Open Head Ratchet

[tdellenburg]

Has anyone here had any experience with the open head ratchet designs? Specifically, I am looking at the Wright 3480 and 4480. It just seems like these would be perfect in the industrial / farm operation environments I find myself in where everything is not so much greasy and oily but more gritty and dusty.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HWAA5A/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have 2- Indestro 1/2 drive open head ratchets. One was my father's while I was growing up. When I moved out on my own, I purchased a second. After his passing, I received the original.

As to working in a dusty, gritty, dirty environment, I absolutely love mine.

 

[gdocktor3]

I feel like a sealed pearhead would be better in dirty, dusty environments.

 

[tdellenburg]

Maybe. I don't know. I'm thinking that with an open head design I can hit it with some brake cleaner, blow it out with an air nozzle, and be back to new. With the sealed pear head any dust and grit that does happen to migrate in stays until you rebuild it.

 

[Fedwrench]

How protected are the teeth against drops? kind of takes away from using your ratchet as a hammer

 

[gdocktor3]

Maybe. I don't know. I'm thinking that with an open head design I can hit it with some brake cleaner, blow it out with an air nozzle, and be back to new. With the sealed pear head any dust and grit that does happen to migrate in stays until you rebuild it.

Let's say you're a farmer working in the mud repairing a tractor, you drop the ratchet, or even place it down to grab the fastener by hand, and now it's covered with muddy grit. You're not going want to clean it/blow it out each time you pick it up. I have a few older Snap On ratchet wrenches like this and on a few occasions have gotten some sandy grit in the gears and you can definitely hear it grinding a bit. Good sealed ratchets have o rings around the square drive and cover plate that work really well at keeping unwanted debris/liquids out.

 

[tdellenburg]

How protected are the teeth against drops? kind of takes away from using your ratchet as a hammer

Lol, damn. Guess I'll have to stick with what I have!!!

 

[tdellenburg]

Let's say you're a farmer working in the mud repairing a tractor, you drop the ratchet, or even place it down to grab the fastener by hand, and now it's covered with muddy grit. You're not going want to clean it/blow it out each time you pick it up. I have a few older Snap On ratchet wrenches like this and on a few occasions have gotten some sandy grit in the gears and you can definitely hear it grinding a bit. Good sealed ratchets have o rings around the square drive and cover plate that work really well at keeping unwanted debris/liquids out.

You're right. Guess I should have explained my usage a little better. I'm an industrial electrician. If I'm working in the mud, I wouldn't grab this ratchet first. I've spent my life in dusty plants (cotton / nylon fibers) and dirty farms (seed dust, feed mill) type environments. I don't spend much time working on tractors and vehicles except my own in my garage.

When I'm replacing a motor (electric) or working on a conveyor belt in a hammer mill, years of built up dust are primarily my enemies. And it's all very fine and often gritty dust that I think could work its way into a typical sealed ratchet and live there forever. It just seems to me that the open head would be better in that specific environment.

 

[tdellenburg]

Oh yeah, I left one out. From time to time I may be replacing a mixer or pump motor in a chemical plant. And God only knows (and I hope I never find out) what some of that dust may be...

 

[DeliveryGuy]

I have the 3/8 one. I really like it. It's a conversation piece, and a really cool ratchet to use. The teeth are coarse enough that if it gets filthy, it doesn't affect it much. Dust and grit won't be an issue for you, guaranteed. Everything on it, including the teeth, is chromed, so you don't really need to oil it up much. It's not like the gear wheel will rust up. I'd like to get the 1/2 version now that I'm talking about it.

 

[derosa]

I understand they were brought back by wright for use in the middle east due to issues with dust so it should hold up.

 

[Local]

Thorsen 77 is called the ak47 of ratchets. You can find one for under 20 shipped on eBay.

 

[KEH]

The Thorsen77 was my first ratchet. They are easy to use. Can be reversed quicker that any other ratchet, including the old Craftsman. All it take is a quick flip of the thumb, the selector gear moves easily.

KEH

 

[fatfillup]

My inventor buddy designed a ratchet for military uses and while not open, it was not sealed either. He wanted whatever got in to get pulverized and come back out so there is a good argument against sealed heads. The Marines tested it and never broke one but it never made it to production either, marketing said they wouldn't sell enough of them.

 

[65k10]

How protected are the teeth against drops? kind of takes away from using your ratchet as a hammer

Pretty much this. When working on farm equipment I'm often setting whatever tool I'm not immediately using, but will need shortly somewhere on the machine and occasionally it will fall. I'd be concerned about trashing the teeth on one.

I've considered getting a Wright 4480 since the head is supposed to be very small and that would be a bonus in my portable kit that's 1/2 drive only. However having to clean it each time it's dropped in dirt and this risk of damaging the teeth had held me back. I'd still like to get one just for the neatness factor.

For farm use I figure as long as the ratchet is sealed and/or easy to take apart and clean, it will be fine for the task. Heck, before I got into tools we had several ratchets that somehow survived years of use and no cleaning at all.

 

[stercorarius]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I work on it all. I've built hammer mills, conveyer systems, pulled apart windrowers, balers, squeeze chutes for cattle, feed mixers, Kenworths, you guys get the idea. This is how my tools end up most days. I had the same thinking and went out and bought the wright from Amazon after I heard it was made for use in the sand box. I also bought that Indestro about a week ago. I bought the wright about 8 months ago. I was in the shop at the time and for a shop environment mine at least had to much back drag to be useful and only seems to really work in one direction. At that point it seems like I would only use it to break stubborn fasteners loose, but it's far too short for that. If it's really dirty I use my classic 24t Proto long handle. For EDC though I have a Proto precision 90 Tooth extra long flex head 1/2 drive and a Snap-On dual 80 flex head 3/8 drive with quick release and Big Ron (my 3/4 drive Proto) Yes I really do like pictures.

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[tonyciambrone]

I have two Companion open-head ratchets that were my granpappy's. The 1/2 especially feels incredibly sturdy, I love the direction selector being on the side of the head. They are really easy to clean, either dunk them in degreaser or brake clean them, drip some oil in and spin it a couple times. I took them all the way apart which was a pain when I first got them to remove rust but they are awesome.

 

[four.cycle]

As noted above, the old Thorsen open-gear models can be found on Ebay fairly cheap:
1/2" drive = model 77 . 3/8" drive = 77J . 1/4" drive = 77M

Indestro made them as well. Ganymede posted photos of both side-by-side here some time back. They are virtually identical to the Thorsens.
1/2" drive = model 6470 (late) . 1/2" drive = 3239 (early) . 3/8" drive = model 6270 .

I have all of those. The Thorsens have a smoother action than the Indestros, in my humble opinion.

Also made by "Companion" (as noted just above). No idea what the part number is. I see them on Ebay in sets now and then.

Go with the Thorsen - gets the best reviews and is the most commonly available.

 

[davethorik]

P&C made them too.

Wright must have gotten a large contract (or something) to build these ratchets, no other reason makes sense. I've handled them and was not impressed, not to mention they are expensive. Model 3482 which is 3/8 and 1/4 combo drive is $95 on amazon!!!!! And they don't have a steel cover for the gear like all the older Thorsen, P&C and Indestro, and the teeth protrude from the head. Only 30t. And they don't make them in different lengths. It's almost like they are on purpose trying to build something that has very little application in real life, a real head scratcher. I love most of their stuff but these make me say WTF.

 

[tdellenburg]

Wow, that's been some purty good feedback. Thanks everyone. I think I'm gonna give the 3/8" a try and just see how it works for me. I'm calling my tool guy now to have him order me one. I appreciate all the information. One things for sure, there are people here who have seen and done all, nobody can dispute that.

 

[bonneyman]

I've assembled a triple play of Thorsen open style and have to say they are quite nice.

 

[four.cycle]

This is the best I can find right now on Ebay. Some of these are on the high side as far as price - I have open-gear Indestros in 3/8" and 1/2" drive, and Thorsens in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive, and I don't belive I paid more than $24.00 (including shipping) for any of them and they were all in nice condition (with dust bands.)

(Action is the same as Thorsen - just branded differently)

Thorsen 77J 3/8" drive open-gear ratchet and 12 3/8" drive 6-pt METRIC sockets w/tray
sockets 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 (NO 10mm) (19mm appears to be cracked)
used
$9.99 + $9.93 shipping now. 0 bids now. ends Sun. 02/19
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thorsen-3-8...:g:-54AAOSwB-1Ym8s4&item=311798572967&vxp=mtr

==

Action 77JA 3/8" drive open-gear ratchet (same as Thorsen)
used
$10.99 + $8.00 shipping OBO "buy now"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Act...:g:xtoAAOSwEzxYcsUR&item=272549490661&vxp=mtr

==

Indestro 6470 1/2" drive open-gear ratchet
used.
$19.99 incl. shipping OBO "buy now"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ind...690118?hash=item3d31cf8ac6:g:mosAAOSw8oFXydIx

==

Indestro 6470 1/2" drive open-gear ratchet
used.
99 cents + $6.85 shipping now. 0 bids now. ends Sat. 02/18
http://www.ebay.com/itm/INDESTRO-SU...481341?hash=item2efd1499bd:g:JpUAAOSwtfhYniKv

==

Indestro 6470 1/2" drive open-gear ratchet and 12-pc 1/2" drive socket set and extension and u-joint w/box
7/16" - 1-1/8" sockets
$18.99 + $25.00 shipping now. 2 bids now. ends Sat. 02/18
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Indestro-64...629439?hash=item58eea0acbf:g:nDoAAOSwB-1YnlCr

==

Companion 1/2" drive open-gear ratchet
used
$9.95 + $6.95 shipping OBO "buy now"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-10-...255859?hash=item5b31aa1c33:g:o-4AAOSwa~BYd7Z4

==

Action 77A 1/2" drive open-gear ratchet (same as Thorsen)
used!
$15.99 incl. shipping "buy now"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACTION-1-2-...:g:yrQAAOxydyxSP6cv&item=361898232978&vxp=mtr

 

[tdellenburg]

Thanks for the feedback gentlemen. I called my tool guy yesterday and had him order me a Wright 3/8" drive.

 

[johninct]

Why not buy a regular ratchet and then warranty it when it wears out.

 

[tdellenburg]

Why not buy a regular ratchet and then warranty it when it wears out.

With all due respect sir I feel this is the mind set that put the tool companies in financial trouble in the first place. It is, in my opinion, much more appropriate to buy the right tool for the job and never have to warranty it.

 

[johninct]

With all due respect sir I feel this is the mind set that put the tool companies in financial trouble in the first place. It is, in my opinion, much more appropriate to buy the right tool for the job and never have to warranty it.

I don't think Snap-On is hurting.

 

[four.cycle]

^ That has nothing to do with tdellenburg's statement.

If you purchase and use the correct to for the job, and use it properly, there isn't a need to be concerned about "warranty".
If "warranty" on hand tools is that great a concern, there exist issues other than the quality of the tools.

 

[gdocktor3]

^ That has nothing to do with tdellenburg's statement.

If you purchase and use the correct to for the job, and use it properly, there isn't a need to be concerned about "warranty".
If "warranty" on hand tools is that great a concern, there exist issues other than the quality of the tools.

Its impossible for anyone to own every correct tool for the job. Even still, if tools never broke, a warranty would never exist in the first place. When most people buy a car, new or used, they ask if the vehicle has a warranty. If given the choice between two items, anything, most people will take the item that has the warranty. Whether its a car, truck, tools, dishwasher, whatever. Why would you not...

 

[tdellenburg]

Its impossible for anyone to own every correct tool for the job.

My reply wasn't concerning that, mine was about the idea of "just buying a regular ratchet" knowing full well it isn't the right tool for the job, and warranty it "when it breaks." If your are buying the tool anyway, which was my premise, then it does make the most sense to buy the right tool for the job, rather than hold the maker responsible for your having used the wrong tool.