Just serviced mine with the help of this video. Mine was passed down to me by a family member, and recently the pawls had started slipping away from the rachet teeth during use and i was afraid stripping would result if i continued to use it in that state. Thankfully everything appeared fine inside except for a worn out spring. I replaced that with a nearly identical spring and new ball bearing that i had on hand, cleaned out the old grease and applied some light new grease and reassembled. Now it's working better than ever.
I just dug out my grandfather’s old Craftsman ratchet (he died in ‘77) that I’ve had stored away forever in an old toolbox. It’s a 44975 with an oil port, and I just took it apart and everything looks in good shape. I’m going to clean the parts and put it back together with fresh grease and just keep it. I guess that model came out sometime in the ‘70s-it looks identical to yours there except for the oil port on mine.
@@jakewalker51 Correct, you're supposed to use SAE30 motor oil according to the directions. If anything, a LIGHT coat of grease (such as the Super Lube from HF) is OK, but grease often hardens up and makes them skip after a while.
I have a number of ratchets both new and used. I've taken them apart and lubed them and they function well. However I've never seen one broken like that. It's nice to learn that you can rebuild these. Thank you
Great video I just rebuilt to of mine yesterday my Craftsman ratchets are somewhere between twenty-five and thirty years old and I've used them on stuff I shouldn't do with a ratchet and they just keep on going. I've got to say though if you broke a tooth you were working really hard on something
Could have been the time I was taking off a stubborn pinion nut and I had to put a pipe over it that was longer than to the ground, put the truck in gear, and used the truck movement itself with the pipe against the ground to break it free. 🤣
My grandpa just gave me a wrench same style 44985 this one is so old it says patent pending. He said he got this one in the 60’s. It didn’t work so I took it apart and it was just dirty. Fixed it and it works fine now, could use a new spring and new retaining clips though
Am I missing something? Craftsman tools have a LIFETIME warranty, correct? When I had an issue with one of my ratchets I took it to a Craftsman dealer and was given a replacement.
I don't want a replacement, though. I want this ratchet that I bought in the 1980's. And the quality of their new stuff is nowhere near as good as it used to be.
Here is a tool sold on ebay that helps with the placement of the ball bearing. "SNAP-ON ratchet repair tool, Craftsman Rachet repair tool, Matco Rachet repair"
@@briholt100 You look in places that you normally would not. You seek the remaining Sears stores (all 11 or so of them) and see if you can get kits. You buy a parts ratchet to rebuild. You scavenge parts. You join Craftsman groups where members sell kits (yes, there are folks on FB groups that have them). Etc, etc, etc, etc etc, etc. If I can find the 1/2 year only radio for my 1979 Trans Am, you can find a kit for one of these. Again, look harder grasshopper.
Moshi moshi! (that's what my friend says is Japanese slang for Hello. I have a V44975 and a W43785 (3/8-inch), they still look good but rachet mechanisms are worn to the point they won't catch and turn the nut. Are there repair kits for these?
I have the same wrench...is it worth buying the kit and rebuilding vs exchanging under warranty? To be specific, is this US forged wrench that much better than the current replacement?
@@YoshimoshiGarage the v series is made in the USA and a $60.00 wrench. You'd think for that $$ it would be great. My guess is it would be hard to exchange anyway, so WI go about replacing. The kit is 10 bucks.
@@allaboutroofing2 Take it apart and make sure it doesn't just need a cleaning and re-lubing first. I've rebuilt dozens of these and out of 10, maybe 1 or 2 need a kit. The rest can be cleaned and relubed to work like new. I also save the good old parts if I do a rebuild. For instance, I rebuilt one and saved the old selector lever. I then got another one that needed a cleaning and just a selector lever. I had what I needed to get that one working again. Yes, it's worth fixing. You'll get a made in China/Taiwan replacement at Lowes or Ace in its place.
Awesome!! just wished I could get a hold of a kit...!
Just serviced mine with the help of this video. Mine was passed down to me by a family member, and recently the pawls had started slipping away from the rachet teeth during use and i was afraid stripping would result if i continued to use it in that state. Thankfully everything appeared fine inside except for a worn out spring. I replaced that with a nearly identical spring and new ball bearing that i had on hand, cleaned out the old grease and applied some light new grease and reassembled. Now it's working better than ever.
I just dug out my grandfather’s old Craftsman ratchet (he died in ‘77) that I’ve had stored away forever in an old toolbox. It’s a 44975 with an oil port, and I just took it apart and everything looks in good shape. I’m going to clean the parts and put it back together with fresh grease and just keep it. I guess that model came out sometime in the ‘70s-it looks identical to yours there except for the oil port on mine.
Yeah, I have a few of those oil port ones, myself. They are great to have around.
Do not put grease. There's a reason there's a oil port.
@@jakewalker51 Correct, you're supposed to use SAE30 motor oil according to the directions. If anything, a LIGHT coat of grease (such as the Super Lube from HF) is OK, but grease often hardens up and makes them skip after a while.
I have a number of ratchets both new and used. I've taken them apart and lubed them and they function well.
However I've never seen one broken like that. It's nice to learn that you can rebuild these.
Thank you
Wonderful vid and I thank you Sir. Doing my 43785 vintage 3/8th this weekend. Thanks again as this was a huge help.
Great video I just rebuilt to of mine yesterday my Craftsman ratchets are somewhere between twenty-five and thirty years old and I've used them on stuff I shouldn't do with a ratchet and they just keep on going. I've got to say though if you broke a tooth you were working really hard on something
Could have been the time I was taking off a stubborn pinion nut and I had to put a pipe over it that was longer than to the ground, put the truck in gear, and used the truck movement itself with the pipe against the ground to break it free. 🤣
@@YoshimoshiGarage That would do it. A breaker bar is your friend in such cases, not a ratchet. LOL.
My grandpa just gave me a wrench same style 44985 this one is so old it says patent pending. He said he got this one in the 60’s. It didn’t work so I took it apart and it was just dirty. Fixed it and it works fine now, could use a new spring and new retaining clips though
Can't find this kit at all
Am I missing something?
Craftsman tools have a LIFETIME warranty, correct?
When I had an issue with one of my ratchets I took it to a Craftsman dealer and was given a replacement.
I don't want a replacement, though. I want this ratchet that I bought in the 1980's. And the quality of their new stuff is nowhere near as good as it used to be.
Here is a tool sold on ebay that helps with the placement of the ball bearing.
"SNAP-ON ratchet repair tool, Craftsman Rachet repair tool, Matco Rachet repair"
These kit aren’t available anymore in Amazon
Ebay has them.
@@googleusergpNot any longer, I think.
@@briholt100 They're out there, you just have to look harder than before. I stocked up on them years ago.
@@googleusergp how does one "look harder"? Like zoom in on the screen?
Snark aside, ebay has lots of 1/2 inch that are not for the 44985.
@@briholt100 You look in places that you normally would not. You seek the remaining Sears stores (all 11 or so of them) and see if you can get kits. You buy a parts ratchet to rebuild. You scavenge parts. You join Craftsman groups where members sell kits (yes, there are folks on FB groups that have them). Etc, etc, etc, etc etc, etc.
If I can find the 1/2 year only radio for my 1979 Trans Am, you can find a kit for one of these. Again, look harder grasshopper.
Moshi moshi! (that's what my friend says is Japanese slang for Hello. I have a V44975 and a W43785 (3/8-inch), they still look good but rachet mechanisms are worn to the point they won't catch and turn the nut. Are there repair kits for these?
I have the same wrench...is it worth buying the kit and rebuilding vs exchanging under warranty? To be specific, is this US forged wrench that much better than the current replacement?
Yeah, it's way better than what they sell now. Today's Craftsman is basically the same quality as Ikon from Harbor freight
@@YoshimoshiGarage the v series is made in the USA and a $60.00 wrench. You'd think for that $$ it would be great. My guess is it would be hard to exchange anyway, so WI go about replacing. The kit is 10 bucks.
@@allaboutroofing2 Take it apart and make sure it doesn't just need a cleaning and re-lubing first. I've rebuilt dozens of these and out of 10, maybe 1 or 2 need a kit. The rest can be cleaned and relubed to work like new. I also save the good old parts if I do a rebuild. For instance, I rebuilt one and saved the old selector lever. I then got another one that needed a cleaning and just a selector lever. I had what I needed to get that one working again. Yes, it's worth fixing. You'll get a made in China/Taiwan replacement at Lowes or Ace in its place.
A half inch ratchet isn't easy to break unless you put a pipe on it or hit it with a hammer.
I've owned this ratchet for 35+ years and am certain I've done both to it.
The mid 80s?! Man, you must be old!
Still younger than you!
Harsh.
damnimcooltom1 the gas crunch was on and 60z 70z factory hot rods were gas guzzling cheap in back yards everywhere