Chrome Vanadium Cody
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
- Messages
- 663
I bought a rusty Speedmaster 1/4” drive ratchet at a garage sale last week. It was frozen up solid but I figured I’d see if I could get it working. It had a thumbwheel on the back so I assumed it was a regular ratchet made by Wright- I had a Wright made Powr Kraft 1/2” drive ratchet that looked similar once.
Soaked all the rust off over the weekend and opened it up. My first thought was “wtf, where’s the teeth in the head?” It was completely smooth.
I’ve never opened a gearless ratchet before so hadn’t seen anything like this.
Re assembled it to try to get a better handle on how it works. Put the the drive piece/front cover in and set it upside down so I could use gravity to help align the rollers.
Once they were in place it was tight enough I could flip it back over and slide it onto the back cover without knocking the ball bearings out of place. They sit in two through holes backed by springs. Sorry I didn’t get a good picture of this part.
Once the back cover is in place a washer goes on to hold the springs in place and provide tension. Then a flathead screw goes through all of this and threads into the back of the front cover to sandwich everything together.
I have to admit I still don’t completely understand how this thing works. I’m also still dialing in the right amount of screw pressure, most of the time it swings smoothly but every once in a while it gets caught. Overall impressed with it though, even bone dry it’s already smoother than I expected. I’ll give it a more thorough cleaning and some oil later this week.
Anyone know who made these for Montgomery Ward’s? The only markings on it say Speedmaster made in USA. Any tips on screw tension also greatly appreciated!
Soaked all the rust off over the weekend and opened it up. My first thought was “wtf, where’s the teeth in the head?” It was completely smooth.
I’ve never opened a gearless ratchet before so hadn’t seen anything like this.
Re assembled it to try to get a better handle on how it works. Put the the drive piece/front cover in and set it upside down so I could use gravity to help align the rollers.
Once they were in place it was tight enough I could flip it back over and slide it onto the back cover without knocking the ball bearings out of place. They sit in two through holes backed by springs. Sorry I didn’t get a good picture of this part.
Once the back cover is in place a washer goes on to hold the springs in place and provide tension. Then a flathead screw goes through all of this and threads into the back of the front cover to sandwich everything together.
I have to admit I still don’t completely understand how this thing works. I’m also still dialing in the right amount of screw pressure, most of the time it swings smoothly but every once in a while it gets caught. Overall impressed with it though, even bone dry it’s already smoother than I expected. I’ll give it a more thorough cleaning and some oil later this week.
Anyone know who made these for Montgomery Ward’s? The only markings on it say Speedmaster made in USA. Any tips on screw tension also greatly appreciated!
