Tool Talk
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Northwoods on July 17, 2016, 04:22:08 PM
-
Had a great time yesterday and today at the 40th Meriden Antique Engine and Threshers Association show just a couple of miles from Plywood Manor. They featured Allis Chalmers tractors this year. Brings back some great memories of my Dad's old WD-45.
Many many tractors, trucks, crawlers, and even a Gleaner self propelled combine. An IH powered sawmill, a rock crusher, a blacksmith shop, and on and on. Print shop, general store, church, machine shop; the whole village. Pulling contests for many classes of vintage tractors--and later for lawn tractors. Quite a parade.
One highlight was watching a couple of old dudes load a Farmall Cub on a 1936 International flatbed like this one;
https://ladysmithreunion.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/1936-international-truck.jpg
Granted, the one I saw had a much better bed. And then the nervy old fellow backed the flatbed onto a trailer for the trip home! I wouldn't have done that for any money, but he and his buddy weren't concerned at all. On the way out, I hopped a ride in a 1934 Chevy flatbed
Picked up a couple of wrenches from a vendor there. The interesting one is a Duro-Chrome 1/2" ratchet model No. 679D. Eighteen sloppy teeth. It is female drive, but has a selector switch. I thought the idea of a female ratchet was that it didn't need a selector and a reverse drive. I slipped an extra male/male plug in it, and it works fine.
But what was the purpose of making the buyer use a male/male plug or extension bar when Duro and Indestro were making male drive ratchets during the same era?
BTW, the fellow who sold me the wrenches is a Missouri Valley Wrench Club member who barely uses the Internets and never heard of Papawswrench! I told him to get himself into the 21st century. Hope to see him enter soon!
-
I've seen/held/maybe I still have it ratchets on which the male adapter stepped up or down between 1/2" and 3/8". I think some of those female ratchets were a way to get both common sizes from one ratchet.
Nice looking International.
-
I went looking for the plug you mentioned, but had no luck.
But I did find another Duro-Chrome. This one is 677D mentioned in passing in AA. It is a female with no selector switch. But it has an accompanying plug with a serrated swivel wheel on one end to keep it from passing through. And it has 16 teeth, not 18 as in the 679D.
Guess I need to start hunting for a 678D (or are they two types--male and female?).
The hunt goes on!