Patent ID: 6189421
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: B25B

Abstract:
A wrench for rotating a plastic slip nut relative to axially opposed tubular drain line components having a diameter greater than one inch and coupled by said slip nut to provide a joint therebetween, said nut having a nut axis, a circular outer surface and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart axially extending nodes projecting radially outwardly of said outer surface, said wrench comprising a C-shaped body portion of resilient polymeric material having a wrench axis, circumferentially spaced apart first and second ends and an inner surface between said ends, slip nut engaging means fixed on said inner surface and providing circumferentially opposed radially inwardly extending first and second node engaging surfaces, whereby a node on a slip nut coaxially received in said body portion is circumferentially between said first and second node engaging surfaces, first and second handles respectively on said first and second ends and extending from said body portion for rotating said body portion in opposite directions about said wrench axis for said first and second node engaging surfaces to alternately drivingly engage with circumferentially opposite sides of said node for rotating said nut in opposite directions about said nut axis, said handles having opposed spaced apart inner surfaces, said body portion having a neutral condition in which said ends of said body portion and said inner surfaces of said handles are spaced apart a given distance, the resiliency of said polymeric material biasing said body portion to said neutral condition, said given distance and the resiliency of said polymeric material providing for said handles to receive one of said drain line components therebetween and for said handles and body portion to be moved laterally onto said one drain line component for aligning said wrench axis with said nut axis.