I've got 7 Tone ratchets. That locking ring comes out really easy with a pair of precision needle-nose pliers. They've got a pretty strong spring in them, so you can shorten the spring just a tiny bit like any other ratchet ( I didn't do it to mine) and use some WD-40 Gel Spray Lube, and the backdrag will go way down, and the mechanism will be very smooth. After I took mine apart, I cleaned them with some contact cleaner really well before lubing. The Gel Spray Lube really sticks to the gear very well and doesn't cause the gears to stick or skip. There was no need to spin mine with a drill. I don't mind a little bit of backdrag. I use a spinner with my ratchets most of the time anyway, and Tone spinners are nice while being very handy when you get used to using one.
Thanks Jeff, I watched a few videos of these Tone ratchets and people kept saying they didn’t come apart so I believed them . I swapped a Tone 3/8 compact guts to a powerbiult 1/4 flex head and made a nice new 3/8 flex head.
That's it brother, break them in on a drill and they're pretty good. I like Knife Pivot Lube in ratchets. Light enough to not cause any sticking but still lubricates
My Blackhawk ratchets were dry, also. I put Super Lube in mine, and they work great now. You can't pack them full like the old low tooth count ratchets, or the pawl will stick and not ratchet. A light coat was sufficient.
Great video. I have three that I will do. I think the law may have changed on shipping goods that contain any oil based product because all ratchets seem to come over dry now. I may be due to insurance/fire risk.
As myself and another of our regular viewers discovered, DO NOT put grease (Super Lube or other) in the new gen Craftsman ratchets. It causes the pall to stick to the gear and locks the ratchet up. I have Super Lube or Brian Enos Slide Glide (light version) greases. Both work great in many ratchets. Makes an old Proto 5249 pretty quiet even.
Thats what I keep saying. Tone ratchets are not all that. In fact, they are about average in my opinion. When I hear someone say how great and how smooth a tone ratchet is, I'm like, well you don't know squat. Trimming the spring is key Jeff, I'm telling you. Taking them apart is much easier then putting them back together lol. That circlip is a pain in the ass to put back on, but after a few times, you get the hang of it. Trim the spring, trim the spring, trim the spring!! Not too much though!! Good video Jeff!!
Just like the S•K round heads, the Cornwells, Craftsman RHFT, and pre 90's Craftsman raised pannel ratchets. They all use these clips and their hard to deal with. The only time a ratchet ever drew blood I was servicing an S•K 40970 and the end of that clip pierced my finger.
Hi victor this video was much requested!!! yea putting back toghether can be tricky,you just got to do it a few times!!! thanks Victor for jumping in!!!
Some ratchets respond well to Super Lube and some don't I find out sometimes I mix my super lube with a little bit of ATF I've had situations where Super Lube creates more Back Drag but to be technical a ratchet doesn't need grease or oil it's only needed to help fight corrosion and to keep the ratchet running smoothly it's not like constant velocity joints in a car that travel at a high rate of speed and generate a lot of heat but with that in mind I still recommend a light oil and not much very little just enough to coat the moving parts and keep the mechanism from rusting and I recommend doing maintenance every 6 months to a year depending on use I'm sure you could go a little longer but I find it's fun to do maintenance on my ratchets plus it's always good to keep an eye on the mechanism and its wear points you might just find damage before you use it and injure yourself the probability of that happening is probably slim but it can happen I think in all my years of turning ratchets I think I've only broke one ratchet it was a cheap Chinese one from the 80s once again great content Jeff take care my friend
Hi Don you rite about ratchets! they all have different personality and respond in different ways to lubricants!!! its almost a sience!!! thanks Don as always for yourn knowledge on tools!!!!!!
I would probably leave the rubber piece out and see if it caused any issues. Why do so many ratchet manufacturers ship them dry? For people not comfortable with pulling them apart, it could cause them to think the ratchet is crap and not ever buy another.
My guess as to why they are shipped dry is to save money. I could surmise that anyone not competent or knowledgeable enough to take apart and lube a ratchet is someone who won't be using a ratchet a lot. Someone who uses a ratchet a lot will be competent enough to lubricate it properly. As for my personal experience, I've never bought a professional level ratchet (Snap-on, Mac, Cornwell, etc.) that was not properly lubricated, it's only lower quality tools that skimp on lube.
@@centralcoastbuc161 Maybe the Asian influence is getting to Stanley Black and Decker too.🙁 The last one I got from Mac had a light oil that looked like it was in there more for rust prevention than to actually lubricate. It wasn't one of their Asian products was it? It seemed to me that we are on this huge downward spiral towards making stuff cheaper and cheaper because people keep wanting cheap stuff and fewer are willing to pay for quality, as well as the manufacturers trying to squeeze every last cent from us that they can.
Don't own any and still appreciate the maintenance tips slow down on the new Subscribers Jeff 100k is coming quick I can't come to the east until Apr May to BBQ and celebrate 👍😎👍
That C-clip is very similar to what's used on a lot of vintage Craftsman ratchets. Tone may make a decent ratchet but the "no repair kit" scenario is a deal breaker for me. I use 3-in-1 oil (or SAE30) typically for the Craftsmans, but I have used a little bit of Superlube as well and it works well. The trick is to not go overboard otherwise you may cause them to eventually skip.
3 in 1 oil is like 5w, 30w is even a pretty light oil, which are better for faster moving lighter loads. In my humble opinion you might be much better off using 90w gear oil, a much more suitable lubricant for something like a ratchet, with high load points and low speed. Superlube does make other lubricants other than the ubiquitous 3oz. tubes of NLGI #2 grease. Try and find some NLGI #0 grease, which is a very light grease.
@@Roger_Icce No good, no heavy grease of any kind. The instructions with the Craftsmans say to use the Swepco grease that comes in the kit or SAE30 oil. Superlube is a good compromise. That other type of grease hardens up and become a bit of an issue to clean up when it comes time to clean them/rebuild them.
@@googleusergpGrease, like the oil in your car comes in many different viscosities, from NLGI #000, which is a liquid to NLGI #6 which is very thick, like dry peanut butter. Like Superlube, Swepco grease comes in many viscosities, their open gear lube will work great in low tooth count ratchets, as well as their roller bearing grease which is what I believe they package fo Craftsman, for higher tooth count and dual pawl ratchets, My preference is a LIGHT grease, I like a LIGHTER grease than the NLGI #2 Superlube that you are going to find at the hardware store. NLGI #0 is my preferred weight. It is a very light grease. There are many greases available that will not harden, Superlube synthetic grease is one of them, the only thing that will thicken it is contamination. If you're getting that much contamination in your ratchets, you have other problems and should look into using sealed ratchets. A lifetime around mechanical things, I have a strong desire to see things properly lubricated. When the tribologists talk, I listen...
@@Roger_Icce Not all of them. Some of them are nitwitted and don't have a clue. I'll stick to what the instructions say. I've never broken a Craftsman ratchet in 35+ years of using them. Not even once. I've bought some that were "broken" and just took them apart and lubricated them and they're fine. Others, I've used repair kits on them. I'm well aware of NLGI and all of that as I work in a large municipal shop and we have equipment that costs upwards of $2 million each and I'm involved with them from beginning to end. At the end of the day, whatever works for you is what you're going to go with. Same for other folks.
Great video Jeff! Are you using Super Lube synthetic grease or Super Lube synthetic oil on your fine tooth ratchets? I typically use 3 and 1 oil for my fine tooth ratchets. For my coarse tooth I use a sparing coat of wheel bearing grease and a couple drops of 3 and 1. I have also tried Super Lube grease on the coarse tooth and it seems to work good.
Super lube grease!! but ive been im going to try some WD 40 Gel spray next on my 72T ratchets!! i also have good luck with ATF on fine tooth!!! ive used true blue wheelbearing grease in my williams 36 tooth and that helps!! i feel ratchets have there own personalitys,no one lube works on all!!!
Hello again, Jeff Thank you for another Great Video 👍 I enjoyed watching tonight's video. Question for you, why different the lubes? As of lately all I've heard is Super Lube. Is the lube to use. Again thank you 👌
Hi george good question!! all ratchets are different how they react to lubricant!! you got coarse tooth,fine tooth,single pawl,double pawl,stacked pawls,alternating pawls,like 4 pawls found in Craftsman 144 position ratchets!! so in my opinion you have to experiment with what works best!!!
Don't own a Tone ratchet but what's your thought on using WGF (wet graphite film) on ratchets. I always keep some around. It's the best stuff ever for cables. IMO For ATV or motorcycles, it seems to last longer than any oil that I've tried and is slick as any oil.
Hi bob i cant says i ever tried it in a ratchet!!! it might work great,every ratchet has a sweet spot for what it works best with!! some like grease,some like a light oil!!etc!!
And this is why they make sealed ratchets. If you don't know how to take it apart and you cant figure it out on your own do the tool a favor and stay out of it. Not all ratchets are this easy some come apart in peace's.
The concept of servicing a tool with a tool is a hard one to grasp. If it is broken and under warranty, why spend the time to fix when replacement is the reason for the warranty. My luck... I would take it apart, and not be able to fix, then void the warranty. Just consideration.
Hi remfj thats a valid point!! i had a subscriber buy a SK 144 position ratchet and he told me wanted to take apart to lube it,and when he did parts went flying out which he couldnt find!! so he couldnt put back together!!!!
@@jefftovani5535 To follow up, many times a warranty is void if the end user opens the product and especially if parts are missing. The cost of the parts replacement vs a complete new one... The risk/reward, along with time value many times is not worth it. The only time to try and salvage would be sentimental or if the original were say USA made and the new one China. Thanks for the quick response.
Jeff,Once again you've put out an informative video and it is appreciated. Thank you for this
Hi bobby i will always try to help you guys any way i can!!! thanks for taking a gander!!!
Good info! Alot of people struggle taking these apart or think they don't come apart. Thanks Jeff!
I had to walk some people through taking the slim head Carlyle and power built ratchets apart before.
Hi josh your rite!! i had many people who wanted to see this video!!!! thanks josh!!
Great Fix Thanks for the info JEFF
Thanks tank for taking a gander!!
Thanks for the heads up Jeff. It looks easy enough.
Yea just got to take your time!!!! thanks mike for checking in!!!
Nice to have this for reference, in the event , I would have a Tone. Thanks Jeff
High mar i had a few subscribers who wanted to see this tear down!! so i did!! thanks for checking in!!!
👍 Thanks Jeff!
Thank you erik for checking in!!!
Thank you Jeff! I am going to give this a try!
Just take your time,the rubber is not do or die,just a retainer!!!! the Tone ratchets come bone dry!!!!!!
Time to service my Carlyle flex head ratchet. Thank you Jeff!!
Glad i could help!! thanks alvakary for checking in!!
Thanks, Jeff!
Good info!
Thanks JB as always!!!!!
Good stuff Jeff thanks
Thanks Shawn,hope all is well!!!!
I’m definitely going to take my Tone ratchets apart and lube them. Thanks for the demonstration.
Hi mike yea they come with no lube usually!! take your time,youll have no problem!!! thanks for checking in!!!
Thanks for info
No problem warren,thanks for taking a gander!!!
Thank you Sir
Thanks george for checking in!!
I've got 7 Tone ratchets. That locking ring comes out really easy with a pair of precision needle-nose pliers. They've got a pretty strong spring in them, so you can shorten the spring just a tiny bit like any other ratchet ( I didn't do it to mine) and use some WD-40 Gel Spray Lube, and the backdrag will go way down, and the mechanism will be very smooth. After I took mine apart, I cleaned them with some contact cleaner really well before lubing. The Gel Spray Lube really sticks to the gear very well and doesn't cause the gears to stick or skip. There was no need to spin mine with a drill. I don't mind a little bit of backdrag. I use a spinner with my ratchets most of the time anyway, and Tone spinners are nice while being very handy when you get used to using one.
Thanks shadow for sharing all the good info with the channel!!! we all help one another!!!
I also trimmed the top of the spring along with adding a few drops of super lube oil. Makes them even smoother.
Thanks frandal for sharing the good info with the channel!!!!
Thanks Jeff, I watched a few videos of these Tone ratchets and people kept saying they didn’t come apart so I believed them . I swapped a Tone 3/8 compact guts to a powerbiult 1/4 flex head and made a nice new 3/8 flex head.
Yea lots of people didnt know these came apart!!! this was much requested!!! nice conversion you made!!!!
awesome vid
Thank you _19 for checking in!!!
Thanks Jeff
Should help a few guys!!! thanks my friend!!
Great video! I have one of these 3/8” and I’ve been curious for a while. Now it’s nice to know
Hi tanner they usually come bone dry!! there easy to take apart,as you saw!!! thanks for checking in!!!
@@jefftovani5535 yessir thank you for the instructional video
Tone in the house 🏠 😂
Thanks for taking a gander my friend!!!
Good information
Thanks louis!!
I's like to see you compare these TONE ratchets with the Powerbuilt Ratchets.
Ill put on the list!! thanks my friend for the feedback!!
Nice video. I took apart either a Tone or a Blackhawk, I still haven't found that damn rubber thingy. Lmao.
You probably dont need that little rubber peice anyway!! thanks doug!!!
That's it brother, break them in on a drill and they're pretty good. I like Knife Pivot Lube in ratchets. Light enough to not cause any sticking but still lubricates
Yes sir rlgonzalez!!!! thanks for joining in!!!!
My Blackhawk ratchets were dry, also. I put Super Lube in mine, and they work great now. You can't pack them full like the old low tooth count ratchets, or the pawl will stick and not ratchet. A light coat was sufficient.
Thanks chris for sharing the info with the channel!!!
Your right, that are dry as heck. Thanks Jeff.
Hi doug that seems to be the way most ratchets come now,dry,go figure!!! thanks my friend!!!
Great video. I have three that I will do.
I think the law may have changed on shipping goods that contain any oil based product because all ratchets seem to come over dry now. I may be due to insurance/fire risk.
Hi harvey,you could be rite!!! thanks for checking in!!!
As myself and another of our regular viewers discovered, DO NOT put grease (Super Lube or other) in the new gen Craftsman ratchets. It causes the pall to stick to the gear and locks the ratchet up.
I have Super Lube or Brian Enos Slide Glide (light version) greases. Both work great in many ratchets. Makes an old Proto 5249 pretty quiet even.
Hello cam,thanks for checking in!! yea thats good advice for are viewers!!! take care!!!
Thats what I keep saying. Tone ratchets are not all that. In fact, they are about average in my opinion. When I hear someone say how great and how smooth a tone ratchet is, I'm like, well you don't know squat. Trimming the spring is key Jeff, I'm telling you. Taking them apart is much easier then putting them back together lol. That circlip is a pain in the ass to put back on, but after a few times, you get the hang of it. Trim the spring, trim the spring, trim the spring!! Not too much though!! Good video Jeff!!
Just like the S•K round heads, the Cornwells, Craftsman RHFT, and pre 90's Craftsman raised pannel ratchets.
They all use these clips and their hard to deal with.
The only time a ratchet ever drew blood I was servicing an S•K 40970 and the end of that clip pierced my finger.
Hi victor this video was much requested!!! yea putting back toghether can be tricky,you just got to do it a few times!!! thanks Victor for jumping in!!!
Hi Tyler thanks for Joining in and sharing your experence with these clips!!!
Some ratchets respond well to Super Lube and some don't I find out sometimes I mix my super lube with a little bit of ATF I've had situations where Super Lube creates more Back Drag but to be technical a ratchet doesn't need grease or oil it's only needed to help fight corrosion and to keep the ratchet running smoothly it's not like constant velocity joints in a car that travel at a high rate of speed and generate a lot of heat but with that in mind I still recommend a light oil and not much very little just enough to coat the moving parts and keep the mechanism from rusting and I recommend doing maintenance every 6 months to a year depending on use I'm sure you could go a little longer but I find it's fun to do maintenance on my ratchets plus it's always good to keep an eye on the mechanism and its wear points you might just find damage before you use it and injure yourself the probability of that happening is probably slim but it can happen I think in all my years of turning ratchets I think I've only broke one ratchet it was a cheap Chinese one from the 80s once again great content Jeff take care my friend
Hi Don you rite about ratchets! they all have different personality and respond in different ways to lubricants!!! its almost a sience!!! thanks Don as always for yourn knowledge on tools!!!!!!
@jefftovani5535 you're welcome Jeff
I would probably leave the rubber piece out and see if it caused any issues. Why do so many ratchet manufacturers ship them dry? For people not comfortable with pulling them apart, it could cause them to think the ratchet is crap and not ever buy another.
My guess as to why they are shipped dry is to save money. I could surmise that anyone not competent or knowledgeable enough to take apart and lube a ratchet is someone who won't be using a ratchet a lot. Someone who uses a ratchet a lot will be competent enough to lubricate it properly. As for my personal experience, I've never bought a professional level ratchet (Snap-on, Mac, Cornwell, etc.) that was not properly lubricated, it's only lower quality tools that skimp on lube.
@@Roger_Icce I received a new Mac 3/8” just today that was bone dry!
@@centralcoastbuc161 Maybe the Asian influence is getting to Stanley Black and Decker too.🙁
The last one I got from Mac had a light oil that looked like it was in there more for rust prevention than to actually lubricate. It wasn't one of their Asian products was it? It seemed to me that we are on this huge downward spiral towards making stuff cheaper and cheaper because people keep wanting cheap stuff and fewer are willing to pay for quality, as well as the manufacturers trying to squeeze every last cent from us that they can.
@@Roger_Icce It was a new old stock XR8K made in USA. If light oil was used, it may have evaporated.
Great question,why they ship them dry,? maybe cost,time,i dont know!!
Don't own any and still appreciate the maintenance tips slow down on the new Subscribers Jeff 100k is coming quick I can't come to the east until Apr May to BBQ and celebrate 👍😎👍
Hi pieman im stuggling to get to 10K,lol!!! thanks my friend for your fantastic support!!!!
That C-clip is very similar to what's used on a lot of vintage Craftsman ratchets. Tone may make a decent ratchet but the "no repair kit" scenario is a deal breaker for me.
I use 3-in-1 oil (or SAE30) typically for the Craftsmans, but I have used a little bit of Superlube as well and it works well. The trick is to not go overboard otherwise you may cause them to eventually skip.
3 in 1 oil is like 5w, 30w is even a pretty light oil, which are better for faster moving lighter loads. In my humble opinion you might be much better off using 90w gear oil, a much more suitable lubricant for something like a ratchet, with high load points and low speed.
Superlube does make other lubricants other than the ubiquitous 3oz. tubes of
NLGI #2 grease. Try and find some NLGI #0 grease, which is a very light grease.
@@Roger_Icce No good, no heavy grease of any kind. The instructions with the Craftsmans say to use the Swepco grease that comes in the kit or SAE30 oil. Superlube is a good compromise. That other type of grease hardens up and become a bit of an issue to clean up when it comes time to clean them/rebuild them.
@@googleusergpGrease, like the oil in your car comes in many different viscosities, from NLGI #000, which is a liquid to NLGI #6 which is very thick, like dry peanut butter. Like Superlube, Swepco grease comes in many viscosities, their open gear lube will work great in low tooth count ratchets, as well as their roller bearing grease which is what I believe they package fo Craftsman, for higher tooth count and dual pawl ratchets, My preference is a LIGHT grease, I like a LIGHTER grease than the NLGI #2 Superlube that you are going to find at the hardware store. NLGI #0 is my preferred weight. It is a very light grease. There are many greases available that will not harden, Superlube synthetic grease is one of them, the only thing that will thicken it is contamination. If you're getting that much contamination in your ratchets, you have other problems and should look into using sealed ratchets. A lifetime around mechanical things, I have a strong desire to see things properly lubricated. When the tribologists talk, I listen...
@@Roger_Icce Not all of them. Some of them are nitwitted and don't have a clue. I'll stick to what the instructions say. I've never broken a Craftsman ratchet in 35+ years of using them. Not even once. I've bought some that were "broken" and just took them apart and lubricated them and they're fine. Others, I've used repair kits on them.
I'm well aware of NLGI and all of that as I work in a large municipal shop and we have equipment that costs upwards of $2 million each and I'm involved with them from beginning to end.
At the end of the day, whatever works for you is what you're going to go with. Same for other folks.
Thanks google for joining in!!
Great video Jeff! Are you using Super Lube synthetic grease or Super Lube synthetic oil on your fine tooth ratchets? I typically use 3 and 1 oil for my fine tooth ratchets. For my coarse tooth I use a sparing coat of wheel bearing grease and a couple drops of 3 and 1. I have also tried Super Lube grease on the coarse tooth and it seems to work good.
Super lube grease!! but ive been im going to try some WD 40 Gel spray next on my 72T ratchets!! i also have good luck with ATF on fine tooth!!! ive used true blue wheelbearing grease in my williams 36 tooth and that helps!! i feel ratchets have there own personalitys,no one lube works on all!!!
Never heard of them. Where do you find all these tools
Amazon,ebay,websites!! thanks walter for checking in!!
Hello again, Jeff
Thank you for another Great Video 👍 I enjoyed watching tonight's video. Question for you, why different the lubes? As of lately all I've heard is Super Lube. Is the lube to use. Again thank you 👌
Hi george good question!! all ratchets are different how they react to lubricant!! you got coarse tooth,fine tooth,single pawl,double pawl,stacked pawls,alternating pawls,like 4 pawls found in Craftsman 144 position ratchets!! so in my opinion you have to experiment with what works best!!!
Don't own a Tone ratchet but what's your thought on using WGF (wet graphite film) on ratchets. I always keep some around. It's the best stuff ever for cables. IMO For ATV or motorcycles, it seems to last longer than any oil that I've tried and is slick as any oil.
Hi bob i cant says i ever tried it in a ratchet!!! it might work great,every ratchet has a sweet spot for what it works best with!! some like grease,some like a light oil!!etc!!
Jeff, I saw a blackhawk ratchet on Amazon that looked like a Tone.... Is Tone rebranding ratchets for Blackhawk?
Hi don im not sure who copied who,powebuilt,Tone,blackhawk,Carliyle 72 tooth,PT!!!!! they all have the same head size,shape!!!
And this is why they make sealed ratchets. If you don't know how to take it apart and you cant figure it out on your own do the tool a favor and stay out of it. Not all ratchets are this easy some come apart in peace's.
Good advice Papa!! thanks for checking in!!
The concept of servicing a tool with a tool is a hard one to grasp. If it is broken and under warranty, why spend the time to fix when replacement is the reason for the warranty. My luck... I would take it apart, and not be able to fix, then void the warranty. Just consideration.
Hi remfj thats a valid point!! i had a subscriber buy a SK 144 position ratchet and he told me wanted to take apart to lube it,and when he did parts went flying out which he couldnt find!! so he couldnt put back together!!!!
@@jefftovani5535 To follow up, many times a warranty is void if the end user opens the product and especially if parts are missing. The cost of the parts replacement vs a complete new one... The risk/reward, along with time value many times is not worth it. The only time to try and salvage would be sentimental or if the original were say USA made and the new one China. Thanks for the quick response.
Gosh those heads are small
Who doesn’t like a little head?? 😂
They sure are!! thanks erik!!
First
Toolsareus your awesome!!! i appreciate the support!!