EricBigNally
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- Jul 29, 2014
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Great, now I have to go get one... Thanks for the video!
Pittsburgh 1/2 Drive Pro Stress Test
- Thread starter dgxlh
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Look at that crappy foreign ratchet. Guy barely put any torque on it at all and the drive anvil snapped. Obvious piece of ****. Harbor Freight only sells garbage.
(my spot on the local waiting lists for the 1/4 and the 3/8 composite are finally coming up with the truck that comes in on Thursday)
(my spot on the local waiting lists for the 1/4 and the 3/8 composite are finally coming up with the truck that comes in on Thursday)
am i the only one who thinks this was a stupid thing to do. i am glad you broke a ratchet in a vise with a pipe. it proves you can break anything with a pipe. oops, i may get another timeout for not being a sheep.
ps. i am neutral on most things. not a snap-on nut job or harbor freight-ite. i think they are fine ratchets but this kind of thing just rubs me wrong.
ps. i am neutral on most things. not a snap-on nut job or harbor freight-ite. i think they are fine ratchets but this kind of thing just rubs me wrong.
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It proves that the internals can stand up to torquing a bolt so tight that only top of the line impacts can break it loose.
Chadwilliam1
Well-known member
How many teeth are the HF pro ratchets?
71goldss
Well-known member
72 teeth
e30bradley
Well-known member
looks pretty good but that thing was flexing a lot! Flex is wasted energy.. I'm pretty surprised the drive rounded. I would have thought the rat. mech. would strip..
So when you are breaking loose U-bolts, cross members, hitches, and lugnuts...you don't want to know if your ratchet is going to hold up? You don't want to have any confidence while using it?
How's your plastic ratchets working for you?
...well, yeah...it had a four foot cheater on it. It didn't look like it had any flex before that.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I was glad to see it and I'm a "snap-on nut job" when it comes to ratchets. In one of these HF ratchet threads a guy showed a pic of a 1/4" drive that sheared the anvil under normal use; after seeing this test, I assume it must have been a fluke or bad batch if they are all made to the same standards.
Nice video. So far I only have the 3/8. I may get the rest of them before HF realize how popular they are and decide not put them on 50% off sale like their new 72" toolbox. I need to get the new composite ratchet. Here some video on stress testing of the old composite ratchet.
Jarhead0408
Well-known member
Well, I'm no sheep.
I liked this video immensely. HF should post this on their webvsite to prove the toughness of the ratchet.
Seems like a quality product IMO.
Makes me wonder why some people post remarks like that though? Nothing better to do than piss in another guys cheerios?
I liked this video immensely. HF should post this on their webvsite to prove the toughness of the ratchet.
Seems like a quality product IMO.
Makes me wonder why some people post remarks like that though? Nothing better to do than piss in another guys cheerios?
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Probably.
I think you missed the point. Everything can fail. It's how much abuse did the ratchet take before failing. Did he get $30 worth of stress out of the ratchet before failure? I'd say so.
I think the video answered a question most people have had since the ratchets first appeared, it looks pretty on the rack but, how tough is it?
I'd say it's pretty tough.
Honestly I'm a snap on fanboy I've said it many times. In a perfect world is have a snap on 1/2 long handle flex dual 80 for my box but I just can't afford it right now lol I just did this to see how it would hold up and I think its worthy to sit in my box. Plus I'm lacking in 1/2 ratchets
Edit: also the head isn't bulkier than a dual 80 they are pretty comparable in that aspect
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More than that probably, he is at least.... 250 ish, and probably pretty strong by the looks of it. The bar is 2.5 to 3 feet long? To generate 600 ft. lb. he would only have to be exerting 200 pounds to the bar... At least 900 to 1200 ish..
The ratchet was plenty strong enough! lol.... Good show!
That pipe is about 4 feet maybe 4.5 and I was really trying to shatter something so I think its probably in the 900 to 1200 lb area also. I wish I could've measured it. Just couldn't think of anything
true, but flex also means it's still in 1-piece.
nieuport17
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- Jun 20, 2014
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+1 on the great video.
Notorious BRT
Well-known member
Very impressive! Thanks for the test!
Great job on the test. Ratchets are not designed to break bolts that are torqued to that extent. That is what a breaker bar is for. For this ratchet to be able to still function and handle all that is pretty impressive considering the price. Try that with a Sears Crapsman and the shrapnel will probably kill you, your neighbor and his dog!
my plastic ratchets? i have no idea what that means. i don't own any. i do have the new composite and it has worked well in the limited use i have given it. i do think there is a design flaw in them but that comment got deleted.
do i abuse my tools? i try not to break things and i am not proud of it when i do but i did break 3/4 drive proto and sk ratchets trying to remove a flat from my kenworth. it caused me to get a 1 inch drive earthquake impact but that is another story.
as far as i know i am still able to have my own opinion, even here. all that the test showed me is what happened with his . what will happen with the next one? how about the third one? how many in ten would take it. there is variability in everything. there is also a failure rate and you never know what it it is until it fails and that point often varies from item to item. confidence comes with time and experience.
and the comment about useful posts? these new harbor freight ratchets have been the king of causing useless posts. page upon page of useless posts about coo, brand and who know's what and you pick mine to call useless.
thanks for all of the respect.
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All conjecture... this guy actually put one to the test. How many would satisfy you? 5? 10? Send the guy 10 ratchets and I'm sure he'd be happy to test them for you.
mudflap
Well-known member
I think the vid should be sent to SNAP-ON....Just to be fair...If they want to continue down the ching-chong path. So they can see what they will be up against for $24.
conjecture.....an opinion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
hmm. seems to fit pretty well here.
it doesn't matter how many would satisfy me but it is quite apparent that one is more than enough to satisfy most people.
and why should i send him ten ratchets? i didn't ask for the test. is the criteria that you can't make a comment unless you buy one for the test? if so then lots of other people should not comment either.
the op said he didn't have enough money to buy a snap-on. he apparently has enough money to buy the hf and test it to the point of ruin. does he have the money to buy a second one now or do we just turn it in under warranty?
Nobody said this is the be-all, end-all. It's interesting is all... far from useless. I'm not gonna go down this path of negativity with you... enjoy your journey.conjecture.....an opinion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
hmm. seems to fit pretty well here.
it doesn't matter how many would satisfy me but it is quite apparent that one is more than enough to satisfy most people.
and why should i send him ten ratchets? i didn't ask for the test. is the criteria that you can't make a comment unless you buy one for the test? if so then lots of other people should not comment either.
the op said he didn't have enough money to buy a snap-on. he apparently has enough money to buy the hf and test it to the point of ruin. does he have the money to buy a second one now or do we just turn it in under warranty?
i stay on topic and make discussion while others make comments like this.
and yet i am the one on a journey of negativity. i am just fine with my journey.
Ign
Well-known member
Kudos to OP for making the video. I agree that flex is wasted energy, so total torque is impossible to determine in this case, but the point that he took it well beyond normal use and abuse is valid.
To prevent the broken head and better simulate real-world use you need a scrap socket clamped in the vise, maybe with flats ground on it, or welded to angle or channel and then clamped in vise.
If OP proposes more testing I'm sure a board member (sure, I'm volunteering) could make you a fixture from an old socket if you don't have welding or machining capability. I'm thinking mill 2 flats on either side of a socket.
To prevent the broken head and better simulate real-world use you need a scrap socket clamped in the vise, maybe with flats ground on it, or welded to angle or channel and then clamped in vise.
If OP proposes more testing I'm sure a board member (sure, I'm volunteering) could make you a fixture from an old socket if you don't have welding or machining capability. I'm thinking mill 2 flats on either side of a socket.
ratchet_gear
Well-known member
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- Aug 6, 2006
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- 553
One of my local stores finally got them all in. I will be stopping in today to pick up the 3 I need to complete the set before the prices go up on them. I just wish that they would make a long handle 1/4. That would be sweet!!!
ratchet_gear
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And that's the thing, most of us would never put our tools under that kind of stress to begin with. Myself, if I needed to apply that much force to a fastener, I would use a breaker bar instead. It is just nice to know that you have a tool that can take this kind of abuse if worse came to worse and you had no other option.
Thanks again for making this video dgxlh!!!!I bought the short handle 1/2 inch, but where would the long handle be helpful?
I can't imagine its size being easy to get into a lot of tight spaces, and shouldn't anything that requires that much leverage to break loose be broken loose with a breaker bar?
I can't imagine its size being easy to get into a lot of tight spaces, and shouldn't anything that requires that much leverage to break loose be broken loose with a breaker bar?
Please don't. you will go flying much easier.
You're all missing the point.
Expensive tools aren't necessarily all about putting up the biggest number- if someone does this with a snap-on ratchet, and it fails earlier, I'm not going to stop buying them. Making a ratchet that can hold up to a heavy load is not difficult. I suspect I could do it quite easily in a day or two in a machine shop. Snap-On, Matco, Proto, whoever- those ratchets are expensive because they are engineered well and have tight quality controls in place, so that you know what you're getting when you put your money on the barrel. Reference the member who broke the 1/4" version of this ratchet under normal use... Would you rather buy a 1/2" ratchet that is going to handle 250 ft-lb every single time, regardless of which batch your ratchet is from, or would you want one that might handle 400 ft-lb but also might only handle 100?
I know who's gonna get my money.
I have the capability to do a realistic test of a ratchet failure... with a torque transducer that has resolution in hundredths of Nm. Some day I need to take up a collection, buy a boatload of ratchets, and do a REAL test.
Expensive tools aren't necessarily all about putting up the biggest number- if someone does this with a snap-on ratchet, and it fails earlier, I'm not going to stop buying them. Making a ratchet that can hold up to a heavy load is not difficult. I suspect I could do it quite easily in a day or two in a machine shop. Snap-On, Matco, Proto, whoever- those ratchets are expensive because they are engineered well and have tight quality controls in place, so that you know what you're getting when you put your money on the barrel. Reference the member who broke the 1/4" version of this ratchet under normal use... Would you rather buy a 1/2" ratchet that is going to handle 250 ft-lb every single time, regardless of which batch your ratchet is from, or would you want one that might handle 400 ft-lb but also might only handle 100?
I know who's gonna get my money.
I have the capability to do a realistic test of a ratchet failure... with a torque transducer that has resolution in hundredths of Nm. Some day I need to take up a collection, buy a boatload of ratchets, and do a REAL test.
This thread led me to find these articles. Good reads on 1/2" and 3/8" ratchets.
http://www.hotrod.com/feature_stories/1310_ratchet_handles_torture_test/
http://www.truckinweb.com/editorial/1210tr_truckin_tough_3_8_inch_ratchet_test/
http://www.hotrod.com/feature_stories/1310_ratchet_handles_torture_test/
http://www.truckinweb.com/editorial/1210tr_truckin_tough_3_8_inch_ratchet_test/
So here's the thing. This test wasn't mean to be a scientific test of multiple brands or HF vs Snap On or even a test of how much the ratchet could handle.
This test was a simple let's see what it can take under real world applications and besides it being in a vice this is pretty real world. There isn't a shop I've been in where I haven't seen a cheater pipe.
Did I purposely go till it broke. Yes I wanted to see what it would take.
This was literally a let's see how far it can go.
Thank you all for your comments and input.
It is much appreciated
This test was a simple let's see what it can take under real world applications and besides it being in a vice this is pretty real world. There isn't a shop I've been in where I haven't seen a cheater pipe.
Did I purposely go till it broke. Yes I wanted to see what it would take.
This was literally a let's see how far it can go.
Thank you all for your comments and input.
It is much appreciated
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