I found that if you move the seat up you can rest your right shoulder on the seat and still reach the valve in relative comfort.
I don't remember having so much trouble. I bought a cheepo set of flare wrenches from a flea market and they fit nicely.
Yeah I know but that was over a year ago and I have never used them since.
Also get your odometer fixed. There's a tutorial at Diesel Giants website or if you need gears go to
www.odometergears.com
Danny