What's inside a GearWrench ratchet?

[Merkava_4]

If one of you peeps with a GearWrench ratchet would be gracious enough to take a picture of the inside, I'll make some popcorn for everybody. http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n284/MACDRIVE/GIFS/popcorn.gif

[dxdexter]

If one of you peeps with a GearWrench ratchet would be gracious enough to take a picture of the inside, I'll make some popcorn for everybody. http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n284/MACDRIVE/GIFS/popcorn.gif

You mean you don't figure they copied the inside of the Snap-on ratchet as well as the outside.:evil:

[Merkava_4]

You mean you don't figure they copied the inside of the Snap-on ratchet as well as the outside.:evil:

I'm thinking the inside is similar to a MATCO ratchet being that it has a snap ring on the outside. :D

[bchee]

I can try to take a picture of the stubby that I just got. It has the single pawl with about 9 teeth in contact with the gear. I guess what you would expect with danaher.

I only have a camera phone, I think 1.3 megapixel.

[krusty the clown]

I'm thinking the inside is similar to a MATCO ratchet being that it has a snap ring on the outside. :D

afaik the 60th matco ratchets are made by gearwrench (leaway).

[paramudduck]

Merkava why do you have to put such temptation for a smart ass answer in front of me?

Must resist..

[Merkava_4]

I'm just mainly curious if it has a plunger ball and spring like the SO and MAC ratchets do. :headscrat

[Fedwrench]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13978

Here's a picture of matco, gearwrench, and Craftsman thin profile 3/8 ratchet. All of them use basically the same 60 tooth action as talked about before.

[paramudduck]

It's just the way you phrased the question. It makes me want to go "Well lets be real radical about this maybe gears?" Or else Gears duh.

[bchee]

I don't think these picts are going to come out very good. The only camera I have is on my phone. I tried the zoom feature, then I tried standard and held the camera closer.

It's a gearwrench 3/8 stubby, craftsman thin profile, and an armstrong 1/2.

They basically look like the picts fedwrench posted.

The pawl has 11 or 12 teeth, but I think 9 are in contact with the gear when load is applied.

[Merkava_4]

That doesn't look like anything I've seen before. :wtf:

Thanks for the pictures. :thumbup:

[paramudduck]

Not bad on the pics there bchee. They are strange looking things inside are they not?

[billymade]

bchee, they all look the same to me; would you agree from your perspective? The only thing I wonder is if the metal is any better on the higher end brands like the Matco vs. say the Craftsman; we do get these in for rebuilding, not as much as the standard ratchets but then again we don't sell as many of the new thin profile models either.

[l_bilyk]

Looks like a very good design

[Merkava_4]

What holds tension on the gear pawl?

[billymade]

I would like to see a total dissection and see how the parts are put together and whether they seem to be same? Seems like they are from the pics...

[Merkava_4]

I would like to see a total dissection and see how the parts are put together and whether they seem to be same?

I would too, but I didn't want to trouble anybody. :D

[bchee]

That doesn't look like anything I've seen before. :wtf:

Thanks for the pictures. :thumbup:

I'm not sure which part looks different to you. I know there have been picts of the craftsman thin profile guts on here before, and to me it looks the same. Basically, a single, semi-lunar shaped pawl with like 10 teeth. The proto big dawg has a similar pawl, but the only difference seems to be the way the pawl is connected to the reversing lever. I'll try to find the link.

Not bad on the pics there bchee. They are strange looking things inside are they not?

Thanks. I was thinking about loading the full size pict with image hosting, but thought i would try this first. I don't think a bigger pict would give any more useful info, at least with a poor resolution phone camera.

bchee, they all look the same to me; would you agree from your perspective? The only thing I wonder is if the metal is any better on the higher end brands like the Matco vs. say the Craftsman; we do get these in for rebuilding, not as much as the standard ratchets but then again we don't sell as many of the new thin profile models either.

I would agree that they look the same to me, seems to be standard danaher design. The 1/2 I showed there is an armstrong, not matco, but fedwrench's matco seems the same to me.

[bchee]

They are all the same inside. Note the hole in the craftsman - it's the only quick release ratchet.

The spring is somehow attached to the part that looks like a bullet. I was thinking I would kill someone if I lost one of those springs.

The reversing lever can be removed just by pushing through to the other side.

[billymade]

Interesting how they use a "bullet" with the spring; instead of a ball bearing and a spring! Probably wouldn't lose it as easily and easier to rebuild? I guess Snap-On isn't the only company that doesn't use a "quick release" button on their standard ratchets!

[Merkava_4]

The spring is somehow attached to the part that looks like a bullet.

Does the spring insert into the pawl or the selector?

[bchee]

I used to think the number of teeth was the only thing that contributed to how 'smooth' a ratchet felt. I think the spring that holds the pawl against the gear also plays a big role. All of these ratchets have 60 teeth, but the ratcheting torque on the 1/2 armstrong is stiffer, so it doesn't feel as smooth.

I have a proto with only 36 teeth, but it feels pretty smooth, and I think that's related to the tension of the spring.

I guess the 'shape' of the teeth probably plays the biggest role.

[bchee]

Does the spring insert into the pawl or the selector?

I was tempted to write that it's obvious, but I guess it isn't obvious from the picts. This pict is the armstrong. The red lines show where the parts fit. There is a hole in the selector which accepts the spring.

The bullet part fits in the groove in the pawl.

[Merkava_4]

Ah. . . thank you sir. :bowdown:

[64merc]

Those three look just like a Matco ratchet I just got. Pretty standard Danaher stuff I guess. Anyway, it appears to be a very strong design, although I bought a very used one and it refuses to switch directions. Everything is intact and it appears that it should work but it doesn't.