Anyone ever welded up a broken ratchet?

[uart]

I was going through a box of old stuff on the weekend and found an old ratchet with a broken ratchet mechanism. I think it's been sitting there for about 15 years, and there was no hope of fixing it as parts of the ratchet mechanism were missing.

So I was about to throw it when I suddenly got the bright idea of welding it up as a kind of breaker bar. I did a crappy rough job of it, but it's welded up real good and I don't think it will break. I'll bet I've buggered up hardness of the socket head though, it got plenty hot. Oh well I needed the practice using my arc welder anyway.

Has anyone else tried this trick on a broken ratchet?

 

[Hank McMauser]

no, but I have a chipping hammer that was made using the knurled end of a ratchet/breaker baras it's handle,I picked it up at a yard sale for 50 cents.

 

[uart]

Here's the pictures. Man that is one ugly weld job.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

If it works for you, its good


Oh just a observation, with the ratchet being a flex head, that joint is going to be the weak point for it now being a breaker bar. Be prepared to weld that joint too

 

[Jim85IROC]

That looks like it was a nice enough ratchet that I think I would have bought a rebuild kit for it. Looks like it maybe it was a Mac ratchet?

 

[chickenfarmer]

Looks like you need some lights more than a breaker bar

 

[dellwas]

Yup, took an old 1/2 ratchet and did that. Carry it in the F-350 with a piece of pipe to remove lugnuts if I get a flat, etc. Tested it and it works great.

I was going through a box of old stuff on the weekend and found an old ratchet with a broken ratchet mechanism. I think it's been sitting there for about 15 years, and there was no hope of fixing it as parts of the ratchet mechanism were missing.

So I was about to throw it when I suddenly got the bright idea of welding it up as a kind of breaker bar. I did a crappy rough job of it, but it's welded up real good and I don't think it will break. I'll bet I've buggered up hardness of the socket head though, it got plenty hot. Oh well I needed the practice using my arc welder anyway.

Has anyone else tried this trick on a broken ratchet?

 

[Steevo]

When you have lemons you make lemonade.
If you need a breaker bar and have a dead ratchet, why not?

 

[sumner52000]

I am often disappointed at yard sales and flea markets when I find old welded up ratchets. If it is taiwan or china i guess it would be ok, but don't do it to a good ratchet.

 

[tjmonsen5]

Looks like my mac ratchet. I would have sent it in for a rebuild/new one...

 

[G_P]

If welds can hold differential spider gears together under hundreds of horsepower I dont think that ratchet will ever turn again!

If you ever decide to weld up the flex joint grind off the chrome first so you get a stronger weld.

 

[TonyCH]

During '80s one of my 1/2" no name ratchets broke and the button fell off. After that it was freewheeling. Almost threw it away but then decided to try to lock it by filling it with epoxy (degrease first). Worked perfectly in any job I used it all the way into 2000's. At some point newer tools replaced it and it was forgotten. Its still there somewhere in my storage waiting for that next job that might come some day.

 

[clemet]

I welded up a cheap 3/4" drive ratchet that had broke. Then shoved it into a 7ft pipe. That was 15 years ago (when I was a young teenager trying to put duals on tractors) and it is still going strong although my father has moved on to an impact gun now though.