under the steering wheel and discover a single panel is held in place by a 5/16-inch nut, a Phillips-head screw and a 3/16-inch bolt.
