My 2013 Flying Cloud has BAL stabilizers, with hex ends on them for cranking. A speed wrench was provided for working the stabilizers. The crank has two sleeves on it, one at the end and one at the middle.
Now, the outer sleeve has come off. There appears to have been some kind of retaining pin or ball or something that kept the sleeve in place for the first year.
I can slide the sleeve back on the end of the wrench, but it jams easily. Is there any way to repair this wrench so the sleeve stays put?
My crank "failed" within a few weeks of use. However, I felt that the basic concept was useful and hesitated pitching it for some as of yet undetermined replacement. So, I went to Ace Hardware and I replaced the screw that was supposed to hold it together with a cotter pin and now the crank works perfectly and seems "bullet proof." I have a couple pf extra cotter pins as spares.
I hope my solution and pictures address your issue. It was not entirely clear from your original post that this was your problem so I made an assumption.
I use a cross wrench for removing lug bolts. It work faster than the crank. You can spin it and it is almost as fast as a drill.
Perry
A cross wrench works too but would not fit in my bumper storage locker so that's why I went "the extra mile" to find a solution to repair the wrench provided with the unit.
It's my impression the OP is talking about the parts of the wrench where your hands grip the wrench. I'd have to get mine out and take a closer look.
I wondered about that very thing as I was trying (so many times!) to get my post to work. I guess we need some further clarification from the OP. If he is talking about the plastic sleeve on the non-business end of the wrench, it does not move or rotate on my particular unit so its loss would be no big deal. If he is talking about the middle plastic sleeve which does rotate, that might be an issue although it seems to me that the wrench would still be functional if you didn't grip it tightly at that point (i.e., just let it spin in your hand.)
you can get a new/better one from someplace that sells tools. they also make folding cross lug wrenches. just be careful to not overtighten the stabilizers.
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Ricky
2012 F150 Super Crew 5-1/2' bed Ecoboost 4x4 3.73 elec. lock diff. Propride hitch
give life. kidney & pancreas transplant 9/9/06
Ingrid-my unofficial '"World's Oldest Streamer" 1909-2008 R.I.P.
I reread his post and he does say the outer sleeve...
My pictures do show the "socket end." If he has issues with the plastic sleeves meant to be held by the user's hands, I would think that he could just ignore that and use the wrench as it is, or get a new one at an auto supply house.
Sorry I was not clear enough. The wrench is with the trailer in storage, I should be able to get a picture tomorrow.
The wrench that was provided with my trailer is one piece of metal, with two additional cylindrical pieces of metal on it. Those cylinders are where you hold it when you operate the wrench. In my original post, I called those cylinders "sleeves".
It works OK if I leave the end sleeve off, but if I don't have my gloves on, my hand gets filthy.
I bought a socket that fits (3/4" IIRC) and chuck it into a cordless drill with an extension that has the female end sawn off.
I use adapter with 1/4 3/8 or 1/2 square end hex other end to fit sockets, use in cordless drill [lazy] to crank stabilizers. You can pur. set of 3 or indv. adapter so no need to saw off end. Been doing this for yrs. on bolts saves a lot of time and work.
Ahh, Ssquared, now I understand. My "solution" does not apply in your case. The sleeves on my particular unit are made of plastic and the one in the middle must have been installed when the metal was first bent into shape. If the middle one were to break off, I don't think I could replace it. I do think that the wrench is still quite usable without those sleeves, just don't grip it very hard.
I always wear leather workers gloves when hitching and unhitching. This protects my tender "office worker hands" from dirt, scrapes and bumps. Perhaps that would solve your concerns?
On the subject of using a cordless drill to set up the stabilizers, I thought that this might be a useful thing and went so far as to buy the socket to do this. But in my experience, the hand wrench supplied with the AS is quicker than the time it takes to find the drill, put in the socket and then use the tool (not to mention finding the charge in the drill to be insufficient often enough to be annoying.) By the time I would have done that, I can have all four stabilizer jacks down with the manual method.
But, the drill approach does offer another legitimate approach to this is you find it easier so I would suggest that you consider it. You will still need a manual back up in case something goes wrong with the drill however.
We use a cordless drill, also. We have one we just leave in the trailer with the socket attached. Quick and easy.
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2012 30' International Serenity
1947 Spartan Manor
2005 28' Safari LS - traded
1977 31' International Sovereign - sold
2012 Ford F250 Superduty Crewcab
The first shows the wrench, with the now-loose sleeve next to where it belongs.
The second is the end of the wrench, showing a small hole drilled through the shaft.
The third is the end of the sleeve, where you can see a groove inside.
So there must have been some kind of pin that ran through the hole, and gripped the groove. I don't know if it was a solid pin, or a spring pin, like what wristwatches often use to attach the band.
Looking at the BAL web site, this wrench appears to be the "Deluxe Hex Head Crank Handle" model 20032. I don't see any repair parts for it on the BAL web site.
Anybody know where I can get a spring pin of this size?
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stabilizer jack handle
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