Arctic Cat Cougar Service Manual page 27

GENERAL INFORMATION
®
7'
17
Open-end wrenches are speedy and work best
in areas with limited overhead access. Their wide
jaws make them unsuitable for situations where
the bolt or nut is sunken in a well or close to the
edge of a casting. These wrenches only grip on
two flats of a fastener so if either the fastener
head or wrench jaws are worn, the wrench may
slip off.
The fastener must have overhead access to use
box-end wrenches, but they grip all six comers
of a fastener for a very secure grip. Box-end
wrenches may be either 6-point or 12-point. The
12-point box-end wrench permits operation in
situations where there is only a small amount of
room to tum or move the wrench. The 6-point
gives superior holding power and durability, but
it requires a greater swinging radius.
No matter what style of wrench you choose,
proper use is important to prevent personal in-
jury. When using any wrench, get in the habit of
pulling the wrench toward you. This reduces the
risk of injuring your hand if the wrench should
slip. If you have to push the wrench away from
you to loosen or tighten a fastener, open and push
with the palm of your hand. This technique gets
your fingers and knuckles out of the way should
the wrench slip. Before using a wrench, always
consider what could happen if the wrench should
slip, if the bolt were to slip, or if the bolt were to
break.
Adjustable Wrenches
An adjustable wrench (sometimes called a
Crescent wrench) can be adjusted to fit nearly
any nut or bolt head that has clear access around
its entire perimeter. An adjustable wrench (Fig-
ure 33) is best used as a backup wrench to keep
a large nut or bolt from turning while the other
end is being loosened or tightened with a proper
wrench.
Adjustable wrenches have only two gripping
surfaces, and one is designed to be moveable.
The usually large physical size and the adjustable