Floppy Ratchet head solutions?

[Off_kilter]

Bought this Gray Canada 1/2" guy busted and brought it back with a rebuild kit.

But it flops all over the place.

I tightened the screw as much as possible (even using an impact driver on it) no joy. Any tips aside from the ole wrap it in electrical tape?

 

[mike93lx]

Add something to take up space, like a washer cut from thin plastic.

 

[Jswain]

That or a wave washer of the appropriate size if you can squeeze it in there

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

You probably used the wrong lube and it leaked down to the floppy part.

Best lubricant for a ratchet with given tooth count and drive size?

Planning to give all my ratchets a little bit of TLC this long weekend. I have 1/2 Craftsman with 36 teeth to 1/4 Husky with 144 teeth. Since the size of each teeth will vary with both the drive size and the number of teeth, my guess is that I need different kind of lubricants for them. As of...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[JradM]

There's often a wave or split washer that is responsible for flop resistance. Maybe yours is missing or worn out. You'll need a really small one to replace it, or if it's still there, take it apart and bend it again.

 

[RTM]

Can't see a pic, but can you remove the screw, and cramp the Y a little bit at the joint, with a washer, bending metal, etc.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have three 3/8 ones with the same problem and asked here. The best answer was black tape the joint.

 

[Packard V8]

Bought this Gray Canada 1/2" guy busted and brought it back with a rebuild kit.

But it flops all over the place.

I tightened the screw as much as possible (even using an impact driver on it) no joy. Any tips aside from the ole wrap it in electrical tape?

I fixed one by disassemble, squeeze the fork in a vise with copper jaw inserts; test fit, squeeze, test fit until the head wouldn't slide in by hand, tap it in place and tighten the screw. Your results may vary.

jack vines

 

[Mr_B]

either buy a shim washer to fit or make a custom one from a decent flat washer .
I had do this to some extending handle flex head taiwan ratchets as got fairly loose and could see the gap when forks parallel to clevis and bolt never holds it good if got pull forks in too far and some bolts shoulder out before can .
I just ground a washer to a tight push fit then checked the bolt could pull it a little tighter and refitted bolt with bit of bearing retainer make sure not work loose .

 

[charbar]

I've been considering upgrading from electrical tape to heat shrink tubing on one of mine

 

[Wakefield]

either buy a shim washer to fit or make a custom one from a decent flat washer .
I had do this to some extending handle flex head taiwan ratchets as got fairly loose and could see the gap when forks parallel to clevis and bolt never holds it good if got pull forks in too far and some bolts shoulder out before can .
I just ground a washer to a tight push fit then checked the bolt could pull it a little tighter and refitted bolt with bit of bearing retainer make sure not work loose .

There may be a countersink provided in the joint,if there is no washer there now there was probably one before someone lost it or left it out-
could try buying some split/lock washers at a good hardware store or even take the ratchet head there to try to find one that fits the countersink if it has one
I would personally be afraid to try any bending of a joint fork whether part of the head or part of the handle-there may be a breaker bar that uses the same washer as the ratchet-if there is a "repair kit" for such breaker bar might include the right washer

 

[Wakefield]

o.p. might be able to go onto the Snap on sales site and find the "repair kit" for one of the flex joints or breaker bars-should show the "tensioning washer" and the countersink in the side of the drivepiece or ratchet head

looked back at the original post-I wonder if the repair kit was missing a tensioning or split washer or if it just fell out and disappeared out of the package?
just looked at the Snap on page-looks like the images are gone that I think used to be there of the "repair kit"

 

[Mr_B]

^
I doubt OP example ever had the countersink for the tension style washers or shallow bore for tension spring.
Most of ones I dealt with just flat surfaced and it luck on how well the clevis tolerance is to the forks, taking out the excessive clearance with a suitable sized washer ground to fit keeps joint tight and surface contact parallel spreading the stresses in the joint and bolt better making it likely hold out longer .
bending forks in or just cranking bolt crazy tight try pull it in never results in long term solution as soon fatigues bolt or wallows out joint or fork snaps/threads strip ...
OP ideally wants add some photos of stripped clevis so we can see the factory design .

 

[Packard V8]

bending forks in . . . never results in long term solution as soon . . . wallows out joint or fork ... snaps.

Your results may vary and may produce the problems you allege, but there is no question the repairs I've done on a couple of flex-head ratchets have served me well for more than twenty years now.

jack vines

 

[Moldyjim]

I've been considering upgrading from electrical tape to heat shrink tubing on one of mine

I added a section of heat shrink to one of my ratchet universal joints to stiffen it up.
I works great, and doesn't get sticky like electrical tape if oil gets on it.

 

[vavet]

I think it pretty common for men of a certain age to have a floppy ratchet. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. See your doctor.

 

[Moldyjim]

I wouldn't bother the doctor, it never gets out of the toolbox these days anyway...

 

[mrjaw14]

what are the circumstances behind this? Sounds like someone borrowed it, broke, it, and brought it back fixed incorrectly? Am I reading the first post correctly? If so, I would have them take care of the issue with a proper warranty repair or buy you a new one.

If you are on the hook for it: I'd reach out to the company and see what they can do. If that fails, trying to find a wave washer would be the next step.

 

[Rabid Badger]

1) Go get a feeler gauge set from Harbor Freight.

2) Figure out what thickness you need to tighten up the joint.

3) Cut a washer out of the blade and install.

 

[KnurledNut]

Bought this Gray Canada 1/2" guy busted and brought it back with a rebuild kit.

But it flops all over the place.

I tightened the screw as much as possible (even using an impact driver on it) no joy. Any tips aside from the ole wrap it in electrical tape?

Off_kilter,

I have this ratchet and took it apart to hopefully help out here.
They used a round wire spring/split washer that provides resistance.
The dimensions are:
O.D.: 0.665
I.D.: 0.480
Wire cross section dia: 0.095

If its missing, i would try to source a .66 compression spring (fairly common size) and cut it to size.
A flat split washer could be modified to work, but the spring would probably endure longer.

When i re-assembled mine, i used an old square shaft screwdriver and adjustable wrench to get it tight, which ended up too tight and had to be backed off a little.

Here’s a pic:
.jpg

 

[Off_kilter]

KnurledNut thanks! I'll disassemble tonight and take a look!

 

[Off_kilter]

Everything was there. I spread the gap a bit and used a t handle to really tighten the screw. Its not perfect but definitely functional!

 

[charbar]

1) Go get a feeler gauge set from Harbor Freight.

2) Figure out what thickness you need to tighten up the joint.

3) Cut a washer out of the blade and install.

Holy chit my mind was just blown. That's a hell of an idea for quite a few things.

 

[gigamel]

Bought this Gray Canada 1/2" guy busted and brought it back with a rebuild kit.

But it flops all over the place.

I tightened the screw as much as possible (even using an impact driver on it) no joy. Any tips aside from the ole wrap it in electrical tape?

I added a thin washer to the split washer - did the trick for my Gray T-76, 3/8".

 

[Professional Tool User]

Add a lock washer.