Rebuild air ratchet?

[Svashtar]

Do any of you guys have a contact who could rebuild an air ratchet? It’s a little 3/8” drive mini air ratchet made by Ingersoll-Rand. Great quality, but after 10 years I accidentally had my compressor set 10 PSI too high and locked it up. Hate to just toss it.

I think they can be rebuilt, but can’t find any service info in the manual it came with.

Craftsman sells a new model, but it’s all composite and doesn’t seem near the same quality.

Thanks for any info.




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[mm svt]

I just start taking them apart you will see pretty quick where grease and oil are absent or where dirt is built up, anymore they are disposable via harbor freight

[RubberCtyRauder]

https://www.ohiopowertool.com/m-271-ir-repair-kits.aspx

[justbob]

I’m thinking that I’m about done with air tools myself. Milwaukee’s line up of battery tools seems the way of the future, primarily the FUEL ones. A good example is their new compact 18v 1/2” gun that’s rated at 1,400 ftlbs!

Just throwing you ideas if you don’t fix it. Craftsman will never get another buck from me the way they handle their warranties anymore..


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[Svashtar]

I’m thinking that I’m about done with air tools myself. Milwaukee’s line up of battery tools seems the way of the future, primarily the FUEL ones. A good example is their new compact 18v 1/2” gun that’s rated at 1,400 ftlbs!

Just throwing you ideas if you don’t fix it. Craftsman will never get another buck from me the way they handle their warranties anymore..


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Thanks, I’ve seen those. I have a battery powered impact wrench that does nearly the job of a 1/2” drive air wrench with a huge amount of torque. Not nearly 1400 ft lbs though, I’m guessing maybe half that. I’ll check out the Milwaukee stuff.

I was in a really tight place taking out the starter on my daughters always in need of repair Nissan, and could have used that mini ratchet.

I also agree Craftsman warranties have gone downhill. Back in the day they were the only ones with lifetime warranties on their hand tools, now every made in China brand has that, and their power tools have minimum coverage.


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[Svashtar]

https://www.ohiopowertool.com/m-271-ir-repair-kits.aspx


Thanks, I’ll call them and give them the model number, maybe they can fix it. I really like the older IR handles, the new Craftsmans are fat plastic ones. The thing cost maybe $50, so obviously I don’t want to spend more that that to fix it.


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[Svashtar]

I just start taking them apart you will see pretty quick where grease and oil are absent or where dirt is built up, anymore they are disposable via harbor freight


Yeah, I know, just hate throwing out a quality tool, especially one I stupidly damaged.


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[martyo]

I’m thinking that I’m about done with air tools myself. Milwaukee’s line up of battery tools seems the way of the future, primarily the FUEL ones. A good example is their new compact 18v 1/2” gun that’s rated at 1,400 ftlbs!

Just throwing you ideas if you don’t fix it. Craftsman will never get another buck from me the way they handle their warranties anymore..


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What this young man said is the absolute truth.

[mm svt]

So true Bob, I haven’t used an air tool for such a long time. The air compressor doesn’t run much either unless a tire is low. Milwaukee is also our go to brand. There are several brands out there but because of our trade we have always been Milwaukee biased. There are a few things still needing replaced with cordless but impacts 1/2” and 3/8” are a must. We still have corded grinders and air cutoff tools but those are what I’m wanting to replace.

[Grimrepairman]

I have the Milwaukee m12 cordless ratchet. Honestly can't remember the last time I used my air ratchet. The cordless works great, and battery life is surprisingly long.
If I were you, I'd take the air ratchet apart and see what's going on inside. May be able to send it to IR, but the rebuild and shipping is probably more than a new one.

[Svashtar]

I have the Milwaukee m12 cordless ratchet. Honestly can't remember the last time I used my air ratchet. The cordless works great, and battery life is surprisingly long.
If I were you, I'd take the air ratchet apart and see what's going on inside. May be able to send it to IR, but the rebuild and shipping is probably more than a new one.


Thanks, I’ll go ahead and do that. At this point I don’t have anything to lose if I can’t fix it. I have a bunch of the Craftsman C3 tools, which have worked great, but they don’t have any ratchets or similar tools. Regular and right angle drills, lights, inflator, shop vac, drill driver, 1/2” impact driver, stuff like that, but nothing else. I’ll look into a cordless replacement.


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[jaywish]

I like cordless, who doesn't.

If you are a pro in any field that uses tools they are usually the way to go. I am a handi guy. Do most car, home & boat work. I bought a set of Dewalt cordless tools maybe 25 yrs ago. They didn't have that many different tools at the time. Some time later they stopped selling them with that battery config so I gave them away and bought a fair assortment of new Dewalt 18V tools. Generally I like them and they have all served me well. When the NiCads died I replaced them with Li bats and all was great. Problem is dewalt is moving to a new battery config, 20V for most tools. They still sell the small Li bats but no more large capacity. I have tried some aftermarket bats and so far they are junk. So now I am looking at my soon to be obsolete tools. probably can keep them running with crap aftermarket bats well into the future but it is not optimal.

Like I said if you use them every day you probably will wear them out by the time they are no longer supported. If you are an old fashioned guy like me I am used to thinking of good tools as heirlooms that will outlast me. So in short some tools that are only used infrequently (e.g. my hammer drills, hole hog, small dremel, sheet rock rotary tool, multi tool, jig saw, sawzall) maybe best powered by air or 120v.
The ones used all the time, like a drill or screwdriver it is worth it as they are so good and handy that nothing else makes sense. The other stuff like a heavy impact gun and ratchet I am on the fence about. I do also like a coordless circular saw.

[justbob]

I didn’t mean to side track your post! [emoji16]


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[CoreyM75]

The newer Craftsman air tools are junk. All made in China out of plastic. Sears is almost dead and Lowe’s is selling some Craftsman tools but they are all made overseas.

The Milwaukee high torque 1/2 impact is great. Harbor Freight has a similar 1/2 impact that’s cheaper with very good reviews.

[fastblackmerc]

OP... most tools are easy to take apart. Clean the parts, lube it all and reassemble.

[Svashtar]

OP... most tools are easy to take apart. Clean the parts, lube it all and reassemble.


I’m going to try that, thanks. This older IR (thought it was 10 years but found the receipt and I actually bought it in 2004 when I got my MM) is really nice, all metal. I got a matching set in 3/8” drive, a mini and standard air ratchet. With a swivel connection they’re pretty accessible.

I like the idea of the cordless ratchet though so will look at those.

Jaywish, I had been tossing my ni-cads when they failed, most recently on a great Makita drill I bought back in the early ‘90’s, but ran into a guy here who rebuilds them for a reasonable price. The Li-ions are better, but pricy.

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