I made a Lag Bolt Hand Crank Tool!

[Toe]

My tool was pretty popular this year so I'm posting it here for your enjoyment.

Electricity can be in short supply at the burn so I devised a lag bolt crank that always works and never breaks.
Purpose: easily and reliably install and remove lag bolts.
Features: essentially no moving parts, no electricity needed, reasonably quick, easy, cheap!
Materials: 3/4 inch socket, bar stock (I used 1/2 inch rebar), optionally bike handlebar or similar tube for handles (loose fit on the crank so it won't get stuck with rust), 1 inch tube or a couple of hooks to hold the lag bolt initially, another 3/4 inch socket.
Tools to build this tool: welder, torch to bend S-crank.
See it in action:

[Ratty]

It's a speed wrench with an extension.

[spacetime]

Hey, that’s really cool. I like how simple it is.

[BBadger]

Nice! That'll drive them in pretty quickly too, and no bending over.

[Canoe]

Would it have enough leverage to do the work on a long and/or thick bolt, and in the soil where the impact drivers start to run out of oomph?

[Kenshiro]

Cool work I like it

[ygmir]

very nice! good hack, and you could make the "hook" part longer if you needed more leverage.
nothing better than a simple, easy thing a person can make on their own and not need electricity....
well done!

[tatonka]

groovy

[Captain Goddammit]

If your impact runs out of oomph driving lags into playa you’ve got a very weak impact, probably a 1/4” drive thingy.

If you want to crank them in by hand (???) Ratty is right, that’s called a speed wrench and they have existed for eons. You don’t have to fab your own if you haven’t got a welder or torch, you can just get a speed wrench, some extensions if you want, and sockets to fit.

[TT120]

That first stage stabilizer thing is pretty cool. Keeps the lag straight while getting it started.
Always good to have a backup plan when you're on the Playa.

[FIGJAM]

That one looks like it would have more leverage than a regular speed wrench.

[maladroit]

It looks like it has more leverage than a normal speed wrench, but you probably don't need more leverage.

I used a T-wrench and 30" extension this year, instead of bringing power tools. It was so easy to screw them into the playa that it was boring. A regular speed wrench would have done the trick.

Great option for 10 or fewer lag screws. A full camp of screws would benefit from a power setup.

[Toe]

This thing will drive bigger bolts for sure. I've found that smaller/regular impact drivers tend to get pretty bogged down after about 9 inches. This eats the battery.

There's plenty of torque with the crank tool. In fact the lever arms are a bit too wide and I punch myself in the bicep.

Yes, this is pretty much a speed wrench, except it's optimized for the playa.

[DoctorIknow]

Very clever.
I've tried a speed wrench with 18" lag screws and it was no fun at all. I ended up using a Horror Freight 25" breaker bar (not practical for the job as I angle my lags) for the last 6 inches, and thought "if only someone would make a speed wrench where diameter of the circle my hand would travel would be about 24"....and here it is.

GOOD JOB and good "maker" type video.

[unjonharley]

Good show ..

[Captain Goddammit]

Unjonharley IS a crank tool...

[unjonharley]

Will use it on the Cap.

[maladroit]

Lag screws don't work in loose soil.

[Toe]

Now, it would be quite something if someone made a lag adapter for a 'Yankee screwdriver' spiral ratchet screwdriver and added an extender and foot stirrup. Then we could just stomp lag bolts straight into the playa without breaking a sweat

Who's going to try it first?

[Token]

Who's going to try it first?

Looks like you raised your hand there buddy.

It’s a do-ocracy, in’ it?

[Canoe]

... Then we could just stomp lag bolts straight into the playa without breaking a sweat

Better than an extension for standing and everyone brings their own to simultaneously anchor a dome in the dark. For light, they could use the shake-to-charge flashlights.