Herbrand Tools

[Username already in use]

Here's a 1/4" and a 3/8" pear head Herbrand ratchet next to a 3/4" drive Billings.
They all have the same selector but the innards are slightly different. Both dual pawl but the Billings selector slides up n down not back n forth like the Herbrands.

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u/PowderKeg makes a strong case for Wright having made the ratchets with the bullet style up/down selector. Appears to be identical to the early MAC ratchets.
Check out this post HERE.
Really like that 3/4" drive Billings ratchet!

 

[ganymede]

u/PowderKeg makes a strong case for Wright having made the ratchets with the bullet style up/down selector. Appears to be identical to the early MAC ratchets.
Check out this post HERE.
Really like that 3/4" drive Billings ratchet!

Thanks.
Unfortunately I've never seen the type you linked but they look nice .
I really dig old Wright stuff too .!
In this Billings the selector slides up n down but the pawls move just like the Herbrand and Proto ratchets.

 

[WittHay]

The handles on those old Herbrand ratchets look a little like the Proto XL ratchets

 

[four.cycle]

Here is a vintage Herbrand valve spring compressor tool, not sure for what engines it would be used, it's pretty-big.

Same as a CF11 Indestro - OHV valve-spring compressor. Used on pretty much any domestic engine from the 1940s up until the present date (if they're still building small-block Chevrolets with the same valve train set-up.)
Guys back in the head department had a couple of them. Unwieldy things. No idea why they made them so damn big.

 

[four.cycle]

Ran across these this afternoon. There's a cut-away drawing of the ratchet mechanism in one of them.

1959 Herbrand catalog

 

[four.cycle]

more 1959 Herbrand catalog:

 

[ganymede]

Thanks for those scans 4cycle.
Here's a 1/2"drive ratchet adapter. I think it's from the late 50's early 60's.
Keeping it company is a Snap On (left) and a Proto on the right.
The Herbrand is smallest but has a course 20 tooth action..

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[lilredex]

Here are a few pictures of mostly Herbrand tools that came through my hands last summer. I was not aware of this thread or interest in the Herbrand line. Otherwise, I'd spent more time photographing things.

The background on these......they belonged to a neighbour's father, he worked as a mechanic at a trucking co. I'm guessing these pieces date back to the sixties as he was in his late eighties when passing.

My pictures are those used to sell off what I did not need or want. His stuff was a combination of Snap-on, Gray and Herbrand and well used as you can see.

I'll check my files to see if there are any more pictures.

 

[Derek420]

The very old her brand tools like ratchets were beautiful tools but towards the end they got pretty lame imo. I have some of the latter and not impressed at all.

 

[driftpin]

I recall seeing the Herbrand ads about the Indy 500 mechanics using Herbrand tools. The picture featured in the ad, Jimmy Bryan as the 1958 winner; my friend's father owned the team that sat on the pole that year, **** Rathmann driving a Watson Offenhauser, setting a new 4-lap qualifying record. He was in the McNamara Motor Express, the team was owned by Lee Elkins, a MI trucking magnate, who was as-colorful as ever lived a team owner. It was also AJ Foyt's rookie year at Indy. Unfortunately, that was the year the lead cars were involved in a horrific accident on the first lap. Pat O'Connor, a popular driver, and past winner, was killed, and the pole sitter didn't even complete one lap. Lee Elkins campaigned Indy going back to the early 1950's through the late 1970's. He also sent a car to the fabled 'Race of Two Worlds' in Monza Italy, in the mid-1950's where Indy cars raced against the best European drivers and cars. The competition on the rough Monza track was hard on both the drivers and cars, and the race pace set a closed-course record far-above the speeds being turned at the Indy 500. You can see video on youtube of it, great stuff, and a decent commentary.

more 1959 Herbrand catalog:

 

[Hermann-the-german]

Herbrand also seemed to have made "privately labeled" ratchet sets for the Eaton department stores brand "Tecomaster" . Can anybody please confirm and help to better determine the approx. manufacturing date?

Over here in Germany you don't find any information on that.

 

[Jim C.]

My one and only Herbrand tool...... a 9/16" obstruction wrench.

Jim C.

 

[Inno]

I'm tattaching photos of my Herbrand SA73 1/2"-drive socket set with ratchet and flex handles, etc. It came in the original metal box with 17 sockets (up to 1 1/4").

Most of the parts appear to be unused. Just a couple of the sockets have some sign of wear, as does the ratchet handle.

From the Alloy Artifacts site I understand that this is a post-war set from 1946-53.

It came from an estate sale where I bought a number of tools recently.

 

[lardy1]

My only Herbrand. $1.00 flea market find.





There are a couple other pics of it in the vintage forum.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Inno,

Almost like you just opened a Christmas present.

That's a fantastic set.

Blackhawk always gets the lion's share of credit for design in that era, but Herbrand holds its own in my opinion.

You may want to re-post it on the Herbrand thread down on the Vintage Discussion board. (This thread never got moved and someone started a new thread down there.)

Edit: Link here.

 

[four.cycle]

along with that "Duro Ratchet" thread, looks like this one should be moved to the "Vintage" forum as well.

 

[Inno]

Inno,

Almost like you just opened a Christmas present.

That's a fantastic set.

Blackhawk always gets the lion's share of credit for design in that era, but Herbrand holds its own in my opinion.

You may want to re-post it on the Herbrand thread down on the Vintage Discussion board. (This thread never got moved and someone started a new thread down there.)


Thanks, I feel very lucky to have it but I bought it at an auction and paid a lot, so not quite a Christmas present!

I'll try to repost as you suggest in the other board.