Standard wing nuts allow for only so much torque but are more convenient and look classy . They are good for light compression clamping and better for drawing a yoke clamp, as would be the case on a leg mount.There are no wing nut wrenches with which to tighten them harder----the leverage is supplied in the nut. In clamping situations where more torque is required or the location is tight , hex nuts are more secure because you can torque them to higher levels with regular tools. Some companies , have taken up the challenge to provide extra large stylized wing nuts, even with a pronounced neck on them so that they can be tightened as tight as a hex nut and fit into small areas.

If the tom mounts came with hex nuts then I suspect it was a tightening issue and aesthetics were discounted somewhat------no reason that the nuts couldn't be specialized wingnuts------they kind of dress up a kit somewhat but then there is the cachet of "original" to consider.

Ludwig and a few other companies made pretty cumbersome tom mounts for a long time, so the nuts and special key or wrench were required , to get adequate torque and maintain rigidity. It would have had to have been a pretty special wing nut to do the job and last. A rounded off or stripped hex nut is easy to replace too.

jim

ive got a 66 clubdate kit and it was setup the same way as yours. In the past, I have used the ludwig sta-tite wrench as it is setup to tighten the wingnuts and or the hexnuts.

mike

Jim,

For what it's worth, I bought a new Ludwig kit back in 1971 or 72. 3ply w/rings shells with the clear interior. I remember distinctly the two tom mounts had hex-nuts and the FT leg brackets had the wing nuts. I do think calfskin's "torque" explanation was Ludwig's rule-of-thumb at least at that time.

He's also right about using "regular" tools. I found the little Ludwig wrench that came with them to be a little inadequate over time, so I just went to Sears and bought a socket and T-handle which I still have today...

Bill

I use wing nuts on everything. My Dad made me a special tool about 40 years ago that lets me tighten the wing nuts tighter than I can ever get the hex nuts.

Great answers all! THANKS... nice to know I don't need to go vintage wing nut hunting.

Hey Gerald a pic of that "custom" tool would be neat to see... I mean just for curiosity.

Thats like mine. Using too much torque on tom mounts will twist off the eyelet bolts. Be careful with hex tools. I use a screwdriver style hex socket just in case. I used a hex wrench and was a bit too aggressive. when I replaced the eyelets, I used the newer Luddy ones with gripping teeth in the eyelet. Big improvement in keeping the toms positioned.

We use a custom tool like that in the lighting industry that would basically be a a piece of flat bar stock aluminum with a slot cut inside one end that is the width of the "wings" on the wing nut. In the center of the slot there is a hole that is a bit larger than the bolt stud that will fit down over the center of the wing nut. Basically, you place this piece over the wing nut and, when you tighten it, you are keeping the force across both sides of the wing nut equally. You can still certainly strip the wing nut/and or the bolt stud if you are not careful, but you won't damage the wing nut exterior.

This came about because so many guys were using a crescent wrench to pull a wing nut tight by one of the "wings".

I incorrectly called my wrench a sta-tite earlier. it is actually the Ludwig sta-set wrench. it is also designed much like you mentioned to grasp both sides of the wingnut to tighten it uniformly and also without damaging the wingnut finish.

mike

Oh now I got to have one of those... that looks awesome. I'm getting two and hanging one from the rearview mirror! x-mas3

I had seen those on ebay but never realized it had that wing nut tightener on it. I just didn't look that closely.

Ok that tells the story.. GREAT!

Thanks.