Changed my mind about using regular wrenches on fuel line fittings

Always used my old open-end set on the B-nuts for years. Then a guy at the hangar in Phoenix showed me his crowfoot flare wrenches. Tried them on a stubborn Cessna 172 line last week. Zero rounding, done in half the time. Why did I wait so long? What's your go-to for tight access spots?

4 comments

4 Comments

joel_jones2mo ago

Waste of money for a problem that barely exists. A good open-end wrench with a solid bite works fine if you know how to use it. Crowfoot wrenches just add another piece to your kit that you'll lose. Most of those fittings aren't that tight anyway, people just use bad technique. I've never rounded one off in twenty years.

spencer_park262mo ago

Remember my buddy who stripped a fuel line with a regular wrench?

elizabethmason2d ago

My dad rounded off a bolt on my old Camry's brake caliper with a regular wrench back in 2015. Took us three hours with a bolt extractor set to finally get it off. You ever had to do that on a crowded driveway in the rain?

the_elliot2mo ago

Wait, you've never rounded a single fitting in twenty years? That's wild, @joel_jones. I've seen guys with way more experience than me mess up a B-nut with a regular wrench on a bad day. Maybe you've got magic hands, but for the rest of us mortals, the right tool just makes sense. Those crowfoot wrenches are a lifesaver when you're buried in a tight spot and can't get a good swing.