Impact Deep Socket Metric Sizes in Sets - Missing Increments in MM

I just fitted the new rotoflex kit(which included nuts and bolts) to my Tdi.
Old nuts-bolts had 19mm heads.
New bolts(still high tensile 10.9 bolts), had 19mm nuts but bolt heads 18mm!

Stupid Euro engineers!

Didn't have an 18mm spanner in my spanner roll(just had all the sensible sizes, both metric and imperial), but had an 18mm ratchet spanner from Kingchrome in the small kit I have which I originally thought .. "idiots .. 19mm would have been better"

just buy the genius set, its what I've been using for years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello Geedublya,

When I resurrected a Yamaha DT250, a significant umber of years ago, the main tools were 10, 11, 12 and 13 mm sockets and spanners. With 8 mm sizes thrown into the equation to a lesser extent. Other larger sizes were used on the wheel bolts and the like. Photo - as per factory - accessed 17th February 2021 from, YAMAHA DT250 | Webike News

Kind regards
Lionel

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Japanese bikes mainly use 12mm and Europeans use 13mm.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

a 12 is a very lonely spanner.

in imperial it is neither 1/2 nor 7/16

I have a very shiny 12mm spanner in my metric spanner drawer , I cannot recall using it.

I bought a set of long series metric sockets recently ....couple of years ago actually .....to facilitate accessing my spare wheel in one of its configurations I have used. There is a 12mm socket in the set , again not used.

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My first job was an apprentice mechanic in a Jap car dealership. 12mm was absolutely the most frequently used spanner / socket / whatever. Could have done my entire job with 8,10,12,17,19, 21 and 24mm spanners and a #2 philips screwdriver. I never used an 18mm tool until I did some industrial work years later. I've just pulled the engine out of my Jag (yep had to pull the engine to replace a blown coolant hose!) and I used virtually every metric size, there are 6mm bolts with 7,8,9,10 and 11mm heads on them. Not to mention all the internal and external torx thingamajigs.

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I spotted this 3/8ths set at total tools a couple of months back. Quite cheap for what seemed to be quite good quality. If i'd noticed it went 8, 9, 10, 11, ........ , 13, 14, ......., 16, 17, .........., 19

Damn ..... 12, 15 and 18 are quite common sizes! I've collected plenty of sockets over the years. But still find myself short ( eg: bloody rover .... 12 point 8mm 1/4" socket..... Now I have one though). Impact sockets are generally a pain too.

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I realised a few years back I needed to put them all in order to save hours ... and hours .... and hours of searching for stuff (at which point I'd find another .... everyone needs 3 42mm sockets after all [bighmmm] ).


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I own old Citroens, the types of sockets I used to find impossible to find were 35mm ... these days it so simple with ebay. But make yourself a lookup. 35mm sockets didn't exist ... but 1 3/8" were everywhere :)




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best thing you can do if you were born in a metric time like me.... label all the old meaningless fractional crap with a real measurement. Now if you have a slightly rounded 13mm nut for example. A quick look will find you can use 1/2" .... or find a slightly smaller size in AF to hammer on.

With spanners .... everyone needs one of the cheap ****ty chinese sets that has all the spanners. They are in this weeks special buys at alldi. I'll grab a set or two as soon as they arrive at the local store

XL Wrench and Spanner Set 25pc - ALDI Australia

seeya,
Shane L.