Five squeezers, by the numbers
| Squeezer | Type | Listed force | Rated capacity | Yoke | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas hand squeeze | Hand | not listed | not listed | 3" | US · Yardstore |
| Universal economy | Hand | not listed | "Light to medium" duty | 3" | US · Yardstore |
| ATS Pro hand | Hand | Ram tested to 6,000 lb (ATS) | not listed | 1-1/2" or 3" | UK/EU · LAS |
| Pneumatic A, 214A3 | Air, alligator | 1,800 lbf | 3/32" aluminum, 1/16" steel | 3" | US · Yardstore |
| ATS Pro pneumatic C | Air, C | 3,000 lb at 90 psi | 1/8" aluminium or mild steel | 3" | UK/EU · LAS |
As the sellers list them. A ram test is a strength figure for the tool, not the force it applies. All five take 3/16" (0.187") shank sets and dies.
How to choose
Reach comes first. "The working capacity of a yoke is measured by its gap and its reach." The gap is the distance between the jaws; the reach is the inside length of the throat, from the center of the end sets. A rivet further from the edge than the reach cannot be squeezed, whatever the force. The minimum edge distance is on the calculator.
C-yoke or alligator. The Handbook says squeezers come with "either a C-yoke or an alligator yoke in various sizes". Yardstore's pneumatic squeezer is the alligator type; the ATS pneumatic is a C, listed as compatible with the Chicago Pneumatic 0214-C, which opens the market's C yokes to it, such as Yardstore's longeron yoke.
Read the rated capacity. Yardstore rates its pneumatic A squeeze at 3/32" aluminum rivets; that rules out 1/8". The ATS pneumatic C is rated for 1/8" aluminium or mild steel. Neither FAA source gives a squeeze force per rivet diameter, so this guide does not either.
Sets go the right way round. End sets do the job rivet sets do in a gun. The Handbook: the manufactured head set goes on the stationary jaw "whenever possible". All five squeezers here take the same 3/16" shank, such as Yardstore's 11-piece set.
Squeezers also dimple. "Dimpling dies for light work can be used in portable pneumatic or hand squeezers", adjusted accurately to the sheet thickness. That choice is in the dimple or countersink guide.
Hand or pneumatic
The Handbook does not rank them. It says the hand squeezer works by hand pressure, the pneumatic by air, the pneudraulic by air and hydraulics, and that one jaw stays still and acts as the bucking bar.
The listings fill in the trade-off. A hand squeezer needs no air, and no listing gives its working force, because that depends on the hand. The pneumatic listings state a force and a rated rivet size. If you need to know the force before you buy, only the pneumatic listings answer.
Yokes, as listed
| Yoke | Reach / depth | Gap | Fits | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas 4" yoke | 4" | 1-1/4" | Stainless hand squeezes, incl. Texas and Tatco | US · Yardstore |
| Longeron yoke | 2-3/8" depth, 2" inside height | 1-1/4" | Most 214-style pneumatic C bodies | US · Yardstore |
| ATS replacement yokes | 1-1/2" or 3" | not listed | ATS Pro hand squeezer | UK/EU · LAS |
Fit claims are the sellers'. Yardstore's economy squeezer has its own yokes; the Texas yokes are not listed for it.
Questions people actually ask
Pneumatic or hand rivet squeezer?
The FAA Handbook does not prefer one: they "operate on the same principles". A hand squeezer needs no air; the pneumatic ones list a force and a rated rivet size. Check the rating against your largest rivet: one pneumatic listed here stops at 3/32" aluminum.
What do gap and reach mean on a squeezer yoke?
Per the Handbook, the gap is the distance between the movable and stationary jaws, and the reach is the inside length of the throat measured from the center of the end sets. Together they are the yoke's working capacity.
Can a squeezer set 1/8" rivets?
Depends on the squeezer. The ATS pneumatic C is rated for 1/8" aluminium; Yardstore's pneumatic A is rated for 3/32" aluminum. The hand squeezer listings give no rating.
Do squeezer yokes interchange between brands?
Within a family, per the sellers: Yardstore lists its Texas yokes for stainless hand squeezes including Tatco, and its longeron yoke for most 214-style C bodies. The ATS pneumatic is listed as compatible with the Chicago Pneumatic 0214-C.
Limits of this guide
What the sources support, and no further.
- No force chart. Neither FAA source gives squeeze force per rivet size.
- Hand squeezers have no listed force. The ATS ram test is a strength figure, not working force.
- Fit claims are the sellers'. Check yoke and body compatibility with the seller before buying.
- No squeezer was tested.
Sources
- FAA-H-8083-31, AMT Handbook — Airframe, Volume 1, Chapter 4 — p. 4-39, "Compression Riveting": limited value, the three types, C and alligator yokes, gap and reach, end sets; p. 4-42, dimpling dies in squeezers.
- Seller listings — force, capacity and yoke figures, via the linked product pages at Yardstore and LAS Aerospace.