Fleet Maintenance - S25

TOOL REVIEW

Product description

Beta Tools 3/8" Drive Reversible Ratchet

The rotating handle saved the reviewer time when working in tight quarters.
When it comes to tightening or loosening
a fastener in tight spaces on a vehicle, a tool that
can save time and energy is a tool worth noting.
Eric Moore, fleet manager at Griffin Pavement
Striping in Columbus, Ohio, reviewed the Beta
Tools 3/8" Drive Reversible Ratchet, No. 910/58,
and found the tool did, in fact, save time.
The Beta Tools 3/8" Drive Reversible Ratchet
is unlike most other ratchets. It features a rotating handle which the technician can twist or
turn to rotate the socket. This is ideal for working in confined areas where the free-spinning
motion of a typical hand-held ratchet may not
be able to fit due to its ratcheting mechanism.
Moore noted the ratchet was very easy to
use - simply attach the correct size socket and
select the direction.
"[Moore's team] mostly used the tool for
removing fasteners - more specifically for

changing batteries out in our fleet vehicles,"
Moore says. "The Beta Tools [ratchet] made it
a little bit smoother ... and provides for more
leverage than your fingers if the nut is still
sticking on the threads due to the surface area
of the socket and the ratio of the gear teeth in
the ratchet head."
Moore says he looks for ratchets that offer
a positive feel in the mechanism, a contoured
handle for comfort (since he will "likely be
using it all day, every day"), and a higher tooth
count for less swing to engage the action.
Moore is satisfied with the Beta Tools 3/8"
Drive Reversible Ratchet. The only suggestion
he would have for the company is to offer a
longer version of the handle to reach further
into difficult areas. Otherwise, Moore said it
met his expectations, and the rotating handle
is a good fit.

TOOL REVIEW

-Kayla Oschmann
To read the full review, visit
VehicleServicePros.com/21128012

Product description

Cal-Van Heavy Duty U-Joint Puller
The reviewer was impressed by this tool's durability.
The purpose of a tool is to make a technician's work easier. For Phillip Huffman,
manager at AAA Auto in Greensboro, North
Carolina, the Cal-Van Heavy Duty U-Joint
Puller, No. 199, did just that.
While he got off to a bit of a bumpy start
when first using the tool, after referencing
the operating instructions Huffman had
no problems.
"I almost messed up the first time I used
it," Huffman says. "I did not have full lubrication on it, and the tool was trying to slow
down on me. But, as I read the footnote [in
the operating instructions] and I found out
that it does require the lubrication on there,
I actually had no issue whatsoever. The tool
was lightning fast."
If anything, Huffman's mishap only made
him like the tool more because it showed him
exactly how durable the U-Joint Puller is. The

The Beta Tools 3/8"
Drive Reversible
Ratchet, No. 910/58, has
a 360-degree twist action
handle. Technicians
can select the direction
and rotate the handle
back and forth to turn
the socket. In order to
change the direction,
rotate the ring head.
To release the ratchet,
use the push-button
release. The tool can be
used in the traditional
ratcheting style as well.
The dual mold ergonomic handle provides
a comfortable grip. This
tool is ideal for use in
tight areas where ratcheting space is limited.

The Cal-Van Heavy Duty
U-Joint Puller, No. 199,
is a heavy duty solution
for disassembling seized,
stubborn U-joints quickly
on most Class 7 and 8
trucks and machinery.
Engineered for use with
up to a 1" impact tool, the
Heavy Duty U-Joint Puller
eliminates dangerous
vice-and-socket or hammering removal methods. The one-piece unit
- without bolts, cables,
or assembly required
- does not damage
the driveshaft, yokes,
joints, or bearing cups.

lack of initial lubrication did no damage to
the tool whatsoever.
So far Huffman has only had the opportunity to test the U-Joint Puller on u-joint or driveshaft work, but he believes the tool is capable
of working on other jobs such as work with
ball-joints or the collar on a power steering
unit when pulling the unit off.
The U-Joint Puller comes as a fully assembled unit, meaning there is no guessing at how
to properly put the tool together.
Durability, ease of use, and size were
features Huffman particularly liked about -Emily Markham
the tool.
"I like the size of it for its capabilities," he To read the full review, visit
says. "Most pullers or presses are quite [a bit] VehicleServicePros.com/21132600
larger than this. Most of time when you're doing
u-joints, you're using a u-joint ball-joint press,
which is triple the size [and] twice as heavy."
April 2020 | VehicleServicePros.com

http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21128012 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21132600 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

Fleet Maintenance

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