Matco Special Forces parts kit?

[throwaway723]

I recently acquired a Matco Special Forces pass-through ratchet and socket set. Nifty little kit, but parts for it seem hard to find. I know the weak point on it is the pin that connects the handle to the flex head, so I wanted to try to find a spare sooner rather than later. Since this tool is discontinued, Matco isn't making parts for it anymore. I already called them and was told that they couldn't do anything for me. It uses a different pin than their current flex heads. Any ideas where I might find the pin for this? You can see close-up photos in this ebay listing. (https://www.ebay.com/itm/325434720497)

 

[jsmeece]

I am going to assume that is just a regular roll pin. I would take some measurements and go to Master Carr or Caterpillar and see if they can find you one that matches.

 

[throwaway723]

I think you might be right. I wasn't sure if there was some trick to removing the pin, so I didn't want to try hammering it out without knowing any better. But that might be all there is to it.

 

[jsmeece]

I think you might be right. I wasn't sure if there was some trick to removing the pin, so I didn't want to try hammering it out without knowing any better. But that might be all there is to it.

I all honesty, I would not try removing the pin unless you had to. Usually those pins are friction fit, so you would have to use a pin punch or a small arbor press to get it out. You should be able to get measurements without removing the pin. Some digital calipers would work in this case.

 

[throwaway723]

I all honesty, I would not try removing the pin unless you had to. Usually those pins are friction fit, so you would have to use a pin pouch or a small arbor press to get it out. You should be able to get measurements without removing the pin. Some digital calipers would work in this case.

Thanks for the suggestion. That sounds doable.

 

[throwaway723]

And I'm sure there are some readers who may be wondering why I'm bothering with this when it's not even broken yet. I was thinking that it may have been a special pin, so rather than wait several years for it to break, I figured it might be easier to find now. My thinking was that the longer the ratchet has been out-of-production, the harder it would be to find that "special" pin. But I think jsmeece is right and it might not even be a special pin - just a regular roll pin.

 

[jsmeece]

And I'm sure there are some readers who may be wondering why I'm bothering with this when it's not even broken yet. I was thinking that it may have been a special pin, so rather than wait several years for it to break, I figured it might be easier to find now. My thinking was that the longer the ratchet has been out-of-production, the harder it would be to find that "special" pin. But I think jsmeece is right and it might not even be a special pin - just a regular roll pin.

Others on this forum my know more about this ratchet, but to me it looks like a standard roll pin. I don't have one of these ratchets, so I can't say for certain. Give it a few days for others to chime in. Good luck with your search. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum.

 

[will335i]

If it is a pin there might be a taper to it so something to be aware of when taking the old one out and driving the new one it. Going in the wrong direction could damage that taper.

 

[Kurt4440]

I recently acquired a Matco Special Forces pass-through ratchet and socket set. Nifty little kit, but parts for it seem hard to find. I know the weak point on it is the pin that connects the handle to the flex head, so I wanted to try to find a spare sooner rather than later. Since this tool is discontinued, Matco isn't making parts for it anymore. I already called them and was told that they couldn't do anything for me. It uses a different pin than their current flex heads. Any ideas where I might find the pin for this? You can see close-up photos in this ebay listing. (https://www.ebay.com/itm/325434720497)

I have a few Armstrong Eliminator sets. You should be able to find an Armstrong version of the Special Forces ratchet on Ebay for a reasonable price.
The only downside is that the ratchet will not be a flex head. The upside is you will have more tools to brag about on this forum.

 

[RTM]

Some pins in similar applications seem to have ridges on the fixed ends, and smooth in the middle. No idea if this does, just tossing it out for consideration.

 

[throwaway723]

If it is a pin there might be a taper to it so something to be aware of when taking the old one out and driving the new one it. Going in the wrong direction could damage that taper.

Thanks. I would not have considered that. I'll keep that in mind.

 

[throwaway723]

I have a few Armstrong Eliminator sets. You should be able to find an Armstrong version of the Special Forces ratchet on Ebay for a reasonable price.
The only downside is that the ratchet will not be a flex head. The upside is you will have more tools to brag about on this forum.

I actually found a straight ratchet for the Matco Special Forces as well, so I have both a straight and flex ratchet for the set. But I do like the looks of the Armstrong set too!

 

[flippin]

I also have the Armstrong version. Not that it makes much difference but when I first acquired the set I did a deep dive in the pursuit of the flex head and any other accessories. My findings revealed that Armstrong was the manufacturer (for Matco too) which comes as no surprise given the handle shape. It may help having another name to contribute to your web mining but unfortunately Armstrong closed their doors a few years ago.


Good Luck, I love my set and when you need a pass-through system, this is the best one available.

 

[throwaway723]

I have a few Armstrong Eliminator sets. You should be able to find an Armstrong version of the Special Forces ratchet on Ebay for a reasonable price.
The only downside is that the ratchet will not be a flex head. The upside is you will have more tools to brag about on this forum.

I just took a closer look at this. Are the Armstrong and Matco sets compatible? The ratchet shape looks different but the pawl looks the same. And so do the sockets.

 

[throwaway723]

Did a bit of searching and it seems that the sockets are indeed compatible. Not sure if the pawl and switch would be interchangeable, but I'm guessing they would be.

 

[Steve_P]

It's not a roll, or spring pin- per the pics, it's solid. So, it would be a dowel pin, or similar. Either way, there's no sense worrying about it until you need it; these are standard hardware items and are going to be available for the rest of your life at places like McMaster. There is also the possibility that the yoke itself will fail and not the pin, so you might not need to worry about the pin at all. Yes, a "proper" design would have the pin fail first, but...

 

[jsmeece]

I could not for the life of me remember dowel pin, so I called it a roll pin, my mistake. ***** getting old, can't remember ****!

 

[Twincam1450]

Did a bit of searching and it seems that the sockets are indeed compatible. Not sure if the pawl and switch would be interchangeable, but I'm guessing they would be.

Armstrong made the Matco pass thru,s I read it in an article only difference the coating Armstrong are chrome Matco black.

 

[Toold_up]

Matco Special Forces sockets are also impact rated. I have the SF kit with the pass through 3/8 air ratchet and the same 3/8 flex head ratchet as the OP.

 

[mikebaker1129]

Did a bit of searching and it seems that the sockets are indeed compatible. Not sure if the pawl and switch would be interchangeable, but I'm guessing they would be.

Yes they are completely compatible, repair kits as well as the sockets