brooke_jones•3d agoProlific Poster

That roadside breakdown in el paso changed my whole tool setup

I was hauling a trailer through el paso last july when my alternator gave out at 2am, and my impact wrench was dead because i forgot to charge it. Turned out carrying a spare battery pack and a hand crank ratchet would have saved me 4 hours of waiting for a tow truck. Does anyone else keep a backup manual tool in their truck for exactly this kind of situation?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_murphy3d ago

Hand crank ratchets work fine. But why not just carry a second charged battery?

daniel_cooper343d ago

Right there with you @cole_murphy. I bought a second battery for my impact driver and it’s a game changer, no more waiting for the hand crank to catch up. My buddy always forgets to charge his spare and ends up cranking for ten minutes on a single screw, it’s brutal to watch. A second battery just makes more sense than fighting with a handle on a tight bolt.

abby_morgan183d ago

Actually, most hand crank ratchets have a clutch that limits torque (learned that the hard way on a rusted trailer bolt). They're great for light work but dead batteries aside, a second charged battery will break tougher stuff loose way better than cranking.