The reader may or may not be aware of this, I wasn't,
but everyday being a school day Copyright
@ Ardent) I realised this:
Drop links feature a ball joint, and to tighten or loosen the item while preventing the ball rotating there is typically an Allen Key hole in the fixing.
This allows a key to be inserted to hold the screw from rotation and then a spanner ring or open end, because a socket cannot be used, to move the nut.
The downside is that the drop link position means that only a part of a turn can be put on the spanner.
Realising there could be another way, I employed an Allen Key bit, that comes with sets of screw drivers etc. an adapter socket and a small ratchet that I have.
In this way I use the spanner to simply hold the nut in place and used the ratchet c/ w Allen Key to turn the screw, remembering, of course that the screw function is reversed
For final tightening I will use the spanner.
But, another benefit could be that a torque wrench could be used in this way for that final tightening.
But, I guess you knew that, or did you?
This is one reason that I chose to buy a set of ratchet spanners as it makes this type of job slightly easier.
And if the Allen key slot is rusted to crap, there's a flat surface you can grip under the rubber boot right against the main body. I always used a small vice/mole grips but I did use a spanner once. I think an 8? But it kept slipping so the next time I went back to mole grips.
Cutting is easier, but you still need to remove the parts at some point.
For future maintenance on newly fitted droplinks, a blob of grease in the allen key hole can be enough to fend off the corrosion and ultimate rounding when removal is required!
Quote from: MikeBoo on September 26, 2022, 15:56This is one reason that I chose to buy a set of ratchet spanners as it makes this type of job slightly easier.
Ratchet spanner's are something that I should have put on my wanted gift list when I retired and started car maintenance again. I did borrow a set back in the 80's and they allowed me to change the cam belt on a Ford Escort, impossible without them. I doubt I would get much use out of them now at my level of seniority!.
Quote from: shnazzle on September 26, 2022, 16:58And if the Allen key slot is rusted to crap, there's a flat surface you can grip under the rubber boot right against the main body. I always used a small vice/mole grips but I did use a spanner once. I think an 8? But it kept slipping so the next time I went back to mole grips.
Cutting is easier, but you still need to remove the parts at some point.
I did use water pump pliers to remove the driver side link but then had my lightbulb moment that does allow the use of a ratchet if you don't have a set of
@MikeBoo 'S specials.
Quote from: McMr2 on September 26, 2022, 18:22For future maintenance on newly fitted droplinks, a blob of grease in the allen key hole can be enough to fend off the corrosion and ultimate rounding when removal is required!
The next owner of my 2 might bless my forthought for that suggestion.
I've got a pass through socket set as well as ratchet spanners, has a slightly better ratchet ratio than the spanners so you get more clicks and more turn of the nut.