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Proto lite aluminum ratchet

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cudajunction

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Anyone have any info on these ratchets? There is one link here that mentions them no details though. I have a freind that has one 3/4 drive made of aluminum part number 5650 I think. Looking for any info on this series like what drive sizes they came in? Would love to buy anything that anyone is willing o sell.
 
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Even 11

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What do you want to know about them? I have one in the garage. pretty uncommon and I think they only came in 3/4" drive.

-Dane
 
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Wrenches of Death

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cudajunction said:
Anyone have any info on these ratchets? There is one link here that mentions them no details though. I have a freind that has one 3/4 drive made of aluminum. Looking for any info on this series like what drive sizes they came in? Would love to buy anything that anyone is willing o sell.
Click to expand...

I've seen exactly one in my entire life. A friend owns it, and the housing is broken. He made the mistake of loaning it out to a ***** that put a cheater on it.

The next time I see him, I'll ask him if he bought it new and when, if I don't forget.

WoD
 
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Wrenches of Death

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jabberwoki said:
Can you get a picture of your friends rachet and post it up?
Click to expand...

Yes, I need to do that, I haven't seen him in a while. Thanks for reminding me.

OK, I just fired an email off to him asking for some pictures. If he doesn't have the capability, I'll drive over there in the next couple of weeks.

WoD
 
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shanker

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I recently bought a King **** ratchet off of ebay from England, its aluminum, and really crappy....but it makes for neat toolbox eye candy
 
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boro_boy70

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I have a Proto catalog from 1962/63 and there is a couple of pages in the new tools section about these. They made 3/4 and 1" drive breaker bars and ratchets.

Kind of funny that aluminum was considered a "space age" metal.

Heres the pages

Protolite3.jpg


Protolite2.jpg


Protolite1.jpg
 
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Wrenches of Death

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boro_boy70 said:
I have a Proto catalog from 1962/63 and there is a couple of pages in the new tools section about these. They made 3/4 and 1" drive breaker bars and ratchets.

Kind of funny that aluminum was considered a "space age" metal.
Click to expand...

GREAT Post! Thanks. :)

I'd only seen and heard of the 3/4" drive ratchet. I would have never guessed that there were four different "Lite" products. That's interesting.

By any chance, does your catalog have a price list? I can help but wonder how much more expensive they were over the steel ones.

Now, it's funny that we have "space age" plastics. Oops, I'm sorry, I mean "high high tech space age polymers." :thumbup:

WoD
 
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boro_boy70

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Wrenches of Death said:
GREAT Post! Thanks. :)

I'd only seen and heard of the 3/4" drive ratchet. I would have never guessed that there were four different "Lite" products. That's interesting.

By any chance, does your catalog have a price list? I can help but wonder how much more expensive they were over the steel ones.

WoD
Click to expand...

The price list I have is dated 2/26/65 it has the "User Net Price" listed.


5649 3/4 steel ratchet - $20.09
5650 3/4 "lite" ratchet - $22.49

5668 3/4 steel breaker - $11.89
5669 3/4 "lite" breaker - $15.85

5849 1" steel ratchet - $35.99
5850 1" "lite" ratchet - $39.95

5868 1" steel breaker - $27.85
5869 1" "lite" breaker - $35.75

Not a huge difference in price, but must have been enough to convince people not to buy them. Or they didn't trust that new fangled aluminum.

Another interesting thing I noticed is they list 2 separate repair kits for the 3/4 ratchets.

5649RK steel kit - $8.33
5650RK "lite" kit - $10.78

There is a section that list's each piece in the repair kits. It looks like the lite model has different cover screws, reversing assembly, and a different drive wheel assembly. (at least they have separate part #'s for those individual pieces)
 
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Wrenches of Death

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boro_boy70 said:
The price list I have is dated 2/26/65 it has the "User Net Price" listed.

<...>

Not a huge difference in price, but must have been enough to convince people not to buy them. Or they didn't trust that new fangled aluminum.

<...>

There is a section that list's each piece in the repair kits. It looks like the lite model has different cover screws, reversing assembly, and a different drive wheel assembly. (at least they have separate part #'s for those individual pieces)
Click to expand...

Thanks! I would have figured a much larger difference in price. So if they were in the 1963 catalog and still in the 1965 price list, it would appear that they were on the market for at least a couple of years. You'd think that there would be more of them around today.

You probably right, the "new fangled" aspect might have done it in. How many people would buy a composite bodied ratchet or pull handle today? Especially in 3/4 and 1 inch drive sizes?

I received an email from my friend a little while ago and he supposed to shoot a couple of pics of his broken one and attach them to me. I'll post them to this tread when I get them.

I know for a fact that he's got a regular steel 5649, I put a new kit in it for him a while back. I think that the next time I go over there I'll try to do a side by side comparison of the innards.

Thanks again,
WoD
 
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Wrenches of Death

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Proto lite aluminum ratchet Pictures

My friend dropped by this afternoon and brought the broken aluminum Proto Lite 3/4" drive ratchet. It has been literally beat to hell. The last person that he had lent it to used a cheater of unknown length and broke the housing.

A couple of more pictures will follow in the next message.

WoD
 

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Wrenches of Death

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NinetyTwoFifty said:
Wow, what a shame. Never seen one of those before.

What are you going to do with it?
Click to expand...

He's keeping it. :(

He said that he'll eventually mig it up, re-machine it, and use it as a conversation piece.

After playing with it for a while, I'd love to find a NOS one at an affordable price to actually use.

WoD
 
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Even 11

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I saw one on Evil Bay bring almost $250. It was in real nice shape, Looked like a bidding war though. This was probably 2 years ago also.

-Dane
 
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DHS

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I got mine on there (eBay) currently, priced high but if it was not to sell I would not mind keeping it. It is one cool ratchet, hard to believe how light it is.

A couple of pics.

ratchet.jpg

ratchet2.jpg
 
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moonreft

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Oct 29, 2013
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Just came across a 1 inch Proto Lite Still interested? I'll put up some pics as soon as I find my camera cord.
 
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woody 73

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I realize someone used a cheater pipe on that one ratchet and part of the ratchet head broke, makes me wonder if proto also realized early on that aluminum would not make for a good material after all and they stopped production after only a few short years ?
 
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hnicolau

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cudajunction said:
Still looking if anybody comes into one they want to sell.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I realize these posts are about 5 years old, but my father-in-law actually has a 1" 5850 Proto Lite Aluminum Ratchet that he'd like to sell. We couldn't find much on them online except for this forum.
If you're still interested in buying one, I can put you in touch with him.

Thanks,

Hilary
 
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maxcarp709

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Ok,we have seen an aluminum ratchet, how about one made of titanium? Has it ever been done?That could be made even stronger and maybe even Bubba proof
 
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