Servicing Your Ratchet - Round Heads

[Conductor562]

A couple weeks back a friend of mine stopped by and said he needed my help. He hands me an old SK (probably 60's) ratchet and explains this was his grandpa's ratchet and no longer works. Apparently it had laid in a box for the last 20 years or so and was locked up. His grandpa died several years ago and he wanted to get it back in working order.

Sure enough, it was locked up pretty good. I explained to him that it could be plugged up with crud and dried grease, or it may be busted and require a repair kit, but either way, Conductor would fix it. I immediately took it and whacked the anvil on the garage floor which I could tell made him a bit nervous. Luckily it freed up enough to turn. I took it apart, cleaned it, lubed it, and put it back together. Worked like a champ.

This got me to thinking. A lot of ratchets go their whole life without ever being serviced. People toss them in a drawer and get a new one whenever they get stiff when in reality a mere 10 minutes of maintenance and it would be good as new. So, I decided to start a ratchet repair thread to give people an idea of what they are getting into and hopefully save a ratchets life at some point.

Today we will focus on a round head, fine tooth 1/2" Blackhawk 49995A. This is a very common design and is used by many manufacturers.

What you need:

A pick of some sort

A freezer/sandwich bag

Brake Cleaner

Lube of your choice

Any kind of pic will do. I use dental picks I got at Harbor Freight for under $5. As for lube, it really doesn't matter. I use either SuperLube or Permatex Ultra Slick Engine Assembly lube part # 81950 (Often referred to on tool forums as RLL or Red Lube of Love). HF carries SuperLube whereas I typically order the RLL online. Either typically runs under $5 a bottle.

Disassembly:

The first step with this style ratchet is to remove the coiled retaining ring that holds the gear assembly in the handle. Look closely and you will see the end of the ring. Insert the pick and and work the ring out as you move around the ring. This task will be easiest on a 1/2" and hardest on a 1/4", so always do the 1/2" first if possible.

One the ring is out, insert the ratchet into the freezer bag, then pull the gear assembly unit out. The bag is to catch any springs or bearings that might go flying. It isn't nessecery on this particular ratchet, but it's always a good idea the first time you take a particular ratchet apart. This ratchet has a 1 piece unit that comes out, but not all ratchets are this simple.

Cleaning:

Using your pick or something similar, scrape any excess grease from the assembly as best you can. Once you've done that, follow up with you Brake Cleaner. Be sure to spray down inside the gear assembly thoroughly and inside the handle portion as well. This eliminates old crud and gives your new lube a slicker surface to work with.

Lubrication:

The RLL works best on these style ratchets. Putting a dab of RLL on your finger, rub it around both the outside of the gear assembly as well as the inside of the opening in the handle. Be conservative with the RLL. A little goes a long way. Also, put a dab down in each opening behind the pawls and work the pawl gently a couple of times with your finger. Now you should be ready to reassemble.

Reassembly:

Re-insert the gear assembly into the handle. This may require a slight turn or depressing of the pawl with your finger to get it to slide in. Once you've done that, all you have to do is work the retaining ring back on. This might take a little practice, but you'll get it. Your ratchet should now be as good as new.

If you have any questions about this, or any other style ratchet, feel free to ask and I'll find one to demonstrate or walk you through the process.

[NicholasShetley]

I haven't serviced any of mine yet. My main ratchets aren't that old though. I have a few older ratchets that wouldn't hurt to be serviced. I have an old 60's ratchet (don't remember the brand though) it wasn't engaging on every swing, I gave it a little oil and it was fine.

[DR99]

Awesome little how to Conductor you should put it up on the TIA webpage.

[Conductor562]

I might do that DR. I think a Craftsman RP would be good for that because they are so common and now, with Sears taking Craftsman production to China, more people will be apt to repair rather than replace. RP's have a "batman pawl" with a spring and bearing that come out, so they're a little trickier. For those style ratchets Snap-On make a little tool called an SPP744 that is a life saver. They sell for about $3 on the snappy website.

Another trick that will free up a gunked up rat without taking it apart is to soak it for a day or 2 in a 50/50 mix of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid.

[Anonymous]

looks like ill be servicing some ratchets in my near future, thanks for the tutorial conductor.

[Conductor562]

My pleasure Mike.

I'm going to dad's today, so I'll grab a Craftsman RP and do a write up on it.

I have several different styles of ratchets to demo with. I'll do them all if there is enough interest.

[Kato]

I just did a Craftsman not too long ago, dang thing kept slipping so I finally had enough and broke it down. Cleaned it up, greased, it, now it works like new.

[RedSionnach]

Nice tutorial Conductor. That's a good tip about the bag. It took me a couple of rats with eyeball seeking springs to start covering them with a shop rag. I didn't think of a bag, so much easier to see through than a rag.

I have a hobby fixing Spencer tapes. It started out with my old logging boss giving me a box of "junk" tapes. Figuring out how easy it was to take them apart and quick to fix most of them, I could flip them with little time or money invested. Most of the time it's as easy as cleaning the dirt and rust off the spring and gears with PB then dry lube with LPS1 or Blaster dry graphite.

It sad that so many people don't take the time to service or repair their tools. Especially when most of the time it's easy. I guess we just live in a disposable society. Of course I've done the same a time or two.

[dwain]

thanks for all the info! will come in handy ..

[NC-Fordguy]

Nice write up Conductor

[djslater]

Thanks Conductor....good instructions, and good tips. I would never think to do this as preventative maintenance. But, I sure will now!

[Conductor562]

Red: Don't feel bad. I lost a bearing in the first rat I ever did. I don't use a bag much anymore because I'm pretty familiar with ratchet disassembly, but I always recommend the bag if you don't know what's inside.

I've actually had brand new ratchets that a lube job worked wonders on. Some rats come factory either dry or with dry lube.

Needless to say, the very first step when getting a new rat is to take apart.

[Conductor562]

I talked to the boss man (Dan) and I'm going to do a few of these for different type rats and put them on the main page.