Craftsman Ratchet Repair

['68OrangeSunshine]

OK! My replacement Craftsman 1/2'' Ratchet came in today. Only 8 Days after placing the online order.
Some notes:
-Made in Taiwan
-UPS Tracking listed sender as Stanley/Black & Decker
-Round handle
-Possibly 64 or 72 tooth [Original was 32 or 36]
-No C-Clip to access the ratchet inside ''guts'' -- I guess when this one's stripped out, you request a new one.

Well that satisfies the letter of the law, warranty contract-wise, so I guess I'm happy.
I compared it to an early USA-made Craftsman 1/2'' Ratchet kept in my truck toolbox. p/n 44809.[The Ratchet p/n 44895, I couldn't find when I had the camera out. Very similar to 809, but the other one has a black direction switch and drop button -- and real C-Clips.]
Pix:

[pjmoreland]

That's great that you were able to get a replacement. Where did you go online to order it?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

That's great that you were able to get a replacement. Where did you go online to order it?

As stated in *Post #3, above --
www.craftsman.com
Just be persistant, get past the robot chat NPCs, and ask for a human. Once I got to that stage, after I gave her the old part number and described the type and size of the tool, she only needed my name and address.
The Ratchet got here in 8 days.

[* See also Post #7 to get the website sequence.]

[pjmoreland]

Thank you. Did they require you to mail your broken ratchet back to them, and did they provide a shipping label?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Thank you. Did they require you to mail your broken ratchet back to them, and did they provide a shipping label?

They didn't want it.
I still have the original USA-made Craftsman 44895 ratchet.
I'm thinking of getting the repair kit, anyway...

[MySons68C20]

I'm replacing my Craftsman ratchets with Gearwrench.....so far so good.
That being said I still have an old 1/4 drive stripped out Craftsman I can't part with. My dad gave it to me 20 yrs ago and he's been gone for 7 years.

[biketopia]

Originally Posted by MySons68C20

I'm replacing my Craftsman ratchets with Gearwrench.....so far so good.
That being said I still have an old 1/4 drive stripped out Craftsman I can't part with. My dad gave it to me 20 yrs ago and he's been gone for 7 years.

Same, and I'm a tech that needs their tools every day. Hard to beat on the gear wrench quality and the warranty is lifetime as well, plus they are around to get replaced. If I have a sentimental tool from dad or granddad and it fails I just put it in the top drawer to hold on to for posterity sake and buy a new one, for the most part there are much better options out now any ways.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

I'm thinking of getting the repair kit, anyway...

So I went ahead and bought the E-Bay repair kit. Should arrive on 6 August.
I was also nosing aroung for a repair kit for my other 1/2'' Craftsman ratchet, 44809.
Today, I got an email asking to make an offer to the seller of a 44809 ratchet. Well, I already got one, and it's not broken.
I was only thinking of a repair kit for it in case it does break later, and EBay is sold out. If I do get that parts kit, it won't be until the first one comes in.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

So I went ahead and bought the E-Bay repair kit. Should arrive on 6 August. .

Actually, it came on the 3rd.
I put the repair kit parts on the old ratchet, and I like it.
R&R job wasn't too difficult. They do give a detailed green instruction sheet. One trick, my ex-Sears Associate buddy told me about was to save a 1-1/4'' copper staple from a large carton, and use it as a special tool to compress the spring-and-detent-ball inside the handle when putting on the direction selector lever. Pic also shows a loop on the opposite end of the staple. This is good for lasso-ing the ball bearing if it moves off the top of the spring.
Also I lost the small C-Clip holding on the old selector lever. Sprang out, bounced off my T-shirt, and went somewhere into the darkness. It was not on the tailgate. Luckily, the new kit had fresh C-Clips.
The Green Sheet said to use SAE 30 to lube the insides.

[cwcarpenter98]

Hmmm, I might need to pick up one of those rebuild kits for mine. I kinda wrecked mine after using it to remove every rusty bolt on the bed strips of my 63. The wrench got so clogged up with rust dust from those bolts that I had to take it apart and clean it to make it work again. It hasn't worked the greatest since. Didn't know about the 30 weight, so I might try that as well. Thanks for the tips and tricks and the follow up!

['68OrangeSunshine]

Yeah, sure. My pleasure.
I most likely would have used a cut-off wheel on a grinder for rusted-on bolts, but you have to see it, to know what works.

My friend had mentioned lube. I assumed that meant red bearing grease. I had the tub ready.
The Green Sheet stated some proprietary Sears lube with a P/N, then said, ''Or use SAE 30 motor oil.''
Which I just happened to have.
Also they mentioned four 1/4'' diameter drops in the big gear case, and two 1/8'' drops on the selector side. But I had already smeared the works with 30 weight and wasn't about to open it all back up.
I could wrap it in a paper towel and leave it on the dash in the summer sun. That should bake any excess oil out.

[cwcarpenter98]

I still had most of the boards in place in varying degrees of rot. Didn't have any power tools at the time or a grinder, so I went arm strong on those bolts. If I ever have to do it again on another truck, I'm slicing and dicing with the grinder

['68OrangeSunshine]

The original boards in my '68 C/10 Stepside are 54 years old. When I bought the truck in 1973, the original owner had kept a spare battery in the bed -- passenger side rear. That area had already rotted and he'd tacked on a 2' x 2' aluminum patch over it.
I usually put a fresh sheet of 4' x 8' plywood in the bed and saw off the excess. They last about 5 years in the desert. I've tried linseed oil, diluted. Spar varnish. Urethane. Nothing. They all last about the same. A couple of years ago I was clearing out a resort ballroom of flooring samples from a tile and carpet convention. I was tempted to build up a deck of faux wood planks, all paralled with board joints at places. Looked real, until the sun started warping the linoleum underneath the photo-similated woodlook.
A full scale redecking is in order, but it costs a bunch.

[pjmoreland]

That's got to be satisfying to have your ratchet rejuvenated. How do the teeth look on the old unit?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

That's got to be satisfying to have your ratchet rejuvenated. How do the teeth look on the old unit?

Just one was galled. The selector lever on the old one had peeling chrome. The replacement Selector was parkerized black.

The kit also included a small scan code sticker -- a barcode and the word ''Refurbished,'' so the Associate could scan the ratchet and keep it in a bin to hand the next customer, if he chose a swap out, rather than a new tool or while-you-wait repair. Or scanning the tag created a Zero balance receipt for the Loss Prevention security people to check you out with.
I left it off.

[pjmoreland]

I guess that's all it takes