Ratchet Tooth Count Question

[DonglordActual]

I know that 24, 36, and 72 are the most common tooth counts for ratchets with 80, 90, and 100 becoming more common but when exactly was the time period when the jumps from 24 to 36 and 36 to 72 happened?

I ask this because I have a ratcheting wrench with only 18 teeth.

Gearless: 1950s (was the Blackhawk Free Wheeling ratchet the first?)
80-tooth: 2000s
90/100-tooth: 2010s

 

[plinker]

Snap-on went from 36 tooth (936 series) to 80 tooth (dual 80's) about early-mid 2000's. I have an FC936 dated '03. Pre 936 series was the 832 series, those changed from 32 to 36 tooth in the early 90's, IIRC.

Danaher also had started the Gearwrench/Matco 60 tooth ratchets about that same time.

 

[bonneyman]

I used to be concerned with tooth numbers but I think it's more about good design and precise manufacturing than simply the number of teeth.

I have an old 1930's Herbrand ratchet with 20 teeth that's as smooth as glass, yet my 1990's Bonney roundheads with (effective) 72 teeth are clunky to me. And I just bought a pair of Harbor Freight composite ratchets that are freaking nice. Cheap or not!

 

[WWheeler]

FWIW as far back as 1970 Craftsman and others were using the Moore Drop Forge / Easco (1968 patent iirc) round head fine tooth (RHFT) ratchets that had an asynchronous double pawl that effectively doubled the # of clicks, or range of travel between the # of teeth, so the 1/2"dr had 45 teeth = 90 clicks, so ~4° of travel between teeth engagement, the 3/8"dr had 41 teeth = 82 clicks / ~4.4° arc swing, and the 1/4"dr had 35 teeth = 70 clicks / ~5.1° of arc swing.

 

[Josey Wales]

I used to be concerned with tooth numbers but I think it's more about good design and precise manufacturing than simply the number of teeth.

^This. The other day I discovered my 6 degree swing, fine tooth ratchet, had 10 degrees of slop in it.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

S-K 47170 has been 70T since mid- late 30s I think.

 

[davethorik]

FWIW as far back as 1970 Craftsman and others were using the Moore Drop Forge / Easco (1968 patent iirc) round head fine tooth (RHFT) ratchets that had an asynchronous double pawl that effectively doubled the # of clicks, or range of travel between the # of teeth, so the 1/2"dr had 45 teeth = 90 clicks, so ~4° of travel between teeth engagement, the 3/8"dr had 41 teeth = 82 clicks / ~4.4° arc swing, and the 1/4"dr had 35 teeth = 70 clicks / ~5.1° of arc swing.

Duro patented first twin pawl ratchet long before Craftsman/Easco rhft.

Some Wright round-head ratchets have had twin pawl since late 50s. That s why SK's new DT is so "innovative".

I know you adore the RHFT but they were by NO means the first twin pawl ratchet.

 

[WWheeler]

Duro patented first twin pawl ratchet long before Craftsman/Easco rhft.

Some Wright round-head ratchets have had twin pawl since late 50s. That s why SK's new DT is so "innovative".

I know you adore the RHFT but they were by NO means the first twin pawl ratchet.

Good to know. Didn't see where I said anything about them being 'first'.

Can you elaborate on the tooth counts / swing arc and dates they were available, you know the OP's purpose of this thread?

 

[davethorik]

Good to know. Didn't see where I said anything about them being 'first'.

Can you elaborate on the tooth counts / swing arc and dates they were available, you know the OP's purpose of this thread?

You didn't say first but hinted that the RHFT started the high tooth ratchet trend. So no my post didn't answer the op any more than yours did, I was commenting on your post.

Op- Cornwell introduced a gearless ratchet in the 1920s, probably one of, if not the earliest.

 

[WWheeler]

You didn't say first but hinted that the RHFT started the high tooth ratchet trend. So no my post didn't answer the op any more than yours did, I was commenting on your post.

Op- Cornwell introduced a gearless ratchet in the 1920s, probably one of, if not the earliest.

The OP was asking about tooth counts and dates they were available. My reply went straight to that. I only added the asynchronous double pawl info because it doubled the ratcheting action with regards to the tooth count. I don't think I could have answered the OP's post any better with regards to that ratchet I know just a little about. I didn't think I hinted at anything other than that. I sure didn't mean to.

Now I am genuinely curious as to the tooth counts and swing arcs and first dates of availability of the ratchets you mentioned.

 

[bonneyman]

I wanna say Bonney first dual see-saw pawl design was with the -702K ratchets in 1967. (Puts them right around the time that EASCO did their RHFT). Only difference was Bonney had the pawls offset from one another, which spread the wear out along the inner gear teeth. Plus their actual 36 teeth got doubled to 72.

S-K's roundhead was and is 45 teeth, with their new upgrade borrowing the Bonney idea and effectively "doubling" the tooth count to 90.

 

[Wamsutta]

I like to hear some kind of a sound when I'm turning a ratchet. My Cornwell ratchet is too quiet even though it's a 30 tooth. So far for me the most pleasing ratchet sound comes from a Snap-on Dual 80.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

S-K's roundhead was and is 45 teeth,

SK has used a different count for every size.
1/4s are 60
3/8 40
1/2 50
3/4 70
Or doubled, at least in the classic round heads.

 

[bonneyman]

SK has used a different count for every size.
1/4s are 60
3/8 40
1/2 50
3/4 70
Or doubled, at least in the classic round heads.

I guess the 45170 3/8"er is 40 teeth. My mistake.

I never had need for any finer mechanism. The S-K round heads were fine enough for my work. But I have felt the urge to maybe get something a bit finer lately. Leave it to S-K to come out with a drop-in kit to make their great old ratchet even better!

 

[xin]

To me really don't matter if they got 36 or more. If you got the skills to fix stuff (really a mute point).

 

[Mgdoug3]

I was thinking Wright had the first dual pawl ratchet. AA has one ratchet with a date cold of 1960, model N500. Any of the RH ratchets were the first "high" tooth ratchets. Some of them, like S-K (my favorite), are still around.

 

[jc4635]

I know this is an older thread, but Duro Metals had a dual pawl in the mid 1940s and they had a pressed flange sealed design and lots of internals so they didn’t sell them for very long due to cost!!! 4499 (3/8) and 699 (1/2) drive.