KEEPING THEM RUNNING
Page 53
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vvrth Ron Cater .
When a vehicle has been in service for a long period during which there has been no need to remove the wheel because of tyre or brake trouble, it is often the case that the wheelbrace supplied with it is incapable of breaking out the wheelnuts. And with the increasing use of impact wrenches in workshops the same problem can arise through too much torque being applied when the wheels were last fitted.
A service van arriving on the scene of a tyre failure need not be baulked by such an occurrence if it is equipped with the latest geared wheelnut wrench, the Plarad model XV, introduced by E. F. Allchin of Birmingham.
The overall size of the unit belies its power for it is only 12in. long by 3.5in. in diameter, but by using only a 12in. tommy bar 3,600 lb. ft. can be applied to the wheelnut.
The tool incorporates a planetary gear train giving a ratio of 12 to 1 and it needs no outside power source. It can be used equally well for spring securing bolts and any other units of similar dimensions. The carrier tube carries a fine spline over which fits a torque reaction arm; the fine serrations allow for minute adjustment and the small overall dimensions