Broke a Craftsman ratchet on a rusty bolt Tuesday and it surprised me

I've been using that 3/8 drive ratchet for maybe 12 years and figured it would handle anything. Tuesday I was pulling a caliper bracket bolt on a 2005 F-150 and the gear just sheared clean off. Took me ten minutes to get the bolt out with a breaker bar. Guess I learned that even old trusty tools have a limit and I should probably use a little penetrating oil first. Anyone else had a favorite tool finally give up on a simple job?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.mason1mo ago

Broke a Snap-On 1/2 inch drive about six years back on a stuck leaf spring bolt. Thats when I started keeping a little can of Kroil in the truck. Sucks when a tool you trusted just lets go like that, but at least Craftsman has that lifetime warranty so you can probably walk into Lowe's and swap it out for a new one no questions asked.

olivia_moore1mo ago

Hit up Lowe's for a warranty swap, but also grab a can of PB Blaster while you're there. Soak those bolts overnight and your new ratchet will last way longer.

miles_burns1mo ago

Man, that sucks. I feel your pain, I really do. I had a trusty old Husky ratchet that gave out on a brake line bracket once (rusted all to hell after a Midwest winter) and I just stared at the broken piece like it had betrayed me. It is kind of wild how something that's been solid for a decade suddenly just quits on a job you've done a hundred times. Makes you feel like you should have known better, even though the tool was supposed to be the one you could count on.