malykaii
Well-known member
Going to grab a bogo deal where I get a free Snap On 1/4 drive ratchet. I get to choose between a 4' or 9' ratchet. I will likely grab the 4, but am wondering if there's any uses for a ratchet as long as the niner?
S.O. 9-Inch Long 1/4d Ratchet?
- Thread starter malykaii
- Start date
Mohawk Dave
Well-known member
I thought I'd use mine a lot. But I don't. In fact, I have too many long 1/4"ers and would like a few more shorties.
I use the long one only for access and not for leverage. But if it's a BOGO, I'd say get the 9". Because it will be easier to find a 4" out in the wild for cheap than a 9".
I use the long one only for access and not for leverage. But if it's a BOGO, I'd say get the 9". Because it will be easier to find a 4" out in the wild for cheap than a 9".
Interesting point, 9' isn't exactly a common ratchet. However, I figure since 4' will come in handy alot, this is the place to splurge on one of the best. I have a 7' ratchet, just can't recall a situation in 7 years I could have truely benefited from the extra 2 inches?
Any examples come to mind?
tank4114
Well-known member
one for me is on some cars removing the roof ariel without dropping hood lining, on some cars the bolt/nut is inside a support brace and a long spanner cant get them while this doesnt happen often it is handy
i work in collision.
i work in collision.
toolaholic
Well-known member
I have a Matco 88 1/4 8 inch long. I used it on my daughters Chevy lumina 3.1 v6 timing cover bolts. Some torqued as high as 35 lb ft( factory spec, probably more torque used for removal). Plus I use it to remove transmission pan bolts. I like the extra leverage it provides.
Roobaix
Well-known member
A 9 foot long 1/4" ratchet would be a little silly, but then again so would a 4 footer 
I have a 9" 1/4" drive ratchet and while I do not use it much, it has gotten me out of a few problems. I do want to buy the 9" 1/4" drive breaker bar. I probably will use it maybe once a year but if it saves me lots of work, to me it is worth it.
Yeah, I like the idea of a flex in this 9 inch size. The breaker bar or the 9 inch ratchet with a flex. For some reason the long ratchet with no flex seems like it might be more prone to needing extensions and what not, which means you could just use 3/8 drive IMHO. The 1/4 required ony if you need (a) the clearance of the smaller ratchet body; (b) smaller stack height of the 1/4 drive socket; or (c) the ultra-thin-wal 1/4 socket dimension for a tight recess. All that aside, the BOGO deal is good value on the parts and probably cheaper than even buying on ebay the individual items.
davethorik
Well-known member
I was looking into buying the 9" 1/4 breaker bar but it's something like $50.
I'd get the longer ratchet if nothing else for resale. The longer will always bring more money if you have to get rid of it.
shockwave
Well-known member
those long 1/4 ratchets work great on timing belt covers on back side for honda and toyota
hautpot
Well-known member
No way! Get the tllf72! Long length for reach and flex for different angles.
Remember the extra length is for reach, not to put a pipe on for more torque.
Remember the extra length is for reach, not to put a pipe on for more torque.
Strouty
Well-known member
They have it in a comfort grip.
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
I found myself wanting a smaller profile head / longer handle 1/4" ratchet recently.
It was just for seat track bolts.
I will probably end up with a 6.5" SK 40971. The added size of a pear-head doesn't appeal to me.
It was just for seat track bolts.
I will probably end up with a 6.5" SK 40971. The added size of a pear-head doesn't appeal to me.
Marcm157
Well-known member
I bought the 9'' 1/4 on an impulse one day a few years ago when I had my truck account paid way down. There was no deal at the time and I think I have used it once. Handle gets in the way too much. I'm holding on to it for that one time I may need it again but regret the purchase.
hautpot
Well-known member
Scooterfish
Well-known member
I bought a SK 40971 about a year ago. It has become the one I always pick up in 1/4 inch drive.
abvw
Well-known member
Great for radiators and fan shrouds, saves the wait to lift the car up to undo the bottom fasteners.
Yes, OP didn't say it was an option though.
Strouty
Well-known member
Yeah, they did not offer it as one of the BOGO deals. You are totally right about the handle hurting though. I have both and I am probably going to sell the non comfort grip. I always thought I would save the plain handles for really messy jobs, but I always grab the comfort grips.
mrjaw14
Well-known member
Where can I find the bogo deal? Don't have a truck
Strouty
Well-known member
A truck, the truck, and only a snap on truck.
mrjaw14
Well-known member
I wish they posted those online for us small guys
Strouty
Well-known member
They will never offer those deals online, it would hurt the drivers. All you need to do is find a local driver and meet up with them, most are fairly friendly, especially if you are buying tools.
hautpot
Well-known member
But also to add, since drivers get a limited amount of the promotional offers, they usually reserve them to their best customers and slowly go from there. Some idiots have the balls to buy them and resell them for full price and eBay. And people buy them too!
I wish I had a driver too.
I wish I had a driver too.
Strouty
Well-known member
But also to add, since drivers get a limited amount of the promotional offers, they usually reserve them to their best customers and slowly go from there. Some idiots have the balls to buy them and resell them for full price and eBay. And people buy them too!
I wish I had a driver too.
I am not really sure I would call that being an idiot.
Aside from protecting the dealers, they also must protect corporate inventory. The flyers and Vigo deals are very regional. The catalog I get in NYC can be very different than one offered in Jersey. If the whole country was competing for the same deals, there would never be enough stock to go around.
But also to add, since drivers get a limited amount of the promotional offers, they usually reserve them to their best customers and slowly go from there. Some idiots have the balls to buy them and resell them for full price and eBay. And people buy them too!
I wish I had a driver too.
You must train your dealer then. I refuse to buy anything unless it's on significant sale or bogo, and even then I find it overpriced. In turn, I get first dibs on the deals. The "good customers" will buy these tools regardless of price.
Having a dealer isn't that great. They come by and annoy you while your trying to work.
It takes balls to sell illegal drugs on ebay. Taking something on sale and selling to suckers who will pay full price required no such balls. Its being resourceful.
You know, if I still serviced cars then your statement sold me. It's perfect for timing belts. However, now I fix trucks, so bleh.
Here's the BOGO in question. I'll be passing on it. Don't really need either of those ratchets it seems. Thanks for clearing that up guys.
The ratchet in either bogo deal is the bonus..... the question is, do you need either 1/4 drive extension set? Lol
i don't know what you guys are talking about. T72 is strong as sh1t. Throw a 10mm or 13mm socket on there and you have a nice set up. You can almost hang on a TLL72. The 1/4" handles are light weight. So you can ratchet FAST. So you have a light weight ratchet, with the length of a std 3/8", that you can spin fast that will fit everywhere.
Anymore, I do as much as I can with 1/4" drive. Snappy 1/4" drive ratchets are so strong, the one thing they lacked was a handle long enough to actually take advantage of all that dual 80 strength. Now they have that handle. I barely use my std length 3/8" anymore.
Anymore, I do as much as I can with 1/4" drive. Snappy 1/4" drive ratchets are so strong, the one thing they lacked was a handle long enough to actually take advantage of all that dual 80 strength. Now they have that handle. I barely use my std length 3/8" anymore.
Fair enough....
On a somewhat related note. I realize we're only talking about 1/4 drive extensions but there IS a difference in quality and strength. I found out personally. This story has been told before here on GJ so if you're already read it, please disregard....
I was trying to remove some stuck lug nuts on a vehicle. They were stuck unbelievably bad! I was using my 25 inch 1/2 drive Snap On ratchet with a Craftsman "Lug Out" socket which is double ended so it requires it to be used with an extension. There is no way to put the socket directly onto the ratchet without an extension. Anyway, see the picture below.... I broke the no-name chinese extension like it was butter. I felt NO resistance while twising off the end of that extension. NONE! It happened as quickly as you can snap your fingers. Next was the 1/2 impact extension from Harbor Freight. Same thing basically. This time I did feel a little bit of resistance but not much, it twisted right off. At this point I knew that if a Snap On extension broke then I would have to go to plan B. I dug out a chrome SO 1/2 drive extension and put my full body weight (290lbs) on that 25 inch ratchet, I heard a loud SNAP... It wasn't the SO extension that broke, it wasn't the SO ratchet that broke, it was the stuck fastener that finally gave in! I won!
This example proved TO ME that there is a difference in the quality of steel used to make theses tools. If I would have only had Chinese junk with me that day, I guarentee the outcome would have been different. The drive end on my 25 inch SO ratchet is stronger than most breaker bars, and my SO 1/2 extensions don't twist off at the mere thought of using them for what they're designed for. lol
Your mileage may vary.
All three extension were used for the same job, on the same day, minutes apart from each other.
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Yeah, the SO extensions are expensive but the SO T72 series is rated to 90 ft pounds, and they need to be used with good quality steel extensions.
Wobbles are deeply undercut extensions and much more likely to break than standard ones. And its worth considering the steel being used. For light duty tasks you can use a HF or Tekton extension to make something fit (change the angle).
The wobble plus stuff tho is really a side-show as the BOGO is offered with regular wobbles sets. The wobble plus selling point is maybe you don't have to buy two separate sets of extensions (regular and wobble), but the jury seems to be out on that argument.
But its worth reading other threads here on GJ--there are definitely some people who would argue the 1/4 extensions are actually one of the snap on products worth owning, at least on special or with a discount if not at full truck retail.
Good luck either way, tho.
Wobbles are deeply undercut extensions and much more likely to break than standard ones. And its worth considering the steel being used. For light duty tasks you can use a HF or Tekton extension to make something fit (change the angle).
The wobble plus stuff tho is really a side-show as the BOGO is offered with regular wobbles sets. The wobble plus selling point is maybe you don't have to buy two separate sets of extensions (regular and wobble), but the jury seems to be out on that argument.
But its worth reading other threads here on GJ--there are definitely some people who would argue the 1/4 extensions are actually one of the snap on products worth owning, at least on special or with a discount if not at full truck retail.
Good luck either way, tho.