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Have you ever broken a 3/8 ratchet?

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GrantCee

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I've always wondered what the limits of a 3/8 ratchet are. Have you ever been able to break one from a quality maker (Proto, Wright, SK, Armstrong, etc) in normal use?

By 'normal use' I mean without using a cheater on the thing - just everyday wrenching using nothing more than your own strength.

I never have, but then I'm pretty careful. Either that, or I'm just a weakling. I'd like to know which!
 
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back2class

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Never, Well never on one that was in good shape. I think I have slipped a one or two that were very worn or dirty inside. I did once put a 3 ft pipe on a Craftsman 3/8. Bent the handle almost 90deg, but the thing did not slip.
 
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mrholeshot

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Under normal use only a few. I had some MAC ratchets at one point back in the early 90's break the square drive off under normal use. Just a fluke thing.

When you talk about under your own strength you can still abuse a ratchet. I can still grab about any 3/8 drive ratchet with a long handle(flex ratchet,long) and break something on it or in it on the first pull if it's hooked to the right socket and bolt. Thats still not "normal use" I've broke a Snap-On flex ratchet removing a 02 sensor. Whatever setup you are using is only as strong as it's weakest link. The ratchets drive gear just happened to be the culprit in that situation. If you are an auto technician and you have been doing it for a good while you develop a good bit of forearm strength and 3/8 ratchets are pretty much the main ratchet for your work. They break. While they make breaker bars for use in those times where you shouldn't be using the ratchet to break something use sometimes the breaker bars are impossible to use because of the 90 degree placement makes it impossible to use.

In most cases used under normal circumstances most any quality 3/8 drive ratchet will hold up. When you are a professional auto tech the abnormal comes up often. You do what you have to do and if the ratchet breaks Oh well.

In real life I can't count the number of ratchets I broken. It the reason when you walk up to any technicains box that has been working for more than a year and you will prob see 2-3 of the same size and configure ratchet.
 
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premierplayer

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Yes, broken a few. I choose my battles now days, look for 1/2" options occasionally as my Popeye forearms ain't what they usta' be.
toot-toot :rolleyes2
 
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tyreguy25

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The infamous Craftsman auto reverse feature has stripped gears inside of my 44811 so often that I don't even have to explain what happened when I go in there to exchange it.
 
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supertooljunkie

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I had a guy rip the guts out of a Snap on trying to break head bolts on an AMC V-8 engine.
I have locked up a couple of C-man raised panels, and broken a SK breaker bar
 
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lessan

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I've snapped the Craftsman flex head long ratchet several times. It is always at the the swivel(flex) joint. It breaks the ears right off of it.

Other then that it has only been the ratchet locking up or stripping the teeth on the gear on the "normal" length craftsman ratchets (both old and new)

Havent broken my Snap On ones yet tho.....
 
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Wakefield

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When the Craftsman breaks an ear off at the flex joint is the crosspin also broken? (if the crosspin breaks perhaps an ear breaks off right as the pin lets go)
There was a picture of an expensive brand breaker bar with an ear broken off in an old post,the ear was split off with the crack running down through the thick part of the head of the handle almost to where the thin part of the handle begins to flare up to the larger size of the head/clevis.(Part of the side of the handle head split off with the ear). I don't think the ear would break off that way unless it was subject to severe spreading force which would happen if the pin broke or perhaps if the hole in the ear where the pin fits had become worn elongated.
 
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Deafautotech

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I had stripped a snap on 100 teeth ratchet fnhf100 but tried to rebuilt it and keep slipped later..

I had broke guts many times as craftsman and Mac and snap on...
 
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bonneyman

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Have 2 S-K 45170 3/8"s and a Thorsen 77JD 3/8". In 30+ years of all kinds of work I've never broken, bent, or stripped out any of them. Nor have I had to replace the guts.
If you clean, lube, and treat your tools right, you'll get a lifetime of use out of them.
 
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t100

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I only broke 1 which is a 1/2" drive SK on my toyota steering rack bolt, no cheater.
 
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trailwart

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MI
last week i broke my 3/8 matco ratchet. i was removing a battery hold down bolt in my car when it jammed. ended up being the pin broke, that the spring rides in that holds tension on the pawl. The matco ratchet wasnt even used 10 times(always use air tools). what pisses me off that i had to use a HF ratchet to finish the job.
 
OP
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GrantCee

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Well, this is interesting...OK guys, same question but this time a 1/2" drive - anyone manage to break one of those without cheaters or hammers (or standing on them)?
 
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bsaint

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Yea I was trying to remove an grade 12.9 M16 bolt set in place at 250 ft lbs with a cman 3/8" ratchet with a 1/2" adapter and a 14mm hex bit. And a pipe.

I broke a cman 1/2" ratchet removing lug nuts. I jumped on it.
 
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Tavy

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Jan 22, 2010
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Snapped the anvil off a few breaker bars from Mac. I've had the entire head of a Craftman's come apart -- the snapring was either installed wrong(?) or something, ended up with a bunch of parts on the floor.
I bent the handle and broke indexers on Snap-On 3/8"s before, the long ones (10" or so).

Stripped the teeth off my Dad's Armstrong ratchet. I think that was an issue of dirt that got in the mechanism around the same time..working on a farm introduces tools to a whole new level of ****.

I really only use breaker bars now, I only have a ratchet that I don't usually touch.
 
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UBLUZIN

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Hows this?
IMG_0401.jpg
 
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caper

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cape breton
I've broken 1/4",3/8",1/2",3/4" and 1".I used to work in the forestry industry.It can get rough out in the woods when it's a 2 mile walk to your toolbox and the black flies are hungry.
 
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mkdive

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broke a couple 3/8" cman raised panels. Last one that broke I ended up scraping my knuckles pretty good. Last time I ever used them, (even after they were warrantied).
 
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Lawton

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Originally Posted by UBLUZIN View Post
"Hows this?".........

Dammmmmnnnnnnnn!... Is your name David Banner?

Link to youtube video:

Ahhhh, or maybe you were born on Krypton.

BTW, we have some guys in the shop who could break an anvil with a rubber hammer!

I'm dyin' to know what the Snap-On dealer said when he saw that ratchet!

Lawton
 
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pmohr

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Jul 3, 2009
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Maryville, TN
Just last week broke the square drive right off of my FHLF80. No cheater pipe, just by hand, surprised it didn't break at the flex joint. Didn't expect to be able to break it apart without putting ungodly force on it.

Though to be fair, I couldn't budge the bolt with a 25" breaker bar, either.
 
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UBLUZIN

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Sep 7, 2009
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Snap on said he's never seen anything like that befor. Haha Im pretty sure it was a bad casting. He gave me a new one, no problems! The other one broke at the flex.
 
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lessan

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Dec 15, 2008
Messages
90
Wakefield said:
When the Craftsman breaks an ear off at the flex joint is the crosspin also broken? (if the crosspin breaks perhaps an ear breaks off right as the pin lets go)
There was a picture of an expensive brand breaker bar with an ear broken off in an old post,the ear was split off with the crack running down through the thick part of the head of the handle almost to where the thin part of the handle begins to flare up to the larger size of the head/clevis.(Part of the side of the handle head split off with the ear). I don't think the ear would break off that way unless it was subject to severe spreading force which would happen if the pin broke or perhaps if the hole in the ear where the pin fits had become worn elongated.
Click to expand...

yeah, the pine has broken every time I have had this happen. Even when the ratchet is new, there is a little play in the hole that the pin rides in, so I wonder if that is causing extra forces on the pin/hole, thereby causing the pin and ear to fail. My Mac and snapon ones dont have that play in the holes, so maybe that is why they havent failed yet.
 
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