Question to mechainc or anyone who works with ratchets

Some one gave me a push lawn mower the other day and i was using a ratchet to take a part off. While using the ratchet, it used to be smooth and quiet, noticed it had become rather "dry" and was clicking real loud when you'd "ratchet" it, meaning it was getting low on grease. I went to put some regular ol cup grease in it, it was actually the stuff i use to grease the front end of my truck, and my neighbor told me it's best to NOT put grease in one, but if you do put very little only on the forward/reverse switch and none on the gear. . the reason for this, is if you get it in a bind, like your taking off a rusted/frozen bolt, that when you put pressure on it, the grease can be so slick, that the gear inside will "slip" off and make the teeth get sheared down, or break off completely. and that it's best to leave it dry so it can get "better traction". common sense would dictate that if it was THAT bad rusted, then i'd use a breaker bar.

Has anyone ever heard of this before? or is he just repeating an old wives tale?

Its not that the grease is too slick, its that it takes up space and prevents the pawls from fully seating, which can cause the ratchet to slip internally. All you need is light oil.

Just like bfayer said, grease can keep the pawls & gears from seating and can lead to busted knuckles! Snapon has used SuperLube for a long time. I just rebuilt a Snapon ratchet with the lube they provided. It did not look like SuperLube. It was a light oil, slightly brown in color. Smooth as silk!

ok, then let me ask this, what are the consequences of never oiling/greasing one? say it's bone dry and you continue to use it?

Frijid said:

ok, then let me ask this, what are the consequences of never oiling/greasing one? say it's bone dry and you continue to use it?

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none, if it hasn't gotten wet or left in rain.
*I am assuming a quality piece like craftsman or snap-on, not a generic cheapo from the dollar store

3-in-1 oil is good enough for these things

127.0.0.1 said:

none, if it hasn't gotten wet or left in rain.
*I am assuming a quality piece like craftsman or snap-on, not a generic cheapo from the dollar store

3-in-1 oil is good enough for these things

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+1 any good quality lube, I use whatever I have within reach. I have ratchets that are 40+ years old and work just fine. Don't over think it.

Good question on the grease though.

I just took a no-name ratchet apart and lubricated it with light oil. The oil ran out and made a mess! It turns out that the Snapon ratchets are sealed and this no-name ratchet had no seal on either side. I took it apart, dried the light oil and put a very small amount of synthetic grease on the moving parts. Much quieter.... but not the buttery smooth feel of a quality Snapon ratchet....

I used a slight amount of Superlube grease on mine, works fine.

Being an ex automotive technician for 6 years I say scrap the cheap ratchet and pay a little more $$$ for something that will won't give you extra play.

If are mechanically inclined and its worth your time you can take the ratchet apart and clean/lubricate it. If not you can just soak it overnight in ATF

I find if I'm having problems with ratchet, I just set some rat traps.......

Glenn7 said:

I find if I'm having problems with ratchet, I just set some rat traps.......

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Tuesday nights is our training night for a Volunteer Emergency group. We had ropes and knots to work on last night. I was given a rope with ratchet on it.
Reminder to self - set some rat traps next tuesday night.

Glenn7 said:

I find if I'm having problems with ratchet, I just set some rat traps.......

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That's funny!

Happy to have been some help