Craftsman ratchets with grease fitting in the head

[MrRocket]

When were these ratchets made? I had a set from my first tool set in the early 80's, anyone know for sure when thay were made and do you have a part number for them? I need a part number for 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4" drive ratchets. Thanks. I would like to eventually rebuy them at some point.

 

[Mickey O]

Grease or oil fitting?

 

[cruiser808]

When were these ratchets made? I had a set from my first tool set in the early 80's, anyone know for sure when thay were made and do you have a part number for them? I need a part number for 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4" drive ratchets. Thanks. I would like to eventually rebuy them at some point.

certainly not in the eighties. More like fifities or sixies.

 

[Mickey O]

I've got some older ones with the oil 'ball bearing' but I think the part number is the same as the similar model without it. I'll take a look next time I'm at the other garage.

 

[Scout Driver]

I have a 1/2" drive Craftsman -V-44975 that has a tiny "ball bearing " in the end of the head. Above the ball it says "OIL". Would post a pic. but they didn't turn out well enough to be of use. I'd be interested in a rebuild kit if they are available.

 

[MrRocket]

I have a 1/2" drive Craftsman -V-44975 that has a tiny "ball bearing " in the end of the head. Above the ball it says "OIL". Would post a pic. but they didn't turn out well enough to be of use. I'd be interested in a rebuild kit if they are available.

This sounds like what I'm talking about. Oil fitting seems right, not grease. My bad. Thanks for the part number, and I would love to see pics when possible.

 

[Scout Driver]

Here's the best pic. I took. Sounds like we are on the same page as far as what we are talking about MrRocket. Let me know if you find a rebuild kit.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.gitsmfg.com/gits-oil-hole-covers-style-gb.htm

If you find the rachet you can find the specs for the ball oiler at the above site. I believe that most bearing houses can get them.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[back2class]

I have a slightly newer one that had the hold plugged before chrome. Must have been made before they replaced the foundry molds but after that feature was removed.

 

[Tool Pants]

I have many with the oiler. Having an oiler started in 1945 or 1947 depending on who you believe. My first Craftsman ratchet was in the 1970s and it had the oiler. Back2class is right. When the oiler went away a plug was put in the hole and chromed over. Sometimes you can see a slight dimple on the outside where the plug is. If you take the ratchet apart then you can see the plug.

 

[MrRocket]

http://www.gitsmfg.com/gits-oil-hole-covers-style-gb.htm

If you find the rachet you can find the specs for the ball oiler at the above site. I believe that most bearing houses can get them.

lg
no neat sig line

Thanks for the link, good to know.

 

[MrRocket]

I have many with the oiler. Having an oiler started in 1945 or 1947 depending on who you believe. My first Craftsman ratchet was in the 1970s and it had the oiler. Back2class is right. When the oiler went away a plug was put in the hole and chromed over. Sometimes you can see a slight dimple on the outside where the plug is. If you take the ratchet apart then you can see the plug.

Hmmm, wondering if you could buy a ball oiler from the above mentioned site and install one after removing the plug on the chromed over models?

 

[MrRocket]

Here's the best pic. I took. Sounds like we are on the same page as far as what we are talking about MrRocket. Let me know if you find a rebuild kit.

Will do, thanks for the pic.

 

[lauver]

I have many with the oiler. Having an oiler started in 1945 or 1947 depending on who you believe. My first Craftsman ratchet was in the 1970s and it had the oiler. Back2class is right. When the oiler went away a plug was put in the hole and chromed over. Sometimes you can see a slight dimple on the outside where the plug is. If you take the ratchet apart then you can see the plug.

TP,

Best I can tell the oilers disappeared from the Craftsman teardrop ratchets in the early 1980's (Easco years). There were some transitional examples that were plugged, but this was short lived...maybe a few years.

Now, when did the oilers first appear? I'm guessing they started with the long lever teardrop ratchets, introduced in 1957 catalog. The catalog photos show the oilers.

The ratchets available from 1945-1956 were boxheads. I don't own any of these ratchets so I don't know if they had oilers or not. The catalog photos do not show oilers on the boxheads. Do your boxhead ratchets have oilers?

A side note--the hole for the oiler would have provided access to drill the hole that holds the spring and ball bearing in the pawl assembly. Once the oiler hole was discontinued, how did they drill the hole for the spring & BB? Any thoughts?

 

[Tool Pants]

The boxheads have oilers. AA says the modern V series started in 1947 so I assume that is when they started. Sears sold the gold plated replica as 1945, but I doubt if it was that early. Don't have any catalogs that old.

Never thought the hole for the hole was used to drill the hole for the spring. On some ratchets the hole for the spring is on an angle, as if it was drilled from inside the body. I'll have to check this out next time I take some apart to see if the angle hole is for a non oiler.

 

[lauver]

Tool Pants,

Nice photo of the early boxheads; I can see all them oilers!

Let me know what you find out regarding the alignment of the spring hole.

BTW--I've never met anyone who used the oiler for it's intended purpose. And, every old ratchet I've taken apart was bone dry and full of black crusty stuff. There was one exception, it was rusted shut and full of rust inside; I know this one never saw any oil. Same thing with old Snapy ratchets. They had oilers too and were almost always dry inside.

 

[lauver]

Tool Pants,

I have the old catalogs and the Craftsman boxhead ratchets first appeared in the 1947 catalog. So the Gold Plated ratchet with the 1945 date is in error. I posted on this subject a long time ago on the CC site.

Perhaps Sears is correct and the boxheads were available "online only" in 1945 and 1946.

 

[Tool Pants]

This is a 1/2" Easco that I happen to have apart because it needs a new bearing plate and clip. No oiler. No quick release. I stuck a drill bit in the spring hole to show the angle. Since there is no oiler hole it had to be drilled through the opening for the pawl/selector. The spring is the short version.

For you Craftsman historians. Sears, it would seem, is creative about dates. Dave The Tool Man on the Craftsman message board has the old catalogs. While Sears registered the name in October 1927 (I think that is the time) there were no Craftsman branded tools to sell. That came years later. I have a 1932 power tools catalog and I do not see the Craftsman name in it.

So, the Sears claim that they have been selling Craftsman brands tools since 1927 is not true. This is also why I never believed the boxhead came out in 1945. They were making bombs, planes, and tanks back then. Not a new style ratchet wrench.

But Sears/Danaher came out with a 1945 gold plated facsimile version of the boxhead.

 

[highland512]

These two ratchets where in my grandfathers tool box. From what my grandmother he bought a 1/2" dr set sometime during the late 60's, so im guessing the oiler ratchet is what originally came with the set.

 

[Tool Pants]

For you oilheads. As far as I know this was the last time Sears sold a ratchet with an oiler.

 

[lauver]

Tool Pants,

Damn you're good. OK, you've narrowed the date down to the introduction of those newer model ratchets. Do you have any catalogs from the 1970's that would show when these new model numbers first appeared?

 

[Scout Driver]

Thanks for all the info! Us "oil-heads" are really soaking it up. It will be fun to hear what further investigation brings us.

Scott

 

[Tool Pants]

I opened my 1/2" Craftsman quick release with oiler. I cannot stick my drill bit in the spring hole because the bit is too long and the hole is parallel to the oiler, rather than on an angle to the pawl opening. The diameter of the hole for the spring appears to be the same as the spring hole. So the secondary purpose of the oiler hole hole was to make the hole for the pawl spring. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, Gary was right.

The pawl spring on the oiler is also longer, which makes sense. When the switch was made to the non oiler with the angled hole the spring hole could not be as deep as the oiler, or the hole would poke out the other side of the ratchet. So on the non oiler with the spring hole on an angle, the spring was made shorter to compensate for the shorter hole.

 

[lauver]

TP,

Nice investigative work. One mystery solved.

I think I've worked out the dates on your non-oiler ratchets. I'll post after I double check my work.

 

[Tool Pants]

Looking at the 1979-1980 catalog and the 1981-1982 catalog it looks like the oiler went away around 1980-1981.

The 1979-1980 catalog has for the 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" part numbers 43175 43785 43975. There is a picture of one ratchet that shows the oiler.

The 1981-1982 catalog has for the 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" part numbers 43185 43784 43985.

But my 1/4" oiler has the 43185 part number from the 1981-1982 catalog, and my 1/4" non oiler 43186 is not listed in either catalog. Next time at the flea market if I see a ratchet that had the hole plugged I will pay attention to the part number.

 

[lauver]

Looking at the 1979-1980 catalog and the 1981-1982 catalog it looks like the oiler went away around 1980-1981.

The 1979-1980 catalog has for the 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" part numbers 43175 43785 43975. There is a picture of one ratchet that shows the oiler.

The 1981-1982 catalog has for the 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" part numbers 43185 43784 43985.

But my 1/4" oiler has the 43185 part number from the 1981-1982 catalog, and my 1/4" non oiler 43186 is not listed in either catalog. Next time at the flea market if I see a ratchet that had the hole plugged I will pay attention to the part number.

TP,

Dave (Mr Craftsman Ratchet) and I recently traded emails regarding the 1/4" drive teardrop ratchets. Here's a summary of what he told me:

Model 43175 (this was the 2 patent ratchet with no model number stamped on it) was available from 1969-1979. This V-series ratchet had an oiler, QR, and a thru-post in the drive bit.

Model 43185 (MN stamped on the handle) was available from 1980-1989. This V-series ratchet had an oiler and QR, but no thru-post in the drive bit.

Model 43186 (MN stamped on handle) was available from 1990-1993. This V?-series (maybe V^) QR ratchet had no oiler or thru-post in the drive bit. And, the ratchet gear was upgaded from 24 teeth to 30 teeth. This model would have been the first of the Danaher period (the previous two models were from the Easco period).

So, according to Dave, and the 1/4" drive ratchet evolution history, the oiler disappeared in 1990.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it (at least until I have a new improved story). BTW-You and I may be the only two people here who fully appreciate the difficulty of re-documenting Craftsman tool history. So many twists and turns, and inconsistancies between sources!

 

[old salvage]

Notice the non oiler ratchets have a raised dot on the shift lever.

 

[lauver]

Damn Old Salvage, you got good eyes. I have those ratchets and never noticed those dimples. What I did notice about the shifter and QR button is the old ones were made of "pot metal" that you could see once you wore thru the chrome plating. The newer ratchets w/out the oiler were different, when you wore thru the chrome you would see copper plating instead. Kind of a nice look... at least to my eye.

 

[Tool Pants]

I got back from the flea market this morning and saw a 1/2" 44975 with thru-post, but no oiler. My 44975 with thru-post has the oiler. So I would not rely on part numbers. I suppose the flea market one I saw today could have been plugged, but no way for me to know without opening it up. It had no dot.

I also thought the raised dot on the shift lever had to do with something. But as you can see both of my 1/4" drives have the dot, but only one is an oiler.

 

[Scout Driver]

Earlier in this thread I made reference to needing a rebuild kit for my -V -44975. After dinner today I took some GJ knowledge and applied it to this ratchet. Totally dissassembled the ratchet, cleaned all the parts, added lube, and re-assembled. Turned out better than new and is ready to go back to work!

Scott

 

[cruiser808]

Earlier in this thread I made reference to needing a rebuild kit for my -V -44975. After dinner today I took some GJ knowledge and applied it to this ratchet. Totally dissassembled the ratchet, cleaned all the parts, added lube, and re-assembled. Turned out better than new and is ready to go back to work!

Scott[/QUOTE

outstanding, Scout!

 

[Tool Pants]

Back from the flea market again. Saw 3 more 1/2" 44975. All were thru-post. One with the oiler. The other without - but I could not tell if it had been plugged. The third had a plug because the chrome around the oiler had cracked and I could see the outline of a round plug in the head.

It was good I was looking at part numbers today. I saw this 3/8" and the 43785 part number had been struck out. At first I thought maybe a weird owners mark, but the 2 lines were neat and deep like it had been done on a machine. When I turned it over I saw the "rebuilt" stamp. I read somewhere in the old days when a ratchet was rebuilt it was so stamped. Did not know the part number was also struck out.

These days some rebuilding is done locally at some Sears stores, and there is a "rebuilt" sticker placed on with a bar code so the cashier does not try to ring it up via the part number on the handle. The sticker is in the rebuild kit.

This 3/8" factory rebuild I bought today is plugged. In person I can see the outline of the plug, but I cannot make it show up in a picture. But when you open it up you can see the plug in the oiler hole.

The spring hole is straight, and the spring is the short version. It should have been an oil head. Since it has a thru-post quick release it was rebuilt long ago. Everything is like new inside.

 

[rayzor32]

I have a couple of these old "oil head" metal button ratchets at home that i swear by. They are so much smoother than the newer craftsman ratchets, I always lube them with white grease, makes them as smooth as butter.

 

[cowboy73]

My dad has a couple of old CMan ratchets with the oiler. Don't recall him ever oiling them. But they are from the early 70s.

 

[tpolley]

i found this at a flea market yesterday for $15. i bought it to match my 3/8. its a little different than my 3/8. it has an oiler and the ball bearing quick release has the post that goes all the way thru the anvil like the cheap taiwanese do now-a-days. it's a 44975. i assume with that late of a model number it must have been built in 80-ish. one of the last to have the oiler installed. the patent number is 757826-1967.

 

[eyeboltman]

CSI-Tools Will investigate !!! I love tools . I all so saw of 12-15 Cman rat I have some are made different ??

 

[bonneyman]

Here's a =V= 1/4" LLTD, non QR

With an oil port:

I had a newer style QR rebuild kit, so had to break off the QR button on the gear to get it to fit the rat head. But it fit otherwise and works great!

 

[bonneyman]

...You and I may be the only two people here who fully appreciate the difficulty of re-documenting Craftsman tool history. So many twists and turns, and inconsistancies between sources!

Yeah, but I'm really appreciative of what you do, Gary!
Just think about how great your reference will be once you get it finished. Every piece of the puzzle you figure out puts you one step closer to the finished painting.

 

[lauver]

bonneyman,

There is no end. It just keeps getting longer and more complicated with no end in sight.

 

[bonneyman]

bonneyman,

There is no end. It just keeps getting longer and more complicated with no end in sight.

Who would have thought Sears, Roebuck and Co. was so "complicated"?

Keep on plugging, Gary. I'm learning a ton from you!