Ratcheting Wrench Vs. Ratchet

[TheRobotCow]

There will be times where a ratchet and socket will NOT fit so a wrench will be the tool required. If it's a ratcheting wrench it'll make life a lot easier.

A tiny bit off topic but these are the 2 sets of ratcheting wrenches i'm looking to purchase in the future

Gearwrench set
http://www.gearwrench.com/wrenches/...ic-xl-flex-gearbox-ratcheting-wrench-set.html

Platinum by Atd(These have the lip and are reversible)
http://atdtools.com/99650

 

[hangfirew8]

As opposed to the Craftsman stubby 3/8 x 7/16 and 1/2 x 9/16 double box wrenches which I have used a lot. Sadly, there are no metric equivalents.

Really? How about:
SK 86198 (6 point)
SK 86188 (12 point)

The 12 point shows up often on eBay as Gov't surplus NSN 5120-00-103-9782 , SK and other brands as supplied to the Gov't over the years.

 

[Under_Pressure]

There will be times where a ratchet and socket will NOT fit so a wrench will be the tool required. If it's a ratcheting wrench it'll make life a lot easier.

A tiny bit off topic but these are the 2 sets of ratcheting wrenches i'm looking to purchase in the future

Gearwrench set
http://www.gearwrench.com/wrenches/...ic-xl-flex-gearbox-ratcheting-wrench-set.html

Platinum by Atd(These have the lip and are reversible)
http://atdtools.com/99650

Those ATDs look sweet. Thinking I may pick up a set of those. One thing I wish there were more of is double box end ratcheting wrenches. Never understood why most ratcheting wrenches are combos- if anything, a ratcheting box and a standard box may make some sense (for breaking loose then removing). But for the most part, anyone who is buying ratcheting wrenches probably has multiple sets of regular combo wrenches and thus plenty of open ends floating around. Give me two ratcheting sizes on one wrench to minimize cost and toolbox space usage.

On the topic of ratcheting wrenches generally, I am firmly in the camp that says they are nice to have, but certainly not mandatory. Though I do understand that certain applications on modern cars (in cramped engine bays, etc.) make them very desirable for some applications. And yeah, a pro mechanic who runs into these situations regularly and to whom time really is money, they may be a no brainer. But I would only use them when they are all that fits; whenever a real ratchet and socket can fit, that is what I will use. It just seems sooo much nicer. There is basically nothing a ratcheting wrench can do that a standard combo wrench can't; it just may do it faster.

 

[vintagespeed1956]

meh. i've got by for 45yrs with regular deep/shallow metric/standard sockets, a couple good ratchets & extensions and a set of metric/standard wrenches. i dont have any fancy "ratchet wrenches" or a giant box of tools.

last week i pulled the trans & replaced the clutch in my son's '98 VW
a few weeks back i rebuilt the motor & replaced all the internal trans gears/shafts in my '67 Triumph T120R('70 TR6C unit motor/trans (edit: and before you try to jump my **** about Whitworth, the '69+ motors were mostly UNF/UNC.)
couple years back i rebuilt the trans in my Dodge 2500 4x4, 5.9L (including the OD housing)

and i've done hundreds of other small and large projects without the fancy stuff.

 

[retDAC]

There will be times where a ratchet and socket will NOT fit so a wrench will be the tool required. If it's a ratcheting wrench it'll make life a lot easier.

A tiny bit off topic but these are the 2 sets of ratcheting wrenches i'm looking to purchase in the future

Gearwrench set
http://www.gearwrench.com/wrenches/...ic-xl-flex-gearbox-ratcheting-wrench-set.html

Platinum by Atd(These have the lip and are reversible)
http://atdtools.com/99650

The ATD you referenced are made by Kabo in Taiwan and used to be imported under the EZ-Red brand. Now they are imported under both the ATD and Mountain brands.

 

[LXCam]

meh. i've got by for 45yrs with regular deep/shallow metric/standard sockets, a couple good ratchets & extensions and a set of metric/standard wrenches. i dont have any fancy "ratchet wrenches" or a giant box of tools.

last week i pulled the trans & replaced the clutch in my son's '98 VW
a few weeks back i rebuilt the motor & replaced all the internal trans gears/shafts in my '67 Triumph T120R('70 TR6C unit motor/trans (edit: and before you try to jump my **** about Whitworth, the '69+ motors were mostly UNF/UNC.)
couple years back i rebuilt the trans in my Dodge 2500 4x4, 5.9L (including the OD housing)

and i've done hundreds of other small and large projects without the fancy stuff.

And I bet you'd grab a pick and shovel before hopping on a backhoe if given the chance too.


Ain't nothing with with performing with the basics. Most all of us have done it that way for many years. But damn, if given the chance to make life just a little better without braking the bank is sure a nice way to go sometimes.

 

[Bross956]

Off the Topic (scanner)

Sorry guys to go off the topic I posted but I wanna keep it all in the same post. Ok getting sick of driving to my dad's house to borrow his Mac scanner. So its time to buy one, I have never needed to pull SRS/ABS codes just live date and check eng. All Honda's in the family, I'm looking at Autel AL 619 or Innova 3100. Budget is $140, I would go with the Bluetooth-iPhone setup but my neighbors are always borrowing my tools so no on that. Thanks for any advice or tips...

 

[bonneyman]

I'm with those guys 100%. Ratchet wrenches come after you have socket and combo wrench sets. Good luck bud, I've been collecting for forty years and still get new stuff every week. When I die and the wife gets a real look at all this ****, she's gonna drag my lifeless body out the coffin and beat my *** just on principle

 

[logical]

I've been working on a Snapper mower and it has nut for the discharge chute, I can only get at it with a ratchet wrench. Best part is the wrench set came from a member of the GJ.

Its a vicious circle. I don't think you bought mine but I recently sold my zero offset non-reversible ratcheting wrenches after I fell into a deal on a set of reversible ones with a slight offset. Everyone on here talks about how superior the reversible ones are so figured I didn't need both.

Sure enough, I had to replace a worn belt idler pulley on my mower deck last weekend and the access to the nut was not even an wide between the deck and the bottom of the pulley. The ratcheting end wouldn't fit in either direction. A zero offset would have been perfect. On the other hand, I don't wrench for a living and having to use the open end of the wrench only added about two minutes to the job.