Rebuild older Craftsman ratchet with Chinese guts?

[tpolley]

I picked up an older Craftsman ratchet from the $2 bin at a pawn shop yesterday. I took it apart, cleaned it and oiled it. It works fine.

My question is, for future reference, is it possible to replace the guts in this USA made craftsman with guts from a new Chinese made craftsman ratchet?

Say for this example that I might modify the ratchet and I would rather spend $20 on a new Chinese craftsman just for the guts and I don't want to fool with trying to locate new old stock replacement guts on eBay or something.




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[LB-1911]

Member lordabraxis has provided PDF file of the current Ratchet Repair Guide dtd 01/25/16 which explains the differences between the off shore and US sourced ratchets.

Craftsman Ratchet Repair Kits Reference
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319745

 

[mbshop]

yea, i have a flex head long handled ratchet from the 70s that one of my guys broke a tooth in. had it for over 25 years and never damaged it and then it happened with one of my employees.
no replacement kit for it. they wanted to exchange it but i didn't want to relegate it to the **** pile. so now it just sits in my box. that chart is confusing to me. worn out brains.

 

[WWheeler]

The chart is easy to read.

The Asian kits/guts will not work OP's made in USA 3/8 dr 44811. The proper kit number for that ratchet is #43434.

It's possible that a Sears local to you may have the kit still in stock. If so that's your best bet. If not then it's probably ebay. There's currently two sellers with it right now. One offering $11 / free shipping and another $11.99 / free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_P...an 44811 ratchet rebuild kit 43434&rmvSB=true

 

[mbshop]

Ok, thanks so much. And no, my local sears store did not have a kit and this was years ago. They actually tried and checked twice.

 

[WWheeler]

Ok, thanks so much. And no, my local sears store did not have a kit and this was years ago. They actually tried and checked twice.

Just to reiterate, the part numbers & links I gave above are for the ratchet in the first post. You didn't exactly give enough info to do much if any digging for yours.

What's the part number for your flex head 'from the 70s'? Is the head similar to the one above or is it a 'round head fine tooth'? If we know the answer to those two questions there's a good chance there's still kits available for it also.

 

[Roberts210]

I have a Craftsman 9-44443 ratcheting torque wrench. Anyone know the number of the rebuild kit for it? I tried Sears in the 1990's but they had nothing. I bought it in 1978.

 

[LB-1911]

I have a Craftsman 9-44443 ratcheting torque wrench. Anyone know the number of the rebuild kit for it? I tried Sears in the 1990's but they had nothing. I bought it in 1978.

Finding the parts could be challenging, Cut from another thread -

Here are part numbers.

The torque wrench is 44443.

The 1/2" ratchet I used for parts is 44985, and the kit for that ratchet is 43447. Both the ratchet and kit are discontinued. But I see plenty of those ratchets at the flea market. Or see if your local Sears will take parts out of that ratchet which was traded in.

The older version of this ratchet, the one with the oil hole, is 44975. But this will not work because the pawl is a bit different, as it has what Adam calls a D-post pawl. But I think the gear might be the same - I did not look when I saw the pawl was different. My older torque wrench which was made in 7/76 has a D-post pawl. My made in 5/78 torque wrench in the above pictures has what Adam calls a tang pawl.

 

[Roberts210]

Thanks a bunch LB-1911. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Roberts210]

Just found the 43447 kit on ebay for $14.99 including shipping.

 

[Roberts210]

I love the Internet! GJ too. Back in the 1990's I took my 44443 torque wrench into Sears cause it stopped ratcheting CCW--this after I cleaned it... I didn't know anything then about the ratchet repair kits, and the only thing they offered me was to swap my 44443 with a cheaper version--the sales floor guy didn't mention a repair kit, which I bet they had then. I politely said no thanks to the swap, and walked away and since then I've only used the wrench to tighten, which of course is the main function of a torque wrench, but still it bugged me, and I kept wondering when it would give up the ghost going CW. Big thanks to LB-1911 and GJ.

 

[Spdfreak91]

Thumbs up for this list, without it I woulda had 7 chinese kits that don't fit any of my ratchets, Back to the store asap to get the right ones !

 

[stage20]

if it ever quit working, take it to sears and swap it out for free. no need to buy a chinese rebuild kit. my sears has drawers of them. if they hand you one you dont like ask them for another. out of the 20 or so they usually have there is always one or two good ones.

 

[sberry]

Those are **** when they are new, not worth rebuilding and especially if you have to buy a part. China rejects those in scrap metal.

 

[Super90]

That era of CM was bad. They would slip a tooth without much force on them. Threw mine out long ago. Only Facom and Snap-on in my box now. Bought half of them used.

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[rpcraft]

I think they rebuilt my 1/4 drives with the wrong kit because the guts do not seem to work too well. I didn't think to check before I left the sears store that did the work on them but I've just elected to think I am just going to move on to pick up a set of the Tekton ratchets that are made of composite material with the nice cooshy handles.

 

[Roberts210]

There are a few of the 43447 ratchet rebuilding kits on ebay this morning at reasonable prices if anyone is interested. One at least, is misslabled as a "43437" but the picture shows a 43447.

 

[Roberts210]

Just got my C-man 9-44443 rebuilt tonight. Here she is and the broken bones I pulled out of her. Thanks to LB-1911, and everybody else.

 

[Roberts210]

Ok, I also ordered a rebuild kit for my 43187 1/4" C-man ratchet, but how the heck does it come apart?

 

[WWheeler]

Ok, I also ordered a rebuild kit for my 43187 1/4" C-man ratchet, but how the heck does it come apart?

There's an opening under the black thumbwheel part where the handle meets the head on the drive side where you should be able to see the two prongs from a snap ring that you should be able to get at with a pair of needle nose (I prefer a small pair of bent needle nose) or snap ring pliers, even a large set of tweezers might work for that 1/4" ratchet. Squeeze them and the whole ratchet assy should pull right out.


See here:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dXTMEbvn4Gg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[ScottsGT]

I've got 2-4 of those in 1/2" drive. Brand new and useless. As posted above, complete ****. I think one even still has the store sticker on it. I swapped one years ago and within a few minutes of playing around with it, it too started locking up. Just cannot bring myself to throwing them away.

 

[WWheeler]

I've got 2-4 of those in 1/2" drive. Brand new and useless. As posted above, complete ****. I think one even still has the store sticker on it. I swapped one years ago and within a few minutes of playing around with it, it too started locking up. Just cannot bring myself to throwing them away.

lolol

The Round Head Fine Thread ratchet incorporates a dual integrated floating pawl design that doubles the number of clicks to the number of teeth so with that 1/2" you get the strength and reliability of a 45 tooth ratchet but the 4 degrees of travel between clicks of a 90 tooth ratchet (the 3/8 has 41 teeth so 82 clicks, and the 1/4 is 35 tooth, so 70 clicks). The damn things are well known as being one of the, if not the, most reliable ratchet designs of all time. Their only downfall is that they were more expensive to machine than almost all other ratchet designs out there.

There's good reason people will pay hundreds of dollars for a pristine condition Craftsman RHFT, especially one of the flex heads. They are very sought after. The ones I've had for decades that were handed down to me from my grandfather still work like new and I still use them frequently, and they hold a sentimental value to me waaaay more than anyone would pay for them. I seriously wouldn't even consider selling any single one of mine for any price short of enough to buy me a new car of my choice. Then I'd really have to think about it.

 

[ScottsGT]

I've got a round head flex 1/2". Found it in the steam tunnels at work probably 15-18 years ago. Now that's a sweetheart of a ratchet! I see why people pay big bucks for them.

Is this the one you are referring to?

https://www.craftsman.com/products/...-quick-release-teardrop-ratchet?taxon_id=1844

Of course this is the newer and probably made in Tiawan, but mine is the olde made in USA.

 

[bczygan]

I'm not that moral about COO, but putting Chinese guts in a USA ratchet, even if you could, still makes me queasy somehow. Maybe I've just been on GJ too long.

Bill

 

[iroc409]

I've gotten a couple rebuild kits of eBay, the correct ones for the ratchet. If you're worried about it you can always stash one. I have a couple extras, but that's probably ridiculous.

 

[WWheeler]

I've got a round head flex 1/2". Found it in the steam tunnels at work probably 15-18 years ago. Now that's a sweetheart of a ratchet! I see why people pay big bucks for them.

Is this the one you are referring to?

https://www.craftsman.com/products/...-quick-release-teardrop-ratchet?taxon_id=1844

Of course this is the newer and probably made in Tiawan, but mine is the olde made in USA.

No, that's a Craftsman teardrop ratchet. It's a big clunky 36 tooth design. Can't say I'm really a fan of those. Don't know many people who are. I probably have 25 or more of the things in various sizes just because they came included with so many sets. Pretty sure all mine are from when they were still USA made, but when that design went overseas the US didn't lose much imho.

I will say though, that I have used them a lot in the past and never had any trouble with them failing or skipping, but a lot of people report that they did. I know I've seen sears have to replace or repair a many of them. In my case at least they've been reliable as any other.

Actually, I don't think I've ever had any ratchet of any brand fail me yet. I like to assume it's been due to a mixture of not ever having used a cheap chinese ratchet and using a tad of common sense, as in always trying to use the right size ratchet for the job at hand and using them as they were intended, ie: I've never put a cheater pipe on a ratchet. I also like to tear all my ratchets down when brand new and every year or two after, clean them up, and reassemble using a sensible amount of assembly lube or these days superlube.

FYI: These are Craftsman RHFT ratchets:

The RHFT design was made by Easco. You can find the same RHFT ratchet sold under the Easco brand as well as others I believe. IIRC the parts should be interchangeable between them, though I'm not sure those other than Craftsman had a quick release incorporated into them. I think for a good while there only Craftsman ratchets had a quick release, I guess due to patent or whatnot.

 

[555]

I was in Sears a while back and a customer was at the counter with an older round head broken ratchet. The counter guy happened to be one of the oldest employees at this store and also the one most likely to assist/advise you on a purchase. The Sear's guy told the customer he had two options. He could trade the older ratchet for a new one or he could leave the ratchet at the store and they would fix it. The customer opted to leave the ratchet at the store for repair. I asked about it and the Sear's guy told me when they started closing out the USA ratchets, one of the tool managers had them get all the repair kits and put them away for future warranty repair. He also told me they only repair them when they have enough staff to cover the front and do the repairs, which is about twice a week. He continued by saying they were just about out of repair kits and had tried to find some at other stores with limited success.

Regards,
John

 

[Roberts210]

There's an opening under the black thumbwheel part where the handle meets the head on the drive side where you should be able to see the two prongs from a snap ring that you should be able to get at with a pair of needle nose.......

As my mom used to say, "If it'd been a snake it woulda bit ya." The ends of the snap ring are clear as day now, but the other day I couldn't see 'em to save my ****. Thanks!

 

[350XinNY]

My local Sears is closing. They let me buy new China ratchets and trade them in for USA made ratchets. Upgraded too... regular 3/8 traded for the full polish flex head and a full polish extra long handle. Both USA. I had a a sloppy China flex 3/8" and the one USA full polish was sloppy too, so he gave me the rebuild kits for them too. I noticed one said Made in China and other was USA. Glad I saw the post, as they looked identical in the bags.

One thing I noticed, is that both rebuild kits are all the black oxide and have the plunger end for the quick disconnect mechanism on the square drive. IF you look at the end of the square drive, the newer rebuild kits you can see the shaft come out of the end at you as you engage the disconnect. You can see the asian ratchet on the pdf list has this too, but the usa pictured it is a solid end on the square drive.

I see he tried putting china/asian guts in a USA ratchet, but can you go the opposite way? Can you put a USA repair kit into a China made teardrop head??

Bruce

 

[bonneyman]

No, that's a Craftsman teardrop ratchet. It's a big clunky 36 tooth design. Can't say I'm really a fan of those. Don't know many people who are. I probably have 25 or more of the things in various sizes just because they came included with so many sets. Pretty sure all mine are from when they were still USA made, but when that design went overseas the US didn't lose much imho.

I will say though, that I have used them a lot in the past and never had any trouble with them failing or skipping, but a lot of people report that they did. I know I've seen sears have to replace or repair a many of them. In my case at least they've been reliable as any other.

Actually, I don't think I've ever had any ratchet of any brand fail me yet. I like to assume it's been due to a mixture of not ever having used a cheap chinese ratchet and using a tad of common sense, as in always trying to use the right size ratchet for the job at hand and using them as they were intended, ie: I've never put a cheater pipe on a ratchet. I also like to tear all my ratchets down when brand new and every year or two after, clean them up, and reassemble using a sensible amount of assembly lube or these days superlube.

FYI: These are Craftsman RHFT ratchets:

The RHFT design was made by Easco. You can find the same RHFT ratchet sold under the Easco brand as well as others I believe. IIRC the parts should be interchangeable between them, though I'm not sure those other than Craftsman had a quick release incorporated into them. I think for a good while there only Craftsman ratchets had a quick release, I guess due to patent or whatnot.

Dang, that is one heck of a collection, sir!

I, too, am not thrilled by the figure-8 plate ratchets. The baby rattle style -and the older MDF pearheads - were much better (though coarse).

 

[mikebaker1129]

Just because the kit says Made in. China does not mean it is the wrong kit. All of the current kits are Chinese. The key differences are in the Asian made pawls and selectors.
The repair kits for the USA ratchets are also Chinese ,everything will interchange between the Asian and USA ratchets except the pawl and selector. FWIW?

 

[Mechanical Noise]

The RHFT design was made by Easco. You can find the same RHFT ratchet sold under the Easco brand as well as others I believe. IIRC the parts should be interchangeable between them, though I'm not sure those other than Craftsman had a quick release incorporated into them. I think for a good while there only Craftsman ratchets had a quick release, I guess due to patent or whatnot.

My KD branded RHFT is quick release.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

One thing I noticed, is that both rebuild kits are all the black oxide and have the plunger end for the quick disconnect mechanism on the square drive. IF you look at the end of the square drive, the newer rebuild kits you can see the shaft come out of the end at you as you engage the disconnect. You can see the asian ratchet on the pdf list has this too, but the usa pictured it is a solid end on the square drive.

The plunger extended out of the square drive on the earliest Craftsman QR ratchets. I think there were some weird QR extension bars designed to work with the extensible plunger.

If I recall, the bars were weak and Craftsman offered them for only a couple of years.