April 2008
Leatherman Core Fixes Cement Mixer
Being a cement truck driver in Massachusetts I’ve always had one of several Leatherman tools on me for the past 8 years. This week I was extremely lucky and had most likely the beefiest of all your tools, the Core.
I work out of Stow, MA and found myself very late in the day 3 towns away doing my job. After washing out the truck and getting ready to head back to the shop, I realized the crew that had just poured the walls for the house had left, so I decided that since I was alone and hungry I would just sit in the truck, listen to music and eat my supper. At around 4:00 pm I figured it was time to head back to the shop and head home. Unfortunately the truck had other ideas. My transfer case decided that it would not come out of "low" gear and would then need to be fixed before allowing me to travel on the Highway to head back to the shop.
Now is where the story goes from bad to worse. You see, the Mechanic had gone home and was easily 1.5 hrs away and he stated that he would come if he could not talk me into fixing the tranny. The piston that locks the transmission in low would not retract, and this would not allow me to travel at any speed more that 15 mph. So, searching for rebar and a pry bar to force the piston into the case became futile, I decided to try and use the Core. Opening the tool to the plier position I jammed the tip of the pliers into the transmission housing (a very small protrusion in casting) and then levered the jaws over the nut holding the control cable and put my entire weight on the tool doing a pull up. What happened next was like music to the ears; the piston jammed back into the housing and I was able to go home on time.
I have now "retired' all my other Leatherman and carry that Core. I decided if the tool could do that and hold the weight of me it would be the one I would carry all the time. However I still rotate at home my PST, Original Wave, Surge, Blast, SideClip, Mini Tool, Juice S2, and the Pulse. But for work, the Core is all I need!
John S.
Douglas, MA
OK, you voyeur, you. Enough of reading other people's stories. It's time you told your own tale of gripping heroism or even just neat DIY'ism. We know there's a Shakespeare in you somewhere. Don't make us use the Steens to find it.