Alloy Artifacts

Exploring Ingenuity in Iron ...

Bog Connecting Rod Ratchet

As automobiles increased in complexity, some models began requiring specialized tools to perform certain service jobs. These special-purpose tools made possible an otherwise nearly impossible job, or at least greatly decreased the time required with ordinary tools.

Connecting rod wrenches provide a good example of such special application tools. The earlier models were simply fixed socket wrenches with an ell (right-angle) handle, with the handle sometimes bent for clearance, but fancier models with built-in ratchets were available as well. One example of the latter is the 5/8 ratchet model made by Bog Manufacturing and shown in the figure below.

The tool is marked "Bog Mfg. Co. Chicago" on the handle and again on the socket, as shown in the inset. The 5/8 hex socket is permanently mounted to the ratchet, and the handle is curled to provide a good grip. The wrench is finished in nickel plate and has an overall length of 10.7 inches.

Bog Connecting Rod Ratchet, with Inset for Marking, ca. 1924-1928.

The ratchet mechanism has a rather coarse gear and is similar to the ratchet in some carpenters' braces. The knurled barrel can be turned to reverse the mechanism; the attached spring rod then changes the bias of the pivoting pawl.

The tool has no apparent date code, but an approximate manufacturing date can be estimated by a catalog reference. The 1924 Beckley-Ralston catalog (a major auto supplies distributor) lists a very similar wrench made by Mossberg, also in 5/8 size, called the "Connecting Rod Ratchet Wrench for Ford". The illustration shows it as a Mossberg model 624, and the present Bog model is likely from this same mid-1920s time frame. (General-purpose ratchets were still relatively uncommon at this time.) As a side note, in 1928 Ford changed their connecting rod bolts to require a 21/32 socket, so later connecting rod wrenches were made in this size.

Bog Manufacturing has appeared here before, in the note on their Bog 252 Socket Set, and hopefully a full article can be offered in the future.