There seems to be many people who are interested in the internal mechanisms of different ratchets and how they work. I thought I'd post some pics of ratchets that have crossed my desk in an effort to help people see what goes on inside the wrench.
Please - if you have pics of a ratchet not pictured, post them for all to see and enjoy! I'd like this to be a community effort
Although there are a large number of ratchet brands and models, they all fall into a relatively small group of mechanisms. Here are the major ones, with the names I call them. I usually come up with a name that the mechanism reminds me of - makes it easier to remember and share.
The two major groups of ratchets are teardrop-shaped heads and round heads. Teardrop ratchets have their teeth on the drive gear, whereas roundheads have teeth on the inside surface of the head forging.
The two most common tear drop ratchet mechanisms are the batman pawl and tic-toc pawls.
This is an Indestro 6272 3/8" with a batman pawl
The pawl looks like the "Batman" symbol from the 60's TV show. FN and FV Snap-On, Moore Drop Forge Craftsman, and many others have this type of action.
Later series of Craftsman rats (like the EASCO and Danaher styles) had modified batman pawls.
The old Plomb WF-8 in 9/32" had tic-toc pawls.
The two rectangular pawls rock back and forth like the parts of a grandfather clock. Proto teardrops, and many foreign-made newer ratchets, use this system.
The older BE and New Britain rats used a two-step tic-toc setup.
Then there is the full free-floating pawl, as with Stanley 1/4" fine tooth.
The new Craftsman thin profile ratchets also use this system.
Round head rats have several different variations as well.
The S-K 45170 3/8" roundhead has a single see-saw like pawl.
An S-K clone Tuff 1 ratchet in 3/8" has a "sliding" pawl held in place by a funky spring.
The Craftsman Tri-Prop round heads use the sliding pawl as well.
Old Indestro Super's 2775 3/8" used a variation of this.
Then we have dual see-saw pawls, like the Craftsman RHFT 43187.
The Triangle Tool-era Bonney's had dual see-saw pawls too.
One of the less commonly known actions is the Frankenstein ratchet, so-called because the selector knob stuck out the side like the "bolts" on Frankensteins neck
Do you guys have some others? Let's see 'em!
Please - if you have pics of a ratchet not pictured, post them for all to see and enjoy! I'd like this to be a community effort
Although there are a large number of ratchet brands and models, they all fall into a relatively small group of mechanisms. Here are the major ones, with the names I call them. I usually come up with a name that the mechanism reminds me of - makes it easier to remember and share.
The two major groups of ratchets are teardrop-shaped heads and round heads. Teardrop ratchets have their teeth on the drive gear, whereas roundheads have teeth on the inside surface of the head forging.
The two most common tear drop ratchet mechanisms are the batman pawl and tic-toc pawls.
This is an Indestro 6272 3/8" with a batman pawl
The pawl looks like the "Batman" symbol from the 60's TV show. FN and FV Snap-On, Moore Drop Forge Craftsman, and many others have this type of action.
Later series of Craftsman rats (like the EASCO and Danaher styles) had modified batman pawls.
The old Plomb WF-8 in 9/32" had tic-toc pawls.
The two rectangular pawls rock back and forth like the parts of a grandfather clock. Proto teardrops, and many foreign-made newer ratchets, use this system.
The older BE and New Britain rats used a two-step tic-toc setup.
Then there is the full free-floating pawl, as with Stanley 1/4" fine tooth.
The new Craftsman thin profile ratchets also use this system.
Round head rats have several different variations as well.
The S-K 45170 3/8" roundhead has a single see-saw like pawl.
An S-K clone Tuff 1 ratchet in 3/8" has a "sliding" pawl held in place by a funky spring.
The Craftsman Tri-Prop round heads use the sliding pawl as well.
Old Indestro Super's 2775 3/8" used a variation of this.
Then we have dual see-saw pawls, like the Craftsman RHFT 43187.
The Triangle Tool-era Bonney's had dual see-saw pawls too.
One of the less commonly known actions is the Frankenstein ratchet, so-called because the selector knob stuck out the side like the "bolts" on Frankensteins neck
Do you guys have some others? Let's see 'em!
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