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48548

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May 14, 2008
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The proto's I have don't seem to be lose, but they all fit around the top so you can use the top as a thumb spinner so the top is the size if not a little bigger than the head because of that and doesn't fit inside like the wright.
 

Hiball

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Apr 30, 2009
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The proto's I have don't seem to be lose, but they all fit around the top so you can use the top as a thumb spinner so the top is the size if not a little bigger than the head because of that and doesn't fit inside like the wright.

Id venture to say there is a 1/16" worth of back and forth play with my bonney and the thorsen. The Wright i have in front of me know has considerably less and the Sk which uses similar guts but different fastener (snap ring) has around 1/16". I dont have any protos with me currently to compare.
 

Snap50

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Dec 29, 2009
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Bull,
No offense to anyone, but the fellow did end his post asking if anyone else noticed the looseness. That is implying concern and asking for other's replies on that statement.

Others seem to have been more helpful since.
Good feedback HiBall.
 

TRTOOLSUPPLY

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Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
506
I was trying to answer his question about swapping in a 3/8" drive,I really didn't take his observation has a concern but I'll address that also.
I have sold or given away at least 25 of the 3430 ratchets in the last couple of months.No one has brought the concern up but upon checking the 4 ratchets I have at this time,there is some side to side movement.IMHO this is due to the one piece design of the drive system.By using the retaining ring it provides quick cleaning/lube or replacement but you would not expect it to be as tight fit as screws,IMHO.
For the record I have not replaced or had anyone want to return one.

I feel that it is GREAT having a Wright Tool rep willing to come on here to answer questions and address concerns....I hope this answered some of the concerns.
Thanks:)
 

Bull

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Dec 12, 2005
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We are "ranting and raving" about how good the Wrights are? Is that your honest assessment?

I did not see his observation as a concern. I also took the following silence to be an indication that no one else noticed the issue, rather than anyone ignoring him.

Interesting first post to make in the thread. Do you own the ratchet in question, or any Wright ratchets?:headscrat

Bull,
No offense to anyone, but the fellow did end his post asking if anyone else noticed the looseness. That is implying concern and asking for other's replies on that statement.

Others seem to have been more helpful since.
Good feedback HiBall.
 
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Hiball

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I was trying to answer his question about swapping in a 3/8" drive,I really didn't take his observation has a concern but I'll address that also.
I have sold or given away at least 25 of the 3430 ratchets in the last couple of months.No one has brought the concern up but upon checking the 4 ratchets I have at this time,there is some side to side movement.IMHO this is due to the one piece design of the drive system.By using the retaining ring it provides quick cleaning/lube or replacement but you would not expect it to be as tight fit as screws,IMHO.
For the record I have not replaced or had anyone want to return one.

I feel that it is GREAT having a Wright Tool rep willing to come on here to answer questions and address concerns....I hope this answered some of the concerns.
Thanks:)

Thanks for confirming what i thought, After personally reviewing other ratchets that use a similar 1 piece design and fastener I noticed the same movement. Although its not as tight as ratchets that use screws to fasten cover plates etc, I cant see any Negatives that could possibly come from it.
Btw.. Richard my Tool list is growing will be checking on availability and prices within the next week.
 

vssjim

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Aug 5, 2007
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McLean Va.
i ordered it from
http://www.toolup.com/wright-tool/
it took 6 days to get here no problems. anyway it is way smaller than it appears on the internet. Definitely a cool little ratchet.
the only problem is that the ratcheting mechanism seems to be a little wiggly in the head. if the spring clip wrapped around one more time i think it would correct this problem. anybody else notice this?

All of my Wright ratchets do that and they have worked for years with no problems, I think when they get dirty it helps them not get stiff and keeps them easy to return for any bite on the loose fatener vs having to hold the socket.I would leave it alone.
 
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mikevango

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erie, PA
ok. bull don't get mad at the dude,he did get you guys to address the situation. i was a bit concerned about the movement in the head but i wasn't mad. if thats how they are then fine. it's a nice ratchet that will have its applications.
 
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Bull

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Roger that. Not mad at him, but want to know where he's coming from. It was your question, after all, and you weren't in here saying you weren't getting the response you wanted.:headscrat

ok. bull don't get mad at the dude,he did get you guys to address the situation. i was a bit concerned about the movement in the head but i wasn't mad. if thats how they are then fine. it's a nice ratchet that will have its applications.
 

Snap50

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No Bull, I do not have a Wright ratchet, or I would have rendered an opinion to the fellow.
He seems to be comfortable with his feedback now, so I guess that's all that needs be said.
 

Bull

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Fair enough, sir.

No Bull, I do not have a Wright ratchet, or I would have rendered an opinion to the fellow.
He seems to be comfortable with his feedback now, so I guess that's all that needs be said.
 

scottmlew

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Nov 24, 2008
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Being lose or directional change issues?

Sorry for the long delay in replying...I was referring to the directional change issue, which I find mildly annoying, but not so much that I would select another tool if my Wright or Hazet was otherwise the best tool for a job.
 
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Hiball

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Sorry for the long delay in replying...I was referring to the directional change issue, which I find mildly annoying, but not so much that I would select another tool if my Wright or Hazet was otherwise the best tool for a job.

Thanks, are you having problems with it finding neutral while your ratcheting or just not being able to switch directions without a momentary touch of the socket account it will spin?
 

scottmlew

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Never had a problem while ratcheting...it's the latter situation, where it seems to need a little bit of resistance when changing directions, otherwise it goes neutral. Again, I don't personally see this as a big deal, and I assume it's part of the design (well, I should probably say an understood limitation) of this style of mechanism since other top brands have this same behavior.
 

Hiball

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Never had a problem while ratcheting...it's the latter situation, where it seems to need a little bit of resistance when changing directions, otherwise it goes neutral. Again, I don't personally see this as a big deal, and I assume it's part of the design (well, I should probably say an understood limitation) of this style of mechanism since other top brands have this same behavior.

Thanks for the follow up. Check your PM.
 

franzdom

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I just got my first 3430 today and was surprised how much the head can move up and down, at least 1/16". I really like it otherwise and was going to list my FC72 compact ratchet for sale but it is much tiighter and so I think I will have to keep both of them.
 

vintagefan

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Mar 2, 2012
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613
I just got my first 3430 today and was surprised how much the head can move up and down, at least 1/16". I really like it otherwise and was going to list my FC72 compact ratchet for sale but it is much tiighter and so I think I will have to keep both of them.

I would say that is towards the looser end of the spectrum... I've gotten a few Wrights that are varying degrees of looseness, but none have been what I considered to be unacceptable.

For the most part, I would give them at least an A, if not an A+.

I think it has to do with the retaining rings they use... if they are even slightly different, and they tried to get the tolerances too close, it could cause binding if a rebuild kit was put in.

An example, I got two Wrights, a long hande and a standard. The long handle was a little tight, the standard was a little loose. I switched the guts, and they both were perfect. It had to do with the thickness and springiness of the retaining ring.
 

canuckian

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May 7, 2009
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Never really noticed any wobble of the square drive until I read about it in this thread. Just for curiosity, I compared the wobble of the 3430 to my fc72 and a couple others and the slop was about the same. The only one I tried that barely moved at all was my jr72 Cornwell. maybe it seemed like more in the 3430 because it has such a tiny head?
 

franzdom

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Ok, I did a more scientific measurement. It's .019" of in and out play, compared to .010" max on any of my many dual-80 Snap-On ratchets (I have just about every one but no QR). It still feels and looks like a LOT.
 

bart1

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Dec 14, 2010
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Alabama the Beautiful
FWIW, I have a 1/2" Wright ratchet from 1970. It has some looseness/wobble in the head. I have a similarly designed Gedore 3/4" ratchet that had the same issue. For the Gedore, I made a plastic spacer to go underneath the retaining ring. It took the slop out and didn't affect operation at all. Hope to do that same for the Wright, but the smaller diameter makes it tougher.

You can sorta see the black plastic spacer on the Gedore:

P1030374_zps01e78aeb.jpg
 

KEH

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Jan 31, 2010
Messages
5,142
Interesting thread. Last night when I read it I had just come in from working on a hay rake using a Wright 1/2 drive ratchet that I had bought new in the past year. Today I finished the job. I also have a 1/2 drive Power -Kraft, the old Montgomery Ward brand, which is old and well used, but not abused, and seems to have been made by Wright. After I bought it I toook it apart, cleaned and oiled it and it has a buttery smooth action. The new one has more positive clicks. Both have some play in them, the old one has only marginally more that the new one. My 936 Snap On has a lot less play, but I'm thinking it's possible to get a tighter ratchet with the pear head design that is screwed together.

I also have a Wright 3/8 drive, bought in all most new condition, which has about the same amount of play. I also have a Power Kraft 1/4 drive ratchet and a 1/4 drive Matco ratchet, both of which look like they were made by Wright. The 1/4 Power Kraft has the least amount of play.

Another 3/8 ratchet with almost no play is my HF roto head. It, however, is AFIK permanently pressed together.

Both ratchets performed well. I broke loose rusty nuts with them until I got tired of it and got my 3/4 breaker bar with 1/2 inch adapter. You don't just use breaker bars to save your rarchets , but to save your back. In his thread above, Nocturnal-G asked for breaker bar reccomendations, mine is a 3/4 breaker bar with 1/2 inch adapter if space permits, in closer places a 24 inch breaker bar if possible.

KEH
 

SantaAna12

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Mar 1, 2012
Messages
1,091
My 3430 is similar to my Bonney ratchet in feel and play as well. Much looser than my dual 80. I bought it for limited access situations, and it has been handy several times.
 

bad luck

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Feb 20, 2015
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Moab, Utah
After reading these posts I ordered a 3430 and it just arrived. I am really glad that I have it. Thanks for the info on these, I didn't know they existed until reading the forum. I really like the forum also, but I can see it is going to cost me a lot of money though.
 

sonvolt

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Mar 27, 2014
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748
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Northern NJ
I have this same ratchet and it has more play than my SK 1/4 drive but it will work fine for super tight spaces. It has more play than I figured it would but serves its purpose.
 

dkop1

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Apr 6, 2014
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91
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Pennsylvania
My dad had 2 of the 3430s, one new in package which he gave to me about a year ago. Mine is pretty loose, but that has never been a problem in the applications I use it for. For my dad it's actually his primary ratchet! we just moved, and most of his tools are packed as his box is impossible to load into a truck full without a forklift. My box, however, is small and light enough that two people can easily move it so i didn't have to pack my stuff up. The only ratchet he left out for himself was his little 3430 I've seen him using for, errr.... well since I was a little kid just watching dad fix stuff in the garage. His too is loose, but I could attribute that to age. I've never heard him complain about it, and I've never had mine jam or skip a tooth.
 
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