Vise grips are a great tool to have in your pocket. There are many great uses for the tool. Firefighter Sam Russell form Capital City (AK) sent in this useful modification to a pair of vise grips. Take a quick trip to the hardware store and find an eye bolt and nut that fit in place of the adjustment screw on the vise grips.
This modification is two fold, first it makes adjusting the vise grips much easier since you have the eye of the bolt to use for leverage when moving the adjustment screw. Second (and more importantly) the eye bolt gives you an attachment point for a carabineer. The attachment point is useful when using carabineer with webbing or rope on the tool to secure a padlock or chain during rotary saw forcible entry.
Bravo !! Bravo !! Great idea !! Sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference. Thanks Sam
Nice… I had a chain link welded to the handle for my attachment. Wish I knew about this little gem of an idea. Smart.
pretty easy and conventional…. nice!
Great idea, I will remove my modification and insert this one, keep it coming guys.
Thats awesome, I will definately go out and make the change. Definately worth the pocket/couch change for it!!! Thanks brother.
I have a set of these in my gear. Myself and some of my fellow SWWA FOOLS teach a FF self rescue class around the state. About a year ago I started using my vice grips clamped to a wall stud as an anchor point for a rope bailout. Sounds cheasy I know. But stay with me. While not practical for an actual bailout it is useful to recognize the actual loads being applied to our anchors during a single person load. I’ve bailed on them as fast as and as hard as I can repeatedly with no failures to date.
READ- Belay lines with seperate anchors always! Short webbing controling the vice grips in case of failure!
Just another use for a cool tool, that helps us understand an aspect of the job.
P.S. I’ve found that the curved jawed vice-grips hold much better and are far more versatile than the straight jawed. Great Post!
Great idea, also just so people know, at Home Cheapo I found a pair (one big one, one small one)of self adjusting vise grips. They do not require any twisting of a screw, or eye hook. I was skeptical at first but after much use I really like them, the smaller one is great for in the moment use in a fire and the bigger on is great for using with utilities outside, like shutting off a gas main. Just thought you might be interested.
Took a trip to Home Depot and set myself up with a pair. Thanks for the tip. I was really an easy set up. Im ditching my channellock for the vise grips. So many more uses fot this tool with the eye bolt modification.
Great tip, just added the eye bolt yesterday. I like to use my vice grips quite a lot. Another tip for storm doors. Clamping the vice grips on the bar instead of trying to use the slide that “should be there and should work” to hold the door open. Nice for doors where a wedge would be difficult to use.
Great tip, i’ll be using it in the very near future. Ryan, about this bialout technique, can you post a picture(s) of this some time? Are you using the same type of tool that is in the picture here or are they the type with larger jaws?
You bet Chief, I’ll see what I can dig up.
This video was shot by a camera phone. It was just a bunch of us hanging around after a day of teaching. We kind of have a rivalry among us as to who can bail on the cheasiest object. This day’s recipient was a lapel mic cord that was broken during training. You can see the vice grips briefly, if you pause it you can get a better view. They are just normal vise-grip curved jaw pliers with a ring welded to the adjuster. I know this type of training can bring critics as to the delivery, safety and other subjects. If you have questions email me. I don’t want to thread jack. cox1997@hotmail.com
Oops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHM7Z5bkF7k
Pretty impressive but shows what you can bail out on in a last resort effort.
What size vice grips do you use? I carry a 9-inch locking pliers that requires a 7/16″ threaded bolt which I cannot find the correct eye bolt at any hardware stores. Anybody have any suggestions or ideas!
WOW !!!! Wild !!
Same issue as Bud. Looked around hardware stores and on the web and still cannot find one to fit.
Great Idea! I was able to make this work by using a pair of 7″ ViseGrips (model# 0702L3) and 5/16″ x 4″ Eye Bolt w/nut, Got them both at Home Depot for about $13.
Good Luck with your search, and stay safe.
I’ve had my Vise Grip for almost 50 years and it’s still ‘going strong’ it’s used at least once a week — trick is to add a little of the slippery stuff (oil) occasionally — makes it easier to adjust, also you obtain a more reliable grip because of the reduced friction etc — helps to protect/stop rusting as well.
This website’s AWESOME !!
For those guys looking at carrying the larger 9″ vise-grips with an eye bolt, you’ll need to take a 3″-4″ x 1/2″ eye bolt and 7/16″ die and thread it down. It’s a bit of manual workout but it works. Haven’t found any store to carry 7/16″ eye bolts. We’ve put one of these pliers with each of our K12 saws.
With it being X-mas time, you should be able to find “value packs” of either Vise-Grip or Stanley locking pliers set with at least 1 – 5, 7, and 9 inch locking pliers for a good price.
I have a 9″ pair which I use every day to install ductwork. Had a lifting ring off a large piece of HVAC equipment where the crane attaches to welded to the knurled adjustment bolt. It is a closed loop.
From 2008 to 2018 and still a great idea