HD Snap ring pliers

[90Beater]

I need to remove the monster Snap Ring from my transfer case (BW 1356) so I can reseal it. I tried a Sears one but it's not near strong enough. It claims up to 2" Outside Snap ring but this 1 1/4" or so one it too strong. I was looking around and found a few HD sets that have a screw type arm that look like they will work but need to find a B&M place I can pick one up in the morning so I can get to it. I don't want to wait for internet shipping.

Anyone have any ideas where I can pick one up locally?

[bggrnchvy]

Get better at using snap ring pliers, I used a Sears set to take apart 241's(3 seperate occasions) and the same set to pull the snap rings off of the plasma generators at work, all the snap rings are in the 1-2" range. It is kind of a skill to make them work right when the snap rings don't have tangs with holes.

[braxton357]

Build your own. Snap ring pliers are stupidly simple.

[frankenfab]

I have this transmission set from Snap-On. It's worked for everything I've come across. Your local Snap-On guy should have it on the truck.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

[Mechanos]

Originally Posted by bggrnchvy

...It is kind of a skill to make them work right when the snap rings don't have tangs with holes.

What you are describing is really a lock ring, not a snap ring (although they are referred to by most people as a snap ring since they don't know any better). What you want is a pair of lock ring pliers. The two on the right in the snap-on pic above are lock ring pliers. They have flat tips on them to fit between the ends of the lock ring and force it open when you sqeeze the handles.

[glfredrick]

Track down a Snap On truck... They have a multiplicity of different snap ring and lock ring pliers -- all with lifetime warranty.

They're also made of some high-zoot steel. They hold up very well. Hardly ever had to warranty one when I was on the truck.

Gonna cost you a little bit, but they're worth it when they actually do the job without screwing up parts (or your hands).

[Mechanos]

Any decent tool store should have them as well. I bought a pair from the auto parts store that worked well on the smaller lock rings on my T19, but the pivot was so close to the nose that they wouldn't spread far enough to take the bigger lock rings off. I went to the tool store here in town that is notorius for being expen$ive to see what they had. Ended up with a pair of US made lock ring pliers that were about the same size as my original pair, but the pivot was twice as far from the tips so they opened up about twice as far.... only $12.

[Todd W]

The ones from NAPA have worked fine for my needs and don't SNAP the bank account They may have some to loan you for free too... wouldn't hurt to call them.

[90Beater]

This is not a normal pressure snap ring. It took a lot more force than a normal snap ring to finally get it out. The cheap set just bent, the Sears set was an internal / external set that would just switch to int when you applied enough pressure to spread them open.

NAPA wanted $70 for a HD set. I went accross the street and Pep Boys had a HD set for $30. It worked. Now back to reseal the transfer case.

[Static-XJ]

I bought a set of Knipex when I bent the ones I had from Sears. The Kinpex are much nicer and heavier duty, longer, and open wider.

[YJTypeR]

Sears carries lock ring pliers too.......right next to the snap ring pliers.

[Loveday]

I bought two cheapie lock ring pliars from HF. They did just fine removing the input shaft lock ring on an old Isuzu box. The lighter snap ring pliars I tried at first lost their tips.

[Mechanos]

Originally Posted by YJTypeR

Sears carries lock ring pliers too.......right next to the snap ring pliers.

The ones that Sears has are the type with the pivot close to the tips and don't open very far. Pass on those and get a bigger pair.

[rocknbronco]

I say go for the HF set I have yet to snap a set

[90Beater]

Originally Posted by rocknbronco

I say go for the HF set I have yet to snap a set

Ha-Ha that's what I started with. The multi set just fell apart. The larger single one just bent.

Sears carries lock ring pliers too.......right next to the snap ring pliers.

Not at my Sears. The $27 pro set was the best they had. I'm taking it back tomorrow. The Pep Boys set I bought is nearly as strong as the NAPA set but less than half the price. The pins on both are about 3 times larger than a standard set.

Anyhoo the transfer case is back together. Thanks for the advise guys.

[90Beater]

Here is a pic for those interested.

[D60]

Had the same problem w my 1356. I went to Snappy and never looked back. The tips are not interchangeable but these pliers are fawking bomber with plenty of capacity for a bigger ring - no more pinched palms.

[Mechanos]

Originally Posted by 90Beater

Here is a pic for those interested.

All of those pictured are snap ring pliers..... wrong tool for the job.

[houlster]

I have a set of these:

http://www.toolfetch.com/Category/Ha...0ring%20pliers

They're very beefy, though I have managed to break one of the tips. The best part is the ratcheting lock. Makes it a lot easier on big snap rings as the lock holds the ring open/closed while you manipulate it.

--Dan

[jmsdad]

Originally Posted by Mechanos

What you are describing is really a lock ring, not a snap ring (although they are referred to by most people as a snap ring since they don't know any better). What you want is a pair of lock ring pliers. The two on the right in the snap-on pic above are lock ring pliers. They have flat tips on them to fit between the ends of the lock ring and force it open when you sqeeze the handles.

If anyone is looking for lockring pliers, why not buy it from Marlin Crawler? Got mine 2 yrs ago and has paid for itself many times.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/images/ring_pliers_500.jpg

[Mechanos]

Originally Posted by jmsdad

If anyone is looking for lockring pliers, why not buy it from Marlin Crawler? Got mine 2 yrs ago and has paid for itself many times.

Now those are lock ring pliers.... the right tool for the job. Those look just like the pair I bought at my local tool store for $12.