Vintage RIDGID Pipe Wrenches

[Private Lugnutz]

READ ME!

THE THREAD IS WIDE OPEN AND WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SEEING EXAMPLES - BUT THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH SURVEY HAS BEEN SOLVED!

With 50+ examples, we have positively determined that the Letter-Number-Number (L-N-N) codes on dynamic jaws, which sometimes appear in LN-N or even LNN format, are indeed date codes. When they appear on the dynamic jaws of wartime pipe wrenches, they can be used to verify the wartime production, and determine the month and year.



For example, the 6-incher and 10-incher above were both made in 1943.

EDIT: There was a time when we thought the middle number was month, but there are examples of wrenches with a "13" and a "16" and other two digits numbers higher than "12".

Read further if you want to know how to identify a wartime pipe wrench, distinguish pre-war pipe wrenches from wartime pipe wrenches, and distinguish wartime pipe wrenches from postwar pipe wrenches.

NOTE: While it seems plausible, it was not the objective of this survey to determine if the LNN format codes seen on the dynamic jaws of postwar pipe wrenches are also Unknown-Unknown-Year code. And if they are, this survey has not looked at how to distinguish a pipe wrench made in the 1950's from a pipe wrench made in the 1960's, 1970's or later. You will not find answers on that in this thread.

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RESEARCH SURVEY

Calling all vintage RIDGID pipe wrench owners!

I need your help. I am part of a group of wartime collectors trying to ascertain the meaning of the forged-in codes (e.g., B-6-4, B-12-5, etc) that can be found on the floating jaw of many vintage RIDGID pipe wrenches.



They may be date codes. If so, they would enable collectors to distinguish wartime wrenches from pre-war and post-war wrenches with similar features.

If you have a vintage RIDGID pipe wrench, please post photos of the whole wrench and the code. If that's not possible, please at least report the alphanumeric number and what category of wrench the number was found on (Pre-War, “Wartime”, or Post-War).

HOW TO DATE YOUR PIPE WRENCH (last updated 10/19/2025)

View media item 82807


The earliest RIDGID pipe wrench has no stabilizer behind the adjusting nut (1), no trapezoidal swash plate on the housing (2), and no patent, 1,552,091, forged into the handle, which reads "PAT PEND'G" (3) instead. No RIDGID pipe wrenches have ever been found with the 1,552,091 patent. These can be dated to at least 4/23/1924, when Ridge submitted the patent application.

There is a mysterious generation of RIDGID pipe wrenches that seems to come between the 1,555,091 and 1,727,623 patents. An image of this wrench, labeled "Rigid" (no "d"), appears in Snap-on Catalog DW, which is copyrighted 1927, and looks exactly like examples, as shown here, with no trapezoidal swash plate (U1), characteristic of earliest wrenches, but a stabilizer (U2), which is a feature that was part of the 1,727,623 patent, and a "PAT PEND'G" marking (U3). What that marking refers to is not clear. It can't be 1,555,091, which was already granted. But the application for what would be patent 1,727,623 was not submitted to the USPTO until 1/11/1928. As strange as it seems, the evidence seems to suggest that Ridge was making these in 1927 and marking them "PAT PEND'G" not only before the patent was granted, but before they submitted the application.

The next definitive generation RIDGID pipe wrench has the stabilizer (4) and the trapezoidal swash plate (5), as shown in the second patent drawing, but reads "PAT PEND'G" on the handle (6). That suggests that the second patent (1,727,623) had been applied for (on January 11, 1928), but not yet granted.

RIDGID pipe wrenches with "PAT'D" in that spot (6) or the forged-in patent number "1,727,623" in that spot (7) could not have been made before the patent was granted, on 9/10/1929. If these examples have a trapezoidal swash plate, they could not have been made after 7/10/1937, which is the date that Ridge Tool Company claimed first use of their trademarked swash plate.

All RIDGID pipe wrenches with the forged-in patent number "1,727,623" (8) and a narrow angle-shaped swash plate on the housing (9) were made after 7/10/1937, when Ridge applied for a trademark for that shape plate, granted on March 1, 1938. Their USPTO application described it as an "angular bar extending across the head of the wrench," and they cited July 10, 1937 as date of first use. Link to trademark information on the Justia site can be read here. Note that this generation, and all prior generations, have a fully knurled adjusting nut (10) and a squared-off end on the dynamic jaw (11).

No RIDGID pipe wrenches have ever been found with the numbers of the patents granted in 1932, 1933, and 1940, which all deal with internal stabilizing mechanisms.

Magazine and journal ads c. 1948 show RIDGID pipe wrenches with an adjusting nut that is not completely knurled (12). Some have one recess, some have two, some even have the name with an interlocking D and G as the knurling. We're not sure of the sequence to those features, which is irrelevant to the salient point - that up until 1948 the adjusting nut was fully knurled.

Magazine and journal ads c. 1952 show RIDGID pipe wrenches with a rounded end on the threaded dynamic jaw (13).

A note on codes: I have not yet found any documentation to substantiate the three digit alphanumeric codes forged into the dynamic jaws, but the last number is almost certainly a year, and by using the other distinguishing features discussed above, you can ascertain which decade. Because the jaws are replaceable, it's not foolproof that a dynamic jaw can date your pipe wrench.

Patent 2,192,702 (1940), which purports to improve upon the internals to further stabilize the dynamic jaw, may hold the key to dating wrenches more definitively, but it's not an obvious distinction and requires removing the pin in the tongue in the static jaw to scrutinize the internals.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE
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EDIT (3/26/2019):
Recently there has been some interest in the floating jaw stabilizers inside the channel of the housing where the floating jaw moves in vintage pipe wrenches. Especially with respect to identifying OEM's for 3rd party pipe wrenches. They aren't necessary to identify the date of an early RIDGID pipe wrench, which all seemed to use the 1929 patent, but I will leave this here as a reference to direct people to it in case it's needed.

 

[-Brent-]

Neat project. I'll post up my photos later tonight.

 

[lbgradwell]

I can tighten up some of your date ranges...

 

[woody 73]

A few questions I have several ridged wrenches but the models have different head configurations then what you are showing do you want pictures of those models?

A few of them are rather large like 18" models is that to big for your project? I am not sure they are all that old?

I suspect mine come from the 1950's and 1960's is that of any interest to your project?

I am guessing mine are not from the war years are you interested in seeing any pictures of them?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks Jeremy!

The bulge at the hanging hole is definitely post-war. All the pipe wrenches before 1948 or so had a tapered end. I should've picked a different photo for that wrench. There are RIDGIDs out there with all the wartime features, including the tapered handle, no bulge, except they have an adjusting nut that is not fully knurled. Those are the ones that are tough to date. An on the front side, we can't know which wrenches were made in 1939 and which were made in 1943. Unless that last digit in the code is a year!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I can tighten up some of your date ranges...

Great. Looking forward to any information you have.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

woody,

We're not interested in any wrenches with a rounded end on the threaded floating jaw. Usually those have a bulge at the hanging hole, and no patent, just HEAVY DUTY, on the handle. Those, typically red in color, are all made after 1955. We know they're post-war. Nice wrenches! Just not what we're interested in.

 

[ganymede]

Good luck with this. I hope it takes off.
Unfortunately I onl have one wrench of interest..
Code on body looks like APa
Code on jaw is H36.

 

[ganymede]

Another marking on the other side ..

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Ganymede,

Thanks!

Your wrench is interesting for a few reasons. All the codes we've seen amongst ourselves so far have started with a B and the digits have been separated with hyphens. And, it's one of several we have seen with owner's marks, all two initials, made by the same type of punch, all in the same exact location. My wartime wrench above is an example of one of them.

As for that cartouche, nobody has cracked the code on those yet either. We've seen an E like figure and a Y like figure.

Jeremy, All,

Here is a better example of a post-war 'gray area' wrench than the red one I chose for the picture above.

It has the correct angle plate on the housing, the square floating jaw end, and the tapered handle, but note the adjusting nut with the two bands of knurling. We believe this is a transition. The question is: when? The code on this wrench is B-5-7. If that's 1947, it makes perfect sense. But we need more samples of wartime, pre-war, and post-war to nail it, and to make sure that change to that style nut did not occur during he war. Hence, this thread.

 

[Boilerhouse]

I have an older 14 inch offset. It appears to be similar to the wartime photos. It has Trade Ridgid Mark Pat Pend G E14 on one side of the handle, and The Ridge Tool Co Elyria Ohio E14 on the other. No codes on the floating jaw, just Pat Pending on one side and Ridgid on the other. The "D" and "G" in Ridgid are inter-twined.

 

[Capt Chrysler]

I also have one marked Pat Pending. I'll see if I can get a photo of it.

Capt. Chrysler

 

[retDAC]

I have an 18" that belonged to my father. I believe he got it used in the late '40s or early '50s since I know he had it before I was born in '54. It has "B 11 5" on the floating jaw. It also has what appears to be "A P" on the housing.

Please forgive the poor pix from the photographically challenged. If you think this would be important, I will get better pix.

 

[rusty65]

I have a war time period 8incher.
Forged in code A2-5. Also id like to note it has a company name stamped in it S-P CO along with 137 which could be a possible date stamp from the company or maybe just inventory number in the tool room.

Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Subscribing!! Will dig out some of my wrenches and see if they have any of these codes.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have an older 14 inch offset. It appears to be similar to the wartime photos. It has Trade Ridgid Mark Pat Pend G E14 on one side of the handle, and The Ridge Tool Co Elyria Ohio E14 on the other. No codes on the floating jaw, just Pat Pending on one side and Ridgid on the other. The "D" and "G" in Ridgid are inter-twined.

I also have one marked Pat Pending. I'll see if I can get a photo of it.

Boilerhouse, Capt Chrysler,

If the housing of the non-moving jaw on your wrenches has the flat angled plate or bar, as shown in the original post, Note 3, on the "wartime" wrench, I would really appreciate seeing photos!!

I've only seen "PAT PEND'G" on RIDGID wrenches that were made between 1925 and 1929. In 1929 they started making wrenches with the stabilizer behind the adjusting nut and the new patent number on the handle. But none of these wrenches, until 1937, had the angled plate on the housing. (They actually trademarked this angled plate in 1937 as a design feature.) Note that the housing was plain until then, as well, when they started putting the three-corner plate on it.

Ridge Tool Company had multiple pipe wrench patents, all aimed at stabilizing the floating jaw, including a patent in 1940. It's possible that the "PAT PEND'G" marks on your wrenches could be referring to that patent, but your wrenches would have to have the angled plate.

This may provide a better understanding of the progression... It's a chart I created from all the Ridge patents available via USPTO.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks for your contributions, retDAC and Rusty. Exactly what we're looking for.

 

[woody 73]

This is an 8" ridged wrench see if this is what you are looking for?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This is an 8" ridged wrench see if this is what you are looking for?

Woody,

It is what I'm looking for. But I need to see the whole wrench, please, to understand how it fits, or not, with all the other numbers we're gathering. Does the wrench have a square end to the threaded floating jaw? Or a rounded end? Is the handle tapered? And how is it marked on the handle?

 

[woody 73]

see if these pictures look better:

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, Woody!

Very helpful.

I have changed my approach and edited my original post.

Seeing the forged-in codes on these post-war wrenches, even if they have a rounded floating jaw end and a bulge in the handle end, may help.

Yours, for example, is B52.

So the letter doesn't seem to have anything to do with model, as the same letter appears on earlier wrenches with earlier design features. And the whole code doesn't stand alone, on its own, without the wrench, apparently.

EDIT: If the last digit is a year, the "2" on this wrench has to indicate 1952 or 62. It can't be 1942 because of the postwar design features. The earliest dated record I have ever seen a RIDGID pipe wrench with a rounded floating jaw end in a catalog or ad is 1952.

 

[dawg69]

My 18"er. Code B-6-4

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Wow. Nice restoration, dawg. If you don't mind, were there red paint remnants on it before you restored it? Also, please tell me how it's marked on the flip side. Or post a photo. Curious to know if it has the patent number or not, and if it has 'RIDGID' or 'TRADE RIDGID MARK.'

 

[dawg69]

I'm pretty sure there was, but the first "restoration" I did on it was several years ago so I could be mistaken. I was young and dumb and did a very poor job.

I'll post a pic of the flip side tomorrow. I know there is a patent number on it. I can't remember what the logo is for sure.

 

[ganymede]

Dont forget that 50 - 60 yrs is a long time in which to have jaws replaced.

 

[dawg69]

I managed to get a photo of the other side sooner than I thought I would. It is marked trade RIDGID mark and has a patent no. 1727263.

Am I correct in assuming this is a '40's vintage wrench?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Dont forget that 50 - 60 yrs is a long time in which to have jaws replaced.

Good point.

Am I correct in assuming this is a '40's vintage wrench?

Yes.

 

[kelpaso1]

What about mine that has no codes on it? The 76 on the static jaw was my dads way of marking his tools. He has been a plumber since the 50's.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I think you have a hybrid! The jaw is marked National which appears to be an old Canadian company.

 

[rick carpenter]

I think I can play the game now, got this 24-incher with a bent handle today.

Jaw: Notice the dots in the "B[dot]8[dot]8" and the "V".
Handle: "Trade Ridgid Mark", "Pat. 1727823", part of the the handle end was cut off.
== EDIT: "Pat. 1727623" ==
Nut: Solid knurled.

My 18-inch rounded-jaw end "Heavy Duty" is not 18 inches and my 10-inch rounded-jaw end "Heavy Duty" is not 10 inches, so I don't know what the measurements actually measure. Both of them have dual banded knurled nuts.

 

[JR 42]

I've got a couple that look just like your wartime production example; here are some pictures of the 14".

Body, left side, reads:
7 R (stamped on housing);
TRADE RIDGID MARK PAT 1727833 14

Jaw, left side, reads:
E (scale 1/2 - 2) RIDGID

Body, right side, reads:

THE RIDGE TOOL CO ELYRIA OHIO U.S.A 14 x

The "x" is my best guess at the little hieroglyph in the small square recess in the handle.

Jaw, right side, reads:

B•9•5 ALLOY STEEL OIL HARDENING 14"

Sorry for the crappy cellphone pics, hope they help. I'll take some pics of the other wartime wrench I've got, an 8", and post them in a few days.

Thanks for the info you've provided... I've searched for Ridgid dating info before, without much luck. Your post is a gold mine! Please let us know what you're able to determine, if anything, regarding the jaw codes.



JR

 

[mattblast]

Here are the oldest ones from my collection.

10" 8-1-1 on jaw
12" 8-7-1 on jaw

And 4 24" models

Interestingly each is a little different
First one is B11
Second one had no marking. Back shows ridgid
Third is A5
Forth is A5-4

 

[jeffmoss26]

Nice!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I agree with Jeff on your National/RIDGID, kelpaso1. The hook jaws were interchangeable across Mfgrs. I have some Erie pipe wrenches that are dead ringers for RIDGID.

Thanks, Rick.

Thanks, JR 42. The 14 is definitely wartime. Those cartouche-like symbols at the end of many of the handles and the two initials on the housings, all of which seem to end in an 'R' remain a mystery. The cartouche is forged-in. The initials look stamped. My opinion is that they're an owner's mark. A large contract buyer, like a railroad or a trucking company. They look after-factory to me. Well done, and applied without boogering the wrench up, but still after-factory. Again, only my opinion.

Thanks, mattblast. Are you going left to right in the photo with your notes on the four 24's?

 

[Bricen18]

I only have two old ones to share and I hope they help in you're Mission.
First is an 18" I got t a flea market for 5$

Looks like B 8 6. Or possibly 886. It is pretty dirty hard to tell. It even soaked in the parts washer for a day.

Second a smaller one of my grandfathers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rock knocker]

I'll look at my late fathers wrenches. He was a General Manager of a large Seattle mechanical contractor in the '60's. As our other relatives die, we get more and more old Rigid pipe wrenches out of their garages painted Navarre Mechanical colors. Like piles of pipe wrenches.

I've given most away because 100 pounds of pipe wrenches is enough for anybody right?

 

[rick carpenter]

This one I picked up Saturday week ago might be one you want to see. It has B[dot]4[dot]6 on the jaw, a "C" stamped into the jaw housing (your Note 3 pic seems to show something there too), and a fully knurled nut. Wartime I guess.

Be sure to let us know what your research reveals when you can.

 

[dakotachuck]

This was given to me a few days ago.
I hope to clean it a little soon.
It looks like it was painted yellow at some time.

24

 

[organ]

I have a 10" with square jaw end, fully knurled nut, and narrow plates... code appears to be B 4 5.

Edit: I also have a 12" that fits the above description that's marked B 3 1.

 

[Gidge]

Subscribing!! Will dig out some of my wrenches and see if they have any of these codes.

+1 --Great thread ! I'll inspect my collection and report what I find.