SK DT upgrade review

I ordered two DT kits the other day and they came in the mail today. I ordered a 3/8 and 1/2. I'll review the 3/8 one first.

I put the 3/8 in my 3870. The back drag is more than before but not bad. It's a huge jump going from 40 to 80 teeth. I did notice the movement that you get after the ratchet clicks is almost non-existent now (the 1/2 is the same way). This will be helpful when you don't have much arc swing.

My 60 year old SK-Wayne 45170 is smoother and still like it better if I don't need leverage or in a tight spot. I like the loud clicks better but it is my favorite ratchet so I'm biased. I won't upgrade this one because I like the original look of it.

The 1/2 I ordered because on one of my 42470, the mechanism would get stuck after loosening or tightening a bolt and would require a pair of pliers to reverse it. I needed a new mechanism any way and I thought I would try it out. The back drag is once again slightly more but the ratchet feels smoother than my other 42470s. I believe the DT100, while it feels nice in my 42470, is better suited for the 1/2 models with longer handles especially in tighter spaces. If I'm using my 42470 it's usually after I break loose a bolt or not a tight bolt and have plenty of room to operate.

I would buy both kits again but I think the 3/8 upgrade is better than the 1/2 one. What I really like about the kits (and SK in general) that you can still easily get parts for a ratchet that could almost be 90 years old. I will continue to buy SK products as I am a satisfied customer.

Here are some pictures. One thing I forgot to add is that you can now reverse the mechanism without holding the drive. I could switch the mechanisms before with one hand but now it's even easier to do.

it's tough to compare 60 year old ratchet components to brand new components. The 60 yr old stuff is well used and beyond broken in.

I'd like to see an update after a month of solid usage.

I agree. The 45170 is well broke in. I'll give an update after I use the upgrades more.

I love it SK designed it so that you can upgrade same old ratchets you've had for years.
Kind of reminds me of my Shopsmith.

One thing I didn't notice until I took out the new mechanism is that the DT mechanisms have 4 teeth on the pawl where the old style has 3. I would think this would give the ratchet more strength since it now has 33% more contact area.

I cleaned the mechanisms again after doing a dirty job and realized the 3/8 drive is 3 teeth like the original. Only the 1/2 is 4 teeth engagement. I've been happy with the upgrade. Couple of weeks ago I picked up a 3770. It was almost new and had a great action. Only downside was the 9 degree arc swing. After a week of use, I ordered the DT80 for it and I am much happier.

I believe a person could get by with the original design in the 1/4 and 1/2 version but the 3/8 DT80 upgrade is money well spent. If I come across a 40170 at a good price I'll probably buy it and put the DT100 in it.

thanks for the update

I got 1/4" and 3/8" DT kits when HJE first had them.

The 1/4" DT kit was overkill - going from fine tooth to finer tooth probably wasn't worth the bucks it cost, since I was upgrading a perfectly good ratchet, but if I needed to rebuild a 1/4" ratchet, I'd get the DT kit.

The 3/8" DT kit also went into a functional ratchet, and my goodness, it was worth it! In 3/8", you are going from coarse to fine and it's certainly money well spent.

Some of the early purchasers got kits that skipped, and SK made it right. Mine were flawless.

I found a 40170 that I always wanted. I ordered a DT100 kit for it and it made a great ratchet even better. Here's a link to a post I made in the Vintage spot with pictures.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7296484&postcount=846