Has anyone used a cordless or air ratchet and found that it comes in handy in a few situations compared to a standard ratchet? I'm talking about automotive work. I got another tool itch that needs scratching and thought maybe to buy an air or cordless ratchet to work on some of my personal vehicles.
Power ratchets vs hand tool ratchets
- Thread starter skernv99
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rsk4today
Active member
I just replaced the rear main seal on my Jeep Wrangler. My battery powered ratchet sure made removing and reinstalling all 28 oil pan bolts a lot easier and faster.
Do you already use a battery platform?
I have a M12 3/8" (non Fuel) ratchet and I like it. But, I find it too bulky for relatively tight quarters, and don't use it as much as I thought I would. It's a nice tool to have but not a must have IMO.
I get much more use out of my M12 1/4" impact wrench
I have a M12 3/8" (non Fuel) ratchet and I like it. But, I find it too bulky for relatively tight quarters, and don't use it as much as I thought I would. It's a nice tool to have but not a must have IMO.
I get much more use out of my M12 1/4" impact wrench
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plinker
Well-known member
I use my M12 non fuel ratchet a lot. It doesnt have a lot of torque so I tend to use it as a "nut runner" mostly. Even so it makes for faster work then a manual ratchet. It is a tad bulky in some cases.
I dont have much use for an air ratchet at all except for maybe a 1/4 that I have not used in a long while. Torque isnt much (if any) better with air then battery, IMO.
I dont have much use for an air ratchet at all except for maybe a 1/4 that I have not used in a long while. Torque isnt much (if any) better with air then battery, IMO.
I have the Milwaukee stubby impact 1/2 drive which I love and was going to get the 1/4" stubby impact for smaller stuff but I was thinking for situations where I might not have room to put the stubby impact in and something slim like a cordless or air ratchet would be better. For air ratchets, I was looking at the Mac Tools ratchet (65 lbs of torque) that they have on special in their flyer as well as the Snap on PTR72 (70lbs of torque). For cordless, I was looking at either the long neck Snap on or the 3/8" Milwaukee fuel,
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toolaholic
Well-known member
I use a little 1/4 drive ingersol rand when I have a lot nuts/bolts. For instance when I did water pump on my Dakota R/T I got sick of all the bolts on the accessory bracket and broke out the little Ingersol. It’s rated at 20lb ft. Torque on brakes bolts was supposed to be 30 so I followed up with torque wrench
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BarryWells
Well-known member
Hand tools.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I would not want to be without my M12 cordless ratchets & stubby impacts.
As others have posted, they won't fit everywhere but, that's when you might need to get creative with an extension & swivel socket instead of being right on top of the fastener.
The cordless tools save your wrists and body the repetition of countless ratchet swings accomplishing tasks quicker and easier.
Before my M12s, i used 1/4 pneumatic ratchets all the time but, they were friggin loud.
Especially under a dash in close quarters. I don't miss using them.
I still have a wide assortment if hand ratchets but, i use cordless whenever i can
As others have posted, they won't fit everywhere but, that's when you might need to get creative with an extension & swivel socket instead of being right on top of the fastener.
The cordless tools save your wrists and body the repetition of countless ratchet swings accomplishing tasks quicker and easier.
Before my M12s, i used 1/4 pneumatic ratchets all the time but, they were friggin loud.
Especially under a dash in close quarters. I don't miss using them.I still have a wide assortment if hand ratchets but, i use cordless whenever i can
visionguru
Well-known member
I have Ingersoll Rand 1/4" 12v ratchet.
Only found it useful in one situation so far : removing timing belt cover bolts on Honda. Some of the bolts are located in very cramped spaces, which only allows about 60 degrees of ratchet swing. It took forever to get the bolts out with regular ratchet. With the cordless ratchet, they came out in no time.
For bolts with a lot of room, ratchets are slower but work just fine. It's the bolts in tight spaces call for a cordless ratchet.
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plinker
Well-known member
FWIW, the m12 fuel ratchets have more torque then the non fuel and they are coming out with a long neck version. The people I know that have the Snap-on battery ratchets really like them, they seem to have a bit more torque then the M12. If you are already set-up with Milwaukee, it may pay to stick to that battery system.
I have the non fuel 1/4 impact and it works well and it can get into tighter spaces then the 3/8 stubby impacts I have (which I defiantly would not want to do without).
ajchien
Well-known member
I went cordless m12 1/4, and m12 3/8 fuel. I have a ryobi 1/2 impact.
There are many situations where 1) they don’t fit, and 2) they don’t have enough torque to break loose the Fastener, and 3) they have too much torque they overtightened a fastener.
On the other hand, there are many other situations where 1) there are so many tedious turns of the ratchet needed to get a nut or bolt out, 2) so many total number of bolts to take out, 3) those times where it’s tedious to ratchet a fastener out yet it’s still too tight to spin it out with your fingers ... that cordless really helps out on.
Power over hand is preferred by me now. For disassembly, 8-10mm head, I consider my 1/4. For 10-12mm I think of my 3/8. For 12+, I like to go to my impact wrench. For reassembly, I’ll consider the 1/4 first. I’m ocd with reassembly though, many things I still hand torque/torque wrench just to make sure.
Overall I think power makes things so faster. The days of me spending time with my tools and car for hobby/relaxation are gone. I just want to be finished.
There are many situations where 1) they don’t fit, and 2) they don’t have enough torque to break loose the Fastener, and 3) they have too much torque they overtightened a fastener.
On the other hand, there are many other situations where 1) there are so many tedious turns of the ratchet needed to get a nut or bolt out, 2) so many total number of bolts to take out, 3) those times where it’s tedious to ratchet a fastener out yet it’s still too tight to spin it out with your fingers ... that cordless really helps out on.
Power over hand is preferred by me now. For disassembly, 8-10mm head, I consider my 1/4. For 10-12mm I think of my 3/8. For 12+, I like to go to my impact wrench. For reassembly, I’ll consider the 1/4 first. I’m ocd with reassembly though, many things I still hand torque/torque wrench just to make sure.
Overall I think power makes things so faster. The days of me spending time with my tools and car for hobby/relaxation are gone. I just want to be finished.
ajchien
Well-known member
If you already have Milwaukee M12, I would consider the 3/8 non fuel.
I’ve got the m12 1/4 non fuel and the m12 3/8 fuel. Although the torque is supposed to be twice as much with the 3/8 fuel, it has not made a difference practically for me. Most often, the bolts that the 1/4 non fuel didn’t have enough power to get, the 3/8 fuel also couldn’t loosen. And then you just crank on the handle of the tool to break it loose prior to spinning it off with power.
I’m frankly a little skittish about really hand pulling hard on the 1/4” non fuel because the handle is 10” long. Yeah, I know we have a warranty, but I really don’t want to break the square anvil and the hassle of tool downtime. The 3/8 fuel I have is simply on the borderline of being too heavy and unwieldy. Overall, I still think these are good purchases for me.
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Dakkyz
Well-known member
I have a 3/8 mini Mac can't remember the product code off top of my head and a Elora 1/2 air ratchet as well, both air, and yes they are super helpful, when a bolt is in a tidus and annoying place which is a lot it will take 5 seconds to get it in and tightened up while with a hand ratch could be there 5 mins fiddling plus the stress you put on yourself, I haven't found a good electric ratchet just yet.
If your using them daily, might be worth having some noise canceling ear plugs in as these can get loud.
If your using them daily, might be worth having some noise canceling ear plugs in as these can get loud.
replaced a heater core in a 1989 GMC Van years back, 1/4 air ratchet was a life saver getting the dash off
taumac
Well-known member
I recently got M12 non fuel combo kit with the 3/8 ratchet. I find it very useful in short time I’ve owned it. Right now I’m still using a standard ratchet to give it fastener final torque.
BiggityBen
Well-known member
i'm an over the road technician, so it took a while for battery ratchets to be on the market reasonably priced but after getting a nonfuel M12 1/4" ratchet i never want to go back. i have the fuel versions of 1/4 and 3/8 at home and a pneumatic 1/4" IR that i use all the time. huge time savers but most importantly huge savers on wear 'n' tear on your arms. i don't understand how technicians continued working into their 60's without these things
JoeMcGov
Well-known member
I have the cordless AC Delco branded 3/8" drive 12 volt and it is priceless.
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
And most power tools are faster as well!
If you work on cars for a living, there is zero reason to use hand tools, unless power tools will not fit, or the work is delicate/crusty.
My m12 ratchet and universal impact style sockets are my go to for engine bay stuff. My SP Air 3/8 impacting air ratchet is fantastic. Ditch the hand tools, save your time and more importantly, your body.
Robby321
Well-known member
Try and pull a car front seat sometime, as some have zero "room" to swing wrench and ratchet out..
The small reactionless pneumatics are small, light, fast and just plain useful. While most folks buy the bigger, clumsier cordless styles like Milwaukee's, I just don't get it. For the money you get such a better spec'd tool that's far better quality with pneumatic. I suppose the battery tools are in 'fashion' at present.
Air hose, noise, compressor noise, etc. I've not been around an air ratchet in years and I can say not hearing that **** all day has been wonderful
G1GRANDEUR
Well-known member
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long as space isn't the issue, i use snap on power ratchet at work. once you are used to it, it's hard to go back 
Back In The Saddle
Active member
Wisdom. Yeah it's fun as **** to break rusted bolts by hand, but you do that day in and day out, only hobby you'll have when you retire is painting watercolors using your mouth. My grandfather used to always say to not wait to do something until it becomes a necessity. I saw so many old timers in my industry that were using power ratchets towards the end of their careers because it got to the point that they had to.
I have a Milwaukee electric ratchet,
Horrid bulky thing, not particularly powerful, i barely ever use it. Usually, only when inside the cab.
I also have a small 3/8 air ratchet from astro, its pretty good now and then. Best put on a swivel air fitting.
Horrid bulky thing, not particularly powerful, i barely ever use it. Usually, only when inside the cab.
I also have a small 3/8 air ratchet from astro, its pretty good now and then. Best put on a swivel air fitting.
I just did my leaking valve cover gaskets and did the RMS just a couple months ago on my 2004 Wrangler. Both jobs, my Milwaukee 3/8 stubby impact made real fast work of removing the bolts. Upon reinstallation, after hand starting all bolts, I also used the stubby to reinstall the bolts using the "snug" feature. That's what I refer to the feature that stops the wrench when it bottoms out without applying additional torque. Then used my 3/8" torque wrench to finish the job.
Reason I did not use my Milwaukee cordless ratchets is because there are a lot of small fasteners and I could access them all with the stubby and an extension. Made the job not only easy but very fast.
I use my cordless ratchets more for jobs with fewer fasteners or where I do not have room to get the stubby in there to access the fastener... I rarely use my hand ratchets any more. And yet I have probably 40 hand ratchets....If I am using hand tools on fasteners for automotive work its usually a cordless or a ratcheting wrench or both, and of course a torque wrench.
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bczygan
Well-known member
All of the above.
Bill
Bill
dnschmidt
Well-known member
To me the Fuel are too big. The best air ratchets are the SPAir impacting ratchets and the best of these are the sealed models. No wrist breaking and 45 ft-lb of torque. (That's no ******** torque, not an imaginary number that Milwaukee pulled out of their *** for the Fuel ratchets.) They are also tiny compared to normal air ratchets or battery powered ratchets.
+1 @Yarpo.
I agree that air tools (for now) are smaller/lighter/cheaper/ for the most part, but I do not miss having an air line around and noisy compressor going. Especially in a small shop.
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RedneckWelder
Well-known member
I prefer to use air/battery tools as much as possible. For me I get a ton of use out of my 3/8 air impact and 1/4” hex Milwaukee M12. It’s powerful enough to get loose most bolts up to 10mm (16mm head) and sometimes 12mm (18mm head) plus the bit sets are great for interior work and doing stuff like replacing light bulbs. Much better than using hand tools.
reader2580
Well-known member
I was wishing I had a battery ratchet a few weeks ago when replacing steps on a fire tower at a Boy Scout camp. The longest part of the whole process was spinning on the nuts by hand and then tightening with a hand ratchet. It didn't help that the bolts were an inch longer than needed to be.
I don't know if it is worth $200 to get a ratchet that I might not use that often.
I don't know if it is worth $200 to get a ratchet that I might not use that often.
GirchyGirchy
Well-known member
I was able to remove and replace the brake line clamps on my C1500 without dropping the tank, thanks to my Milwaukee M12s. I love 'em.