Ratchets: why extra long length is not common?

[visionguru]

Just wondering...

 

[Tallpilot]

Past practice would be my guess? In the bad old days the mechanisms were weak so breaker bars were common then a ratchet to spin it off. For that type of work shorter is better since you can spin it faster. Now with stronger materials you can break it loose with your long ratchet and it's just as fast because you don't have to switch drive tools.

Another guess would be cost. Way more steel in a long ratchet.

 

[Dakkyz]

Extra length as in 600mm?

I find 400,440,480mm ratchets all the time normally low tooth count.

Proto make a extra long one, german brands like Elora low tooth count but really strong, Hazet, Gedore, lots of Taiwan brands also.

They don't really have a place in my opinion, you can't go mental with torque on them and any exposed bolt/nut you just take a breaker bar or impact wrench to it.

 

[Onefastgsx]

Kind of random, and I'll probably take some heat because its Harbor Freight, but the extendable 1/2" Pittsburgh Pro ratchet can be really handy sometimes. I dont know if other brands make something similar.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Because cheater pipes exist.

 

[Wamsutta]

They don't really have a place in my opinion

Oh yes they do! Absolutely!

Try turning these with an 8 inch ratchet or even an 11 inch.

 

[finn]

I have the long Snapon flex 1/2” drive ratchet. It’s great for its intended use, but the extra length also makes it clumsy for many other uses.

Als, along with extra length comes extra mass, which means extra inertia, which in turn makes it slower and not as ergonomically friendly to use. Your hand has to accelerate that mass and decelerate it on each swing of the handle.

Smaller, shorter= faster.

 

[rmsg0040]

I only own (1) 1/2 ratchet and that is a SO SLF80 24" long.

3/8 ratchets I prefer 10-12"

1/4 ratchet I prefer 7-12"

Will get a 18" 3/8 ratchet in the future

I got a few cordless impact wrenches that make the ratchets sit most of the time

 

[Wrench97]

Space is the answer, I use long ratchets to break tight bolts loose but if the length only allows 1/8 turn then switch to either power or shorter ratchet to run them out.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Kind of random, and I'll probably take some heat because its Harbor Freight, but the extendable 1/2" Pittsburgh Pro ratchet can be really handy sometimes. I dont know if other brands make something similar.

Manufactured by Infar and sold under several brands. Klutch, EZ-Red, Ampro, Titan, Great Neck, etc.

 

[matt_i]

Because swinging that XL handle gets tiresome after awhile and hits all sorts of obstructions.

I use short ones until I run out of torque. Its a limitation of me.

 

[Wamsutta]

Because swinging that XL handle gets tiresome after awhile and hits all sorts of obstructions.

Not if you got the strut out of the car and clamped in a bench vise; you got all kinds of room to swing that ratchet.

 

[Lisamelting]

I use a 1/2" drive 24" ratchet daily. Couldn't live without it.

 

[Fedwrench]

I don't know, I think XXL ratchets are more common and widely available than ever before, and what was once only available off of a tool truck, are readily available at your local parts house.
I think the real is question is how practical and useful are the uber long ratchets? I own them in three drive sizes and when you need them, i like having them but they aren't used daily. Your results will vary

 

[Indexmill]

Because we invented impact wrenches?

 

[Professional Tool User]

For automotive use, an 18" ratchet is long enough for most uses. Unless you are fighting a decent seized bolt and need the extra leverage, there isn't much a 24" ratchet can do that a 24" breaker bar can't. As others have already mentioned clearance issues, cost of the extra steel, and the increased number of warranty claims are also reasons. It doesn't take that much to break a Snap on 24" flex head ratchet if you really beat on it. All the 24" ones will eventually break if used hard enough.

 

[Handyandy23]

I use my 24" flex head 1/2" ratchet a lot more than my "regular length" one. I agree, use as much leverage as you can fit for the task! The flex head makes it a hundred times more "usable" and able to fit into tighter spots.

I also just picked up the Tekton 1/2" bent handle flex head, which is somewhere around 14-16" long (can't remember exactly atm) and it might be the best of both worlds! It's longer than standard, but not unwieldy, and with both a bent handle and flex head it is very capable of reaching in and around almost anything. I had never used bent handle ratchets before but they are my favorite now.

 

[Jazz1]

Can't see any use for a longer ratchet. SIL calls it "old guy strength required" when he'd come across a overly tight fastener.

 

[pi_guy]

One of the solutions is using a ratchet head on a breaker bar found in many old time boxes.
In my kit there seems to be enough range of ratchet length 3 inches to 2 ft and a 3 ft breaker bar that it is not a problem. Plus I have a set of cheater pipes that help in the places you need a change in length where a longer ratchet will not work. My range of cheater pipes is sized to do allen wrenches also.
I do use most flex head ratchets as you can use them like speed drivers, I work mostly in 1/4 often in restricted space. But use larger sizes on gearbox and wheel nuts.

 

[aka Larry]

Oh yes they do! Absolutely!

Try turning these with an 8 inch ratchet or even an 11 inch.

I've never used any ratchet on a spring compressor. Requires too much effort and takes way too long. My air impact does it easier and quicker.

 

[Dakkyz]

Oh yes they do! Absolutely!

Try turning these with an 8 inch ratchet or even an 11 inch.

I Have never used one of those, my shop we have a foot one, where you put the spring in top and bottom and compress it also in a steel cage for safety reason, and then bigger one for bigger springs.

 

[zkling]

I find them a chore to swing beyond the break loose phase.

 

[BarryWells]

God invented breaker bars. Use it and 10-12 inches of ratchet is all you'll usually need afterwards. Reach CAN be an issue on heavy machinery when a long ratcher "may" come in handy.Usually not.

 

[impactims]

First of all, trying to swing and ratchet an extra long ratchet is not practical. You are much better off loosening with a breaker bar or tbar, then ratcheting out the bolt with a short ratchet. So.....any time a long ratchet could be used, one is better off with a breaker bar and a short ratchet. Unless the bolt is really hard coming all the way out...but that is rare and indicative of other big problems.

So, they just don't have a place in day to day life, hence, they seldom get used.

 

[Wamsutta]

First of all, trying to swing and ratchet an extra long ratchet is not practical. You are much better off loosening with a breaker bar or tbar, then ratcheting out the bolt with a short ratchet.

What if it's something that has a constant tension on it like the aforementioned strut spring compressor; then what?

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

The extra long ratchet seems just a little too long and a standard length ratchet seems just a little too short, leaving the long ratchet as just about right and is usually what I reach for first.

 

[Wamsutta]

I've never used any ratchet on a spring compressor. Requires too much effort and takes way too long. My air impact does it easier and quicker.

The last time I did it was about six times until I figured out how to clock the upper spring seat to the spring. And that six times was with a 11 inch ratchet on one side and a 19mm combination wrench on the other because one side didn't allow room for a socket. I'd a been ecstatic if I could do it "manually" just one time.

 

[L.Cheapo]

What if it's something that has a constant tension on it like the aforementioned strut spring compressor; then what?

I used my long handled 1/2" Snappy ratchet (24"+) last week doing the ball joints on my D44 axle. There was no room to use an impact gun. A breaker bar doesn't generally flex more than 90* from either side of the socket, which would have been an awkward angle, and the job took more than a couple swings with the ratchet, which would have been a PITA with a breaker bar. A long handled ratchet was the right tool.

 

[Wamsutta]

A long handled ratchet was the right tool.

Dang Skippy! That's redneck for "exactly."

 

[davethorik]

I like long ratchets. I don't even really use standard length unless I have to, or using a 3/8 in a 1/4 body. And I'm not the type of guy to strip stuff out or break it all the time, either. I like leverage and reach.

I have 2 name brand 2' 1/2 ratchets and love them both.
Have a nice assortment of long in all sizes. And XL in 3/8 and 1/2.
Assortment of flex heads, which by nature are longer. Still learning to use a flex ratchet more, and I really like the big Cornwell. Break loose/tighten, fold handle and use as a speeder for lug nuts.

I really want that Wright 3/4 railroad ratchet 6425. I think it's 42". I use my Snap-on SLL80A w/ adapter to use my 3/4 sockets, as it's longer than my Bonney 3/4 ratchet. So I need to up my 3/4 game.

 

[impactims]

What if it's something that has a constant tension on it like the aforementioned strut spring compressor; then what?

That falls into the...."Unless the bolt is really hard coming all the way out"....category.

 

[Wamsutta]

That falls into the...."Unless the bolt is really hard coming all the way out"....category.

What you need to do is get an ATD spring compressor and compress some struts for a couple of hours. When I did my job, it took me from 11:30 AM Saturday morning until 4:30 AM Sunday morning only stopping long enough to grab some water. I don't even know how many hours that is. I'm too afraid to add it up.

 

[donebyperry]

Oh yes they do! Absolutely!



Try turning these with an 8 inch ratchet or even an 11 inch.

Yikes. Those are scary [emoji15]


Lead, Follow, or get out of the Way!

 

[CrazyTools]

Just wondering...

I use them all the time. They're practically my go to ratchets. I rarely pick up a breaker bar unless I'm about to do something ludicrous and don't want to damage my 1/2".

 

[R_einan]

Never tried one myself, but I have a ratcheting adapter that I’ve used on my 24” breaker bar a time or two after I’ve broken a bolt loose. I can see the usefulness, but don’t have enough need to justify it.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

You can't make a long ratchet shorter but you can make a short ratchet longer with a cheater.

There's alot more operational flexibility with a short ratchet.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

You see millwrights using them on industrial machines . 1/3 of the crew used Protos, likely a result from company replacements. I had a piece of pike-pole for a snipe.

 

[Lassen Forge]

The torque the longer handle can put on the ratchet mechanism is pretty heavy if someone decided to use it as a breaker bar instead of a long reach ratchet... On a lot of industrial settings (feed belts, production lines, etc.) you need the reach to get into and out of a spot otherwise unreachable, but you have to remember the limitations of the tool...

Otherwise you end up rebuilding a lot of ratchet heads...

 

[WittHay]

I have a long 24" Snap-on and its one of my least used 1/2 ratchets. The ratchets are used mainly to tighten bots. 12" is for 7/16 fasteners. 15" rachet is for 1/2" A 17 or 18" ratchet is for 9/16 and 5/8

When it comes to 3/4" or M20 the 24" 1/2 drive ratchet flexes too much to properly tighten grade 8 or 10.9 fasteners. Some things I feel safe using the 1/2 drive ratchet others I use the 3/4 drive ratchets

 

[CR888]

Modern ratchets can withstand a lot more torque than early designs. I'd have no issues putting 200ftlbs+ through a good 1/2" ratchet of proper length. Most tools have a reason for their existence whether long or short. I use a 17" GW-120xp flex head all the time. You can put a lot more torque through it compared too the small standard one. Many 1/2" ratchets are rated well over 400ftlb these days. When I need a short ratchet that's what I grab, when I need a long one I use it. I like too have at least one XL length in the first 4 drive sizes (1/4"-3/4").