SK Goes Boom
- Thread starter DSLTRK
- Start date
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
I blew up a 3/8 like that once, warranty it. I've killed many ratchets. Just nature of the beast. It seems the SK mech is strong enough to outlast the head casting. Normally GW/Matco/Armstrong explode sending the snap ring flying, snap on usually slip and grab in another position.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
Looks like a brittle fracture - no sign of deformation at all. Interesting! Unfortunate, but interesting.
Rabid Badger
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,338
Knuckles intact?
Professional Tool User
Well-known member
Hard to believe the case was the weak spot on this one. I was expecting broken teeth, a snapped off drive, or bent/broken ears on the bar. Oh well... turn her in for a new one and hope this doesn't happen again.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
You're thinking of that one brand that you don't want to mention.
bwringer
Well-known member
We need a metallurgist up in here to examine those fracture surfaces.
Indexmill
Well-known member
Jeeze. I have never broken a ratchet. Always use something else if too tight.
SK will certainly take good care of you.
SK will certainly take good care of you.
10-4 I'd expect the teeth on the pawl to go before the head split. Must have been a defect.Snap-on? Yes, they fail at the anvil (by design). I saw a video a while back where other brands failed at the anvil too (can't remember which brands though)
AreYaSerious
Well-known member
Damn, you really broke it. Impressive
Coach James
Well-known member
I don't have my glasses on, but the metal looks "grainy".
Coach
Coach
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
An SK round head 3/8 anvil will snap off of an over-leveraged ratchet; I've done it on a 3870.M6erfan said:
And let's be honest, the kits in the 72/80 series SO ratchets aren't to replace the anvil most of the time.
That's what forged steel looks like when it breaks. You're seeing the grain structure because its a rough break. If you were to cut it or drill it you'd be polishing as well and it would look shiny like you'd expect.
Dieselhammer
Well-known member
I'd definitely say you got a dud because that exact ratchet is my go to 1/2" everyday and i've never even had mine rebuilt. I've broken 3 SK ratchets in my life, two 1/4" drive's on the same day and the anvil sheared off, and one 3/8" regular length exactly like yours, but it was because i was using it on 7/8" bolt heads frozen on the front end of a 1978 Ford truck and i didnt want to walk back to other shop to get my 1/2" drive so i jumped on the ratchet like an idiot and it blew apart like that.
The second photo, although a bit out of focus, shows dark areas on the face of the fracture. It would be interesting to see a better photo of those faces.
The dark areas are old fractures that have corroded or have been exposed to lubricant, moisture, or dirt. That means the head was already compromised before this recent event put it over the edge. Possibly a manufacturing fault.
The dark areas are old fractures that have corroded or have been exposed to lubricant, moisture, or dirt. That means the head was already compromised before this recent event put it over the edge. Possibly a manufacturing fault.
RPH
Well-known member
This, I was noticing the same area of distress. This failure started quite awhile ago.
cherrybomb
Well-known member
I hope your warrenty process is successful, report back please!This is what sells more tools.The customer service after the sale is also very important.Unhappy customer spends his money elsewhere.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
The ratcheting mechanism is usually the strongest part of the ratchet. The anvil almost always shears off first except on maybe the cheapest, nastiest ratchets. However, the ratcheting mechanism usually wears out well before the anvil does, and will eventually start skipping teeth.
I've broken plenty of breaker bars - never a ratchet. In fact, it's usually always a ratchet with a cheater on it that ends up removing the bolt after the breaker bar gets destroyed.
The Tool Tyrant
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hurc McGuirk? 
BarryWells
Well-known member
No worries with SK. They will likely send a head or whole ratchet but may want the old one back for review of the steel.
I know if I was the boss man i'd be over at heat treat and toss it at their supervisor with a WTF man ?
Yeah, my guess is they want to take a close look at it and analyze the failure.
DerekV
Well-known member
Wow. Good to hear they're taking care of you.
nmantas
Well-known member
Too bad an SK rep couldn't chime in. Remember when we used to have an active SK rep on the forum until the tool polisher/collectors chased him off harassing him about functionally-meaningless issues with chrome and detents that 99.5% of their customers wouldn't care about.
Downwindtracker 2
Well-known member
Sh** happens. A padded envelope at the post office is easy enough, the real pain is either the cost of replacing it , even if it is only temporary, or doing without.
USPS Flat rate priority legal size envelope $7.65. (reinforce the edges and wrap it well)
Handyandy23
Well-known member
If they want it back to analyze then they should be paying for the shipping. Stuff like this I don't get. If it was questionable / looked like it was damaged from abuse then I can see the company making you pay to return. A break like this is just a straight defect so not sure why, as a company, they wouldn't be very apologetic and paying all costs associated with replacing it.
Stooge
Well-known member
if that's the 17" one, I have the same ratchet and I have to say that im pretty impressed with that break, that thing is a beast! Good to hear they are taking care of it, but I have to wonder if they want it back so they can inspect it to see why it broke the way it did, (as in for their own cases sort of way, not in an insinuating you misused it kind of way).
Like I said, it is just a guess on my part. If you really are curious about their intentions, give them a call and ask them.
plinker
Well-known member
Interesting break, My Dad had gotten a used 15" 1/2 drive ratchet and the teeth were trashed. Never saw that on an S-K before.
Before the whole "take a picture of it and we'll send a new one" type of warranty process was started (I believe Snap-on was first, could be wrong), In order to get tools warrantied you either had to stop by a dealer selling the product or mail it back on your dime.
Just the way it is and/or was & I dont get the big deal about it.
The lack of local S-K dealers/retailer makes it a bit more of a pain in the sense you would pretty much have to mail it in, I would agree.
Before the whole "take a picture of it and we'll send a new one" type of warranty process was started (I believe Snap-on was first, could be wrong), In order to get tools warrantied you either had to stop by a dealer selling the product or mail it back on your dime.
Just the way it is and/or was & I dont get the big deal about it.
The lack of local S-K dealers/retailer makes it a bit more of a pain in the sense you would pretty much have to mail it in, I would agree.
Sevenhills1952
Well-known member
If it cost $75, you can ship for $8... I would just do that and be happy.
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