OTC 6883 Pinion Flange Holding Tool for Ford Axles

This is the OTC 6883 pinion flange holding tool, a steel bar that bolts to the drive pinion flange so the flange cannot turn while you work the pinion nut. OTC lists it as similar to the Ford service tool 303-126 and it is made in the USA. The slotted design fits flange bolt centerlines up to 2-5/8 in., which covers most Ford, Lincoln and Mercury drive pinion flanges.

What comes in the set: the flange bar, two 5/16 in. bolts with nuts and washers, and two 3/8 in. bolts with nuts and washers. The handle has a 1/2 in. square drive opening, so you can put a breaker bar or extension in it for more leverage when the nut is tight or when you are holding against a torque wrench.

Where it gets used: pinion seal replacement, pinion flange replacement, and ring and pinion or pinion bearing jobs where the nut has to come off and go back on to a set rotating torque. Trying to hold the flange with a pipe wrench or a pry bar across the bolts chews up the flange and slips at the worst time. Bolt the bar to two flange holes, brace the handle against the floor or your leg, and you can control the nut in small steps. That matters on crush sleeve axles, where going past the rotating torque spec means pulling it back apart for a new sleeve.