Craftsman Tools - USA History: Stainless Steel & Lifetime Ratchets - Rebuild & Discussion

[@tinytim9453]

Awesome ratchets, I have yet to find a snap ring for my 3/8 stainless. I have found some, but are too thick and makes it hard to turn.

[@GarthGoldberg]

Use snap ring pliers with bent tips. It would be easier to remove the snap ring.

[@GearWolf]

Not for this snap ring it won't.

[@xliderider5715]

Thanks for making this video, I recently acquired a 1/2 inch stainless steel Lifetime ratchet to accompany my 3/8 inch Stainless ratchet I am the original owner of. When I opened the 1/2 inch up, I found some metal shavings that had sheared off a few of the main gears teeth. Someone must have used a long cheater pipe or something to break the tops of the teeth like that. Functionally, the ratchet seems to work, but I am afraid that it will slip if a lot of torque is applied to the ratchet if the gear and pawl happen to be in the wrong spot where the damage has occurred. I just found a genuine rebuild kit (44787) that includes everything but the pawl, spring, and ball bearing. Very hard to find this kit, an eBay seller had two, I bought one, so there is still one out there to anyone reading this. I will be replacing the main gear in my Lifetime ratchet, and keeping the new snap ring and backing plate from the rebuild kit as backup.

[@johnlabree6286]

You wouldn't happen to have an extra half inch stainless steel ratchet that you would like to part with would you?

[@GearWolf]

Hi, John! ^_^ This is one of those situations that if you asked me about 5 months ago, I would have said, "Absolutely!". Unfortunately, I sold the last 1/2" SS ratchet I had that I wasn't going to use for the "reboot" videos I have been working on. Sorry about that. Check out my eBay page. It is the same name as I have here. If I find I have another, I'll put it up there.

[@Amitpatel-td6mu]

I love your product I have one of them, Where can I get Service kit from please

[@GearWolf]

Hi Amit! I'm actually not the creator of this ratchet. I simply have done the reviews and demonstrative tear downs. The ratchets in this video have long been out of mass production (~30 years ago). Unfortunately, finding repair kits form them is exceedingly difficult, and, when they are found, they are expensive.