Yeah, well I did it: thought I'd take apart the old Gray and give it some lubrication- it was pretty dry. Broke the screw holding the lever for the pawl- it was seized as I then realized. Then I made things more interesting by breaking a reverse bit it the hole I drilled through the middle of the screw......nothing to grab on to now. Contacted Gray: asked if their repair kits would cover this model #1597 and they thought it wouldn't. But in the picture, they look pretty close. Are there any Gray guys who would know if the pawls are compatible? Or is it possible to undo the mess I made of the original pawl? The wrench is rough finish and bright. Pretty basic 20pt ratchet, but I've had it for years. There's another question I have for those who might know: in what years was this ratchet made? Thank you for any advice! I'm in Toronto. And after visiting this site on and off for years, this is my first post.
#1597 Gray 1/2" ratchet
- Thread starter finster
- Start date
scooby074
Well-known member
Gray says its 5297-RK for the 1597 ratchet in the catalogue . But their tech support have always been top notch IMHO. Being inTO you could always just swing by the plant!
Not sure if you’ll find that ratchet but the International Tool Catalog Library does have some Gray catalogs in it.
I don’t know the answer to your questions. They list a kit (6297-RK) that fits a model 6297 and 1797. If you search the catalogs and find 1597 and 1797 are just different handle lengths or finishes, I’d try it.
I’d also wonder out loud if the 20 and 40 tooth kits fit the same body… although more likely changes to the body design to accommodate different gears would be why change from 6297 to 8720… but welcome to Garage Journal - you probably know the answer for the toolaholics is to buy a new 8740L so you can measure if the internals are the same
(Edit - Scooby’s is quicker than me, and apparently knows the right data page to look up better than me!)
I don’t know the answer to your questions. They list a kit (6297-RK) that fits a model 6297 and 1797. If you search the catalogs and find 1597 and 1797 are just different handle lengths or finishes, I’d try it.
I’d also wonder out loud if the 20 and 40 tooth kits fit the same body… although more likely changes to the body design to accommodate different gears would be why change from 6297 to 8720… but welcome to Garage Journal - you probably know the answer for the toolaholics is to buy a new 8740L so you can measure if the internals are the same
(Edit - Scooby’s is quicker than me, and apparently knows the right data page to look up better than me!)
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That's great info- I have a feeling they don't carry the repair kit but I'll contact them again. Regarding customer service, it's been very disappointing- I expected more from this company- or maybe it was just one of those days. Thank you- you should be in their customer relations dept.Gray says its 5297-RK for the 1597 ratchet in the catalogue . But their tech support have always been top notch IMHO. Being inTO you could always just swing by the plant!