Anyone disassemble a Wright 1" drive ratchet?

crane operator · Dec 30, 2016

I just got a Wright 1" drive set. Ratchet is a Wright 8400 I bought the set with the ratchet holding in forward, but slipping in reverse. I pulled the head out of it tonight and am wondering how the gear pawl comes out.

You can see the teeth are sheared off the reverse pawl, but fine on the forward. I'm thinking the pin you can see on the opposite side holds it all in, but don't know how to pull it.

The head had some flakes of the pawl teeth in it, and some noticeable wear, but I think will hold fine with a new pawl. No signs of a big cheater bar on the ratchet itself, so I don't know what they did with it to shear the teeth.

One socket in the set isn't original, has a impact ingersoll rand (usa) in its place, rest of the sockets look hardly used.

wmm2 · Dec 30, 2016

I only have experience with Wright 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets. On those, I think you replace the entire assembly, not just the pawls. I just price checked on Amazon. The renewal kit for your ratchet is $209.76, the entire ratchet is $170.72, so I see why you would want to swap out the pawls. BTW, I just ran downstairs, and took a 3/8 ratchet apart. It looks like the same design as yours, just smaller. It doesn't look like it has the pin in it that yours does.

wmm2 · Dec 30, 2016

More information for you. I just checked a 1/2 Wright ratchet. It has the same kind of pin as yours, but even under 10x magnification, I don't see any way to remove it. I suspect it may be inserted during manufacturing, and isn't made to be removed. Maybe someone else here has some ideas as well.

Jason280 · Dec 30, 2016

Yeah, that pin confuses me.

It looks like a generic round head ratchet mechanism, and I have taken apart a bunch of them...but only in 1/4-1/2" ratchets. I can't tell in your pics, but all mine have an internal spring loaded detent that holds the pawl in either reverse or forward position. The detent is recessed into the shaft on the selector itself, which slides into the rear of the assembly.

To remove it, assuming its like the ones I've messed with, you press the detent in with a small punch and pull the selector switch straight out. It can be kind of pain, but look under the pawl and you should see what I am talking about. It has to be pushed in enough to remove the selector...it has to clear the inside of the housing. Once out, the pawl itself is held in by a small pin...it can be popped out by banging on a hard surface (it should drop out, some are stubborn).

Of course, this all assumes the mystery pin in the last picture has nothing to do with all of this!

WWheeler · Dec 31, 2016

wmm2 said:
I only have experience with Wright 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets. On those, I think you replace the entire assembly, not just the pawls. I just price checked on Amazon. The renewal kit for your ratchet is $209.76, the entire ratchet is $170.72, so I see why you would want to swap out the pawls. BTW, I just ran downstairs, and took a 3/8 ratchet apart. It looks like the same design as yours, just smaller. It doesn't look like it has the pin in it that yours does.

Google shopping result finds the "Wright Tool 8402, Renewal Kit for Ratchet 8400 45 Tooth" closer to $100-$115

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/6930129668443768129

Not sure if that's any more helpful to the OP. The best price I saw on the ratchet was a "New, Not in Original Package" from an authorized seller on ebay for $145

WWheeler · Dec 31, 2016

I remember crane operator's 'Broke a snap on yesterday' thread where he was using a 6' cheater pipe on a 3/4" Wright ratchet and it was the Snap On 3/4" extension that was the weakest link.

Makes me wonder what the story was behind the shearing of teeth in a 1" Wright round head.

12' cheater?

B_Bimmer · Dec 31, 2016

I did a twelve foot level cheater once to break a disk gang loose, was done to a Allen 3/4" breaker bar and a craftsman socket. Nothing broke but the nut. Took some bouncing on the end to pop it. Most places where they are breaking 3/4" or 1" drive tools a forklift or crane is being used to push on the tool. Nobody thinks it's a good idea but when something needs fixed right now you gotta do what you gotta do. The exception is Chinese 3/4" ****. Those I have broke several sockets and a breaker bar with a far less glorious 2' pipe, on nothing more that wagon lug nuts. The Allen open stock replacements they had at the local farm store have all done great. I recently got a wright 3/4" ratchet, it's a beast. I still would like the 1" drive 42" version, not practical but completely awesome.

crane operator · Dec 31, 2016

Thanks guys, I'll investigate further in the head. I guess if all they sell is the full kit, not the pawl, it won't matter whether I get it apart.

No story on the pawl shearing. I just scored the Wright set from Craigslist for $200. I have no idea how the previous owner sheared it.

I've owned a harbor freight 1" drive set for about 4-5 years, after my 3rd ratchet failure, I don't return those, I just pitched the last broken ratchet. I don't want someone to get hurt, and I'm not making another hour drive for another cheap ratchet, free isn't free.

I've been using the 3/4" drive wright with a adapter. I've been looking for a good 1" set for a while, when this set came up within driving distance I went for it.

I got to the seller, looked the sockets over and then gave the ratchet a spin. I knew it had issues, but for $200 for the set I decided it was still worth it. After a couple hour drive I wasn't going away empty handed. I'll contact wright and see if they sell just the pawl, or if I've got to get a kit.

The set seems to retail around $2,000, so I don't mind buying a $100 repair kit.

My 3/4" wright long handle is holding up great. I'm sure this one with a repair kit will give equal good service.

crane operator · Dec 31, 2016

B_Bimmer said:
. Nobody thinks it's a good idea but when something needs fixed right now you gotta do what you gotta do. .

Isn't that the truth. This beautiful picture is from another construction guy, dismantling a hydraulic cylinder. Gland nuts can be over 1000 ft lbs, and rusted. :willy_nil

Bobcat753 · Dec 31, 2016

Give Wright a call they will send you a rebuild kit for free. I have a Wright made Matco 1" drive ratchet and was able to get a rebuild kit for it for free through Wright.

byoungblood · Dec 31, 2016

Bobcat753 said:
Give Wright a call they will send you a rebuild kit for free. I have a Wright made Matco 1" drive ratchet and was able to get a rebuild kit for it for free through Wright.

I was just about to recommend this myself. I had a 1/2" drive ratchet that wouldn't reverse, a call to Wright and I had a rebuild kit in hand about 2-3 days later. I just described the problem and the lady on the phone just asked for my address.

crane operator · Jan 10, 2017

Got a nice little box in the mail today from wright tool. New repair kit for my 8400.

I called wright tool first. Lady at wright said she couldn't send me one directly, but I should contact my local distributor, and they would get me one. I've got fastenal close, and grainger a hour away so I called fastenal.

Fastenal guy gave me the runaround "didn't purchase here, didn't know if he could get one, then could get one but wright wouldn't warranty, buy a new kit then wright would credit my account ($137), 'maybe' I need to contact wright directly, etc." :argue:

I didn't buy the set from them, but I do some business with them. Whatever.

Call back to wright, got a different lady, explained the runaround from fastenal, she took my info and said she'd send out repair kit.

Repair kit today

The teeth in the kit are wrong. It's like mine is a finer tooth pawl. I'll have to call wright tomorrow and see if they had a design change sometime, and have two different tooth counts.

Top one is the new kit, bottom is the old kit.

wmm2 · Jan 10, 2017

crane operator said:
The teeth in the kit are wrong. It's like mine is a finer tooth pawl. I'll have to call wright tomorrow and see if they had a design change sometime, and have two different tooth counts.

It's hard to be sure from your picture, but it looks like the teeth in the ratchet are also damaged. In the picture with the old pawl kit, the teeth on the right look smoothed off. It looks like this ratchet has had a hard life. If you plan on using it hard, don't be surprised if it fails more easily than you would expect from a Wright ratchet.

crane operator · Jan 10, 2017

The teeth in the head are a little chewed also, but not nearly like the pawl. If you look close in the pictures, the new kit pawl hits on a rise, then part way down, then skips all the way past a valley to a hill on the opposite side, then to another opposite side, etc. The old pawl lines up right with every valley.

The best way I could think of to gauge it, was comparing them to a fine thread vs coarse thread bolt. The five teeth on the new pawl, cover much more distance, than the old pawl. I know the new kit isn't going to work.

I think a kit with the right tooth count will be fine, otherwise I'm going 1" ratchet shopping. The teeth are very deep (not like a 1/4" drive ratchet), and if there isn't any extra play in the head, it shouldn't be able to slip a tooth.

I'll see what wright says tomorrow.

crane operator · Jan 30, 2017

Just a update. Wright sent me a return #, said they wanted to look at it. Wife shipped it to Wright tool. Just received ratchet back in the mail yesterday.

Their tool department simply installed the kit they had sent me, and mailed me back the ratchet. The kit doesn't fit any better simply because they installed it.

I had placed a letter in the box with my ratchet, and the new repair kit, with the old kit still in the handle. I explained why the kit wouldn't work with the tooth count being off. Evidently no one there read the note, or bothered to look at the tooth count. Simply stuck the kit in, and mailed it back to me.

I'm going to try again tomorrow to talk to someone there, but I don't think its worth another $35.00 to ship it back again to them.

I'll probably just buy something else to replace it.

Olafur · Jan 30, 2017

Searching for wright 8400 shows they (currently) have 45 tooth mechanism. How many tooth are in your ratchet?

edit: judging by the pic it looks like it has 60?

Strouty · Jan 30, 2017

I bought a new armstrong for a couple hundred bucks, have not had any issues with it. And I have used it with a big pipe.

crane operator · Jan 31, 2017

Olafur-- I just set down and counted tonight. It is a 60 tooth head. If the new ones are 45 tooth, I'm going to have to figure out something. No response yet from wright to my last email. I usually get someone when I call, I'll try them tomorrow. Thanks for the tooth count.

Noah · Jul 1, 2021

crane operator said:
I just got a Wright 1" drive set. Ratchet is a Wright 8400 I bought the set with the ratchet holding in forward, but slipping in reverse. I pulled the head out of it tonight and am wondering how the gear pawl comes out.

You can see the teeth are sheared off the reverse pawl, but fine on the forward. I'm thinking the pin you can see on the opposite side holds it all in, but don't know how to pull it.

The head had some flakes of the pawl teeth in it, and some noticeable wear, but I think will hold fine with a new pawl. No signs of a big cheater bar on the ratchet itself, so I don't know what they did with it to shear the teeth.

One socket in the set isn't original, has a impact ingersoll rand (usa) in its place, rest of the sockets look hardly used.

I am researching. I have a 27 piece set, but the rachet needs replacing or rebuilt. It doesn't engage, it just spins. Had someone offer me $200 for set. I expecting more. Did your rebuild go ok??

Ton ton · Jul 1, 2021

Anyone disassemble a Wright 1" drive ratchet?

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