A Crescent Wrench and a Creeper

Letterman

NAXJA Forum User
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A Crescent Wrench and a Creeper
Tips for Maintenance of an Off Road Rig
By Del Albright, BlueRibbon Ambassador, CA4WDC Env. Affairs​


Nothing slows down the fun like a mechanical failure, no matter your choice of off-road recreation. Fixing stuff on the trail can be fun; but usually it’s a pain and is never done as well as it would have been in the shop. The best solution is to prevent the breakdowns! It’s all about preventative maintenance if you want to maximize your fun and minimize the down time. Here are some tips.

When it comes to 4x4’s, (Jeeps, trucks, toys, buggies, etc.), it’s as simple as a crescent wrench and a creeper. It may sound a bit simplistic, but it’s about getting under the rig and touching and checking for lose, broken, about to break or leaking stuff! Find it before it’s a problem. For side by sides, ATV’s, snowmobiles, etc., it’s more about the touching and looking, but the idea is the same.

More here.
 
That is some good advice right there. Although they are called adjustable wrenches, not crescent wrenches.
 
Technically, they are adjustable open-end wrenches, and they all suck.

images
 
That is some good advice right there. Although they are called adjustable wrenches, not crescent wrenches.

Technically, they are adjustable open-end wrenches, and they all suck.

images
They are referred to as crecent wrenches due to the most common company that makes them.
 
Technically, they are adjustable open-end wrenches, and they all suck.

images

I have a really nice, well balanced Matco one. It feels great in my hands and I like how its weighted then tapers down at the end...its kind of like holding my AR-15, its just a well balanced weapon and feels natural. They also make great as a hammer for beating on things. If you want the slang term they are also called Mexican Socket Sets, no offense on Mexicans, my gf of 5 years is Mexican. hasta
 
I have a really nice, well balanced Matco one. It feels great in my hands and I like how its weighted then tapers down at the end...its kind of like holding my AR-15, its just a well balanced weapon and feels natural. They also make great as a hammer for beating on things. If you want the slang term they are also called Mexican Socket Sets, no offense on Mexicans, my gf of 5 years is Mexican. hasta
I have a really nice long and thick one. Has a good feel in the hand, can be a bit too big for some though. It has gotten me into more than enough trouble, but has also gotten me out of a couple sticky situations.

Oh wait... what are we talking about?
 
I have a really nice long and thick one. Has a good feel in the hand, can be a bit too big for some though. It has gotten me into more than enough trouble, but has also gotten me out of a couple sticky situations.

Oh wait... what are we talking about?

Sounds like a baseball bat to me, I duno what your talking about.:dunno:
 
You guys are BAD! :sunshine: Cute tho. And you "pros" I know would never take an adjustable wrench to your rig, but rather use the right tool. I'm with ya. But for a lot of wheelers, especially new ones, I'm trying to get them under their rig with a simple tool that does a few things (like hammer, pry, adjust, and tighten), and not let their junk ruin our run because of some simple look-see/adjustment that would have prevented a breakdown. :)

on the team,
Del
 
I wont lie, I carry an adjustable wrench in my tool bag that I keep in the Jeepous. I find anything over 3/4 of an inch seems to hold fine if you have a some what half decent quality wrench. I mainly use it for all my jams nuts on the steering and suspension. If worse comes to worse you can always use it as a weapon to take what you need, right? It works like this, "hey can you :helpme: me, I just need to borrow a... :twak: " then the other guy is :speepin: and you fix your junk. On a serious note I agree for prevent maint, might as well prevent what you can so hopefully when the inevitable breaks it might not be such a disaster for you and who ever you come across while carrying your adjustable wrench. Or you can have a rebuilt engine like mine and have the damn timing chain grenade at 25,000 miles, then your really :smsoap:
 
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