Fleet Maintenance - A10

TOOL REVIEW

Cal-Van C-Frame Socket Press
The reviewer appreciated being
able to use his own sockets.
Tool reviewer Randy Kaiser likes everything the Cal-Van C-Frame Socket Press
has to offer: its strength, the fact he can
use sockets he already owns, and the
included adapters that hold the sockets in place to keep them from falling to
the floor.
Kaiser is a service manager and partial
owner at Rost Motor, Inc. in Manson, Iowa.
He says the tool is very easy to use and the
idea behind it is "ingenious."
"We've probably all [dragged] the driveshaft to the bench vise, found the right size
sockets, and used the vise to push the U-joint
out and a new one in," Kaiser says. "This
[C-Frame Socket Press] has adapters that hold
the sockets in place so that they don't fall on
the floor every time something shifts. You

can line everything up, hit it with the impact
wrench, and problem solved."
The tool saves the technician time in a few
different ways. It is designed to use sockets
the technicians already owns as the forcing
and receiving portion of the tool. Since virtually everyone has sockets readily available,
this saves time looking for the correct forcing
cone, Kaiser says.

TOOL REVIEW

The quick adjustment and guard were
features this reviewer enjoyed.

I Hand & Specialty Tools I February 2020

The Cal-Van Tools
C-Frame Socket Press,
No. 201, utilizes a 2.5-ton
capacity C-frame and is
designed for removal and
installation on driveline
and non-driveline
applications. With eight
adapters and the many
combinations one can
create with various 1/4" to
1/2" drive impact sockets,
the tool can be used on
various applications such
as cars, trucks, ATVs, UTVs,
farm machinery, and even
medium to heavy duty
trucks. The press set can
be used at the vehicle or
mounted into a vise
for added stability
and assistance.

-Kayla Oschmann, Assistant Editor
To read the full review, visit:
VehicleServicePros.com/21120338

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

KNIPEX Pipe Wrench S-Type
Time is of the essence for
technicians, so when a tool has
an easy, quick-change mechanism it can instantly become
a preferred tool in the shop. The
reviewer of the KNIPEX Pipe Wrench
S-Type, No. 83 61 015, found this feature to
be a plus and said it offers many time-saving
opportunities.
"The quick-change mechanism design of
the wrench allows for split second resizing of
the pliers," says Lou Fort, lead technician at
K.A.R.S Inc. in Huntingburg, Indiana.
Fort used the pipe wrench on a variety of
jobs, from adjusting steering wheel centering
on a late model Dodge Ram to grabbing a rear
toe buckle on a Buick Lacrosse that didn't
want to move, to holding a lower threaded

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

portion of a cab mount on a 2000 F-250. He
said the cab mount was just over three inches
in diameter, outside the working range for
pliers, but by using the pipe wrench he was
able to secure a great grip.
Noting the KNIPEX 83 61 015 is the easiest pipe wrench he has used, Fort said he
liked being able to change from a 2-1/4" grip
to a 1" grip quickly and safely.
"Outside of alignments I don't see much
of a call for pipe wrenches in my day-to-day
challenges," Fort says. "I am confident that
when I do [see a need], reaching for this S-type
pipe wrench won't leave me wanting more."

The KNIPEX Tools Pipe
Wrench S-Type, No. 83 61
015, offers a push-button
fast-adjust feature to
make finding the precise
adjustment position quick
and easy, directly on the
workpiece. The push-button
adjustment stays locked
in position for repetitive
work. The S-type head style
provides three points of
contact that securely grip
and hold round, square,
hex, and flat workpieces
without slipping. The pushbutton design is ideal for
tight confined areas as
the handles do not open
outward. It also features
a guard to prevent the
operator's fingers from
being pinched. The pipe
wrench is forged from
chrome vanadium
electric steel.
-Kayla Oschmann, Assistant Editor
To read the full review, visit:
VehicleServicePros.com/21119713

http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21120338 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21119713

Fleet Maintenance

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