Fixing a Floppy Flex-Head Ratchet

firworks · Jul 10, 2016

After using it to break free the carrier bolts on my rear brakes, my Pittsburgh Pro flex-head flopped all over the place. Finally I decided I'd had enough of almost getting hit in the face by the swinging head so I took it apart and "fixed it".

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Finally, junk mail is useful.

Also can you tell this was recorded at like 2AM? :pimpflash

kunkernator · Jul 10, 2016

I can't speak about the HF ratchets, but other ones I have made loose are due to the fork spreading. If it has a bolt thru the head as opposed to a pin, all you have to do it tighten the bolt. My most common used flex head (Mac 90 tooth) needs to be tightened about once every month or so.

firworks · Jul 10, 2016

hautpot said:
But your "fix" don't seem long term. Surely the paper will become nasty after some time.

It could over time. So far I've done mostly suspension work though so everything just gets covered in black dust. In the video I say that if you think it's going to swell from oil or water you could use a circle cut from a soda can as a shim. If you actually have it you could also use shim stock to do it "right" but I don't think your average Youtuber / home mechanic has any. They do have cans and paper though.

One other advantage is that in a month or two it gets funky or needs to be replaced, it's really easy. Cut a new circle, bang it in there and it's good to go for a while again.

kunkernator said:
I can't speak about the HF ratchets, but other ones I have made loose are due to the fork spreading. If it has a bolt thru the head as opposed to a pin, all you have to do it tighten the bolt. My most common used flex head (Mac 90 tooth) needs to be tightened about once every month or so.

That was my first try with it. Tightening it down pretty tight but it didn't seem to have an impact on the floppyness of this particular ratchet. Then I got the idea to shim it.

T45 · Jul 10, 2016

Spring washers in many applications are single use.

kunkernator · Jul 10, 2016

firworks said:
That was my first try with it. Tightening it down pretty tight but it didn't seem to have an impact on the floppyness of this particular ratchet. Then I got the idea to shim it.

Makes me think that spring washer got deformed. The shim is a good idea, but i would have tried making it out of steel. Or take the washer and a pair of pliers and deform it a little bit. Either way, I enjoy your comedic videos. :lol:

Katodog · Jul 10, 2016

Take the head off and squeeze the "fork" in a vise. I've taken care of a few flex ratchets using this method and so far they've held up with no issues.

Fedwrench · Jul 10, 2016

Paper is the perfect choice to fix a harbor freight ratchet :wtf:

An old Mac driver I had once had a box of different thickness wave/spring washers that he would use to reduce head flop.

I think the beer/soda can shim would work well. I've also seen people use thin plastic too.

Of course, we could just buy a better ratchet or a locking one. :lol:

lightning02 · Jul 10, 2016

kinda weird this issue has been around since day one and no one has came up with a fix/mod to permanently solve the problem. most of the time someone does. luckily i never bought the flex heads other then the long 1/2 for the rare times id need something like that. have used it 1 or 2 times since then.

ex-x-fire · Jul 10, 2016

I drilled out my bolt hole & pressed in an allen key. Very strong & it doesn't spread.

lightning02 · Jul 10, 2016

ex-x-fire said:
I drilled out my bolt hole & pressed in an allen key. Very strong & it doesn't spread.

Have pictures of that?

LXCam · Jul 10, 2016

Was it beer or hard alcohol consumed during the making of this video??

Help me understand your tolerances so I can understand the tolerances of the mod just a little better.

Thanks!

firworks · Jul 10, 2016

T45 said:
Spring washers in many applications are single use.

And that might be the "real" solution to replace that spring washer. Finding the right one for that fit is probably more trouble than that ratchet in particular is worth.

kunkernator said:
Makes me think that spring washer got deformed. The shim is a good idea, but i would have tried making it out of steel. Or take the washer and a pair of pliers and deform it a little bit. Either way, I enjoy your comedic videos.

Thanks! When I make a video that I find myself rewatching over and over again and laughing at I figure that's a good sign. I hope I don't ever just post stodgy review videos some day.

Katodog said:
Take the head off and squeeze the "fork" in a vise. I've taken care of a few flex ratchets using this method and so far they've held up with no issues.

You've only had to do it once with a particular ratchet and didn't find it spreading again over time? Sounds like another good solution then.

hautpot said:
fair enough, I like the idea of a soda can shim

I picked it up from a Mattias Wandel video where he shimmed the output shaft of a motor with a can. From then I've kept it in mind as a trick to use.

Fedwrench said:
Paper is the perfect choice to fix a harbor freight ratchet

An old Mac driver I had once had a box of different thickness wave/spring washers that he would use to reduce head flop.

I think the beer/soda can shim would work well. I've also seen people use thin plastic too.

Of course, we could just buy a better ratchet or a locking one.

Yeah I mean it's like a 20$ ratchet with a coupon. Also you could probably just walk in and swap out with a new one with their warranty but I know a lot of people don't live a half mile from the closest HF like I do.

lightning02 said:
kinda weird this issue has been around since day one and no one has came up with a fix/mod to permanently solve the problem. most of the time someone does. luckily i never bought the flex heads other then the long 1/2 for the rare times id need something like that. have used it 1 or 2 times since then.

It sounds like from the thread there are a few other solutions people have made up for this problem. If your flex head goes floppy on your third use you've got some options now!

ex-x-fire said:
I drilled out my bolt hole & pressed in an allen key. Very strong & it doesn't spread.

I'd like to see that too. Does it also now basically have "Detents" on the flat faces of the allen key?

LXCam said:
Was it beer or hard alcohol consumed during the making of this video??

Help me understand your tolerances so I can understand the tolerances of the mod just a little better.

Thanks!

Beer + 3AM :beer:

ex-x-fire · Jul 10, 2016

lightning02 said:
Have pictures of that?

No, I warrantied it in after wearing out the internals a 2nd time (I rebuilt it by getting another shorter ratchet to cannibalize). Basically it looked like an alley key is were the cross bolt would be. It did seem to have detents for awhile but lost that, the head pivot still remained tight even after maxing it out for awhile, I don't think the fork spread much after that.

wmm2 · Jul 10, 2016

Harbor freight sells a replacement kit. This is one that probably is "Just as good as a Snap On"

Harbor Freight Flex Head Ratchet Shim 4 pack kit

Katodog · Jul 10, 2016

firworks said:
You've only had to do it once with a particular ratchet and didn't find it spreading again over time? Sounds like another good solution then.

Off the top of my head, I think I've done it once each to 6 different flex-head ratchets and breaker bars. One I had to do twice, but I found that it was spreading out again because of a small crack on the inside of one side. I tossed that one.

Otherwise, so far I haven't had any that I've "bent back" spread out yet, and a few are 1/2" drive breakers that I put a lot of force on sometimes. Most of the time you can just put it in the vise and crank a bit at a time until you get it to the tightness you want. With some though you have to put something in between the forks so you're not adding a new bend. Trying to bend it where it originally bent out is tricky on some types. It works, and as long as you don't go willy-nilly with the muscle you won't cause any damage.

Katodog · Jul 10, 2016

I will also add this...the brands we sell at work are probably exactly the same as what you'd find from Pittsburgh and the like. We sell PowerTorque, GM Performance, etc., and they're all made by Wilmar. The ones in your vid look identical to ours.

firworks · Jul 11, 2016

ex-x-fire said:
No, I warrantied it in after wearing out the internals a 2nd time (I rebuilt it by getting another shorter ratchet to cannibalize). Basically it looked like an alley key is were the cross bolt would be. It did seem to have detents for awhile but lost that, the head pivot still remained tight even after maxing it out for awhile, I don't think the fork spread much after that.

Sounds like something cool to try. I could finally use the arbor press I got on steal from Enco...

wmm2 said:
Harbor freight sells a replacement kit. This is one that probably is "Just as good as a Snap On"

Harbor Freight Flex Head Ratchet Shim 4 pack kit

Ha well they must know it's a problem since they sell a kit... Seriously though those might be a little bit thick. At least on mine I don't think those would have fit.

Katodog said:
Off the top of my head, I think I've done it once each to 6 different flex-head ratchets and breaker bars. One I had to do twice, but I found that it was spreading out again because of a small crack on the inside of one side. I tossed that one.

Otherwise, so far I haven't had any that I've "bent back" spread out yet, and a few are 1/2" drive breakers that I put a lot of force on sometimes. Most of the time you can just put it in the vise and crank a bit at a time until you get it to the tightness you want. With some though you have to put something in between the forks so you're not adding a new bend. Trying to bend it where it originally bent out is tricky on some types. It works, and as long as you don't go willy-nilly with the muscle you won't cause any damage.

If the shim doesn't last and I get my vise mounted to a decent bench I might give this a try and see how permanent it is. I should be able to experiment a bit more on that one soon when my Wright flex-head comes in from HJE.

Katodog said:
I will also add this...the brands we sell at work are probably exactly the same as what you'd find from Pittsburgh and the like. We sell PowerTorque, GM Performance, etc., and they're all made by Wilmar. The ones in your vid look identical to ours.

I looked at the Wilmar website for ratchets and I didn't see much that jumped out to me as HF tools except I noticed their 1/2" breaker bar has the same head as the HF one which is somewhat unique. Their floor jacks, jack stands, and carts though do look very familiar so there probably is crossover in their lines. In a lot of cases you can actually go on alibaba.com and look for tools and you'll see the same one sold by 10 different brands.

90zcar · Jul 11, 2016

I laughed my *** off watching that ratchet head flop dance to the music!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

M6erfan · Jul 11, 2016

There's a permanent fix for the floppy head problem. A locking flex head...

shockwave · Jul 12, 2016

This is great video in all but I think a thicker washer or locking washer would be best and keep in mind these come loose on all types of brands that is why most switched to screw retainer vs pin like older ratchets

Fixing a Floppy Flex-Head Ratchet

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