As one of the most commonly used hand tools, spanners are used to fasten or loosen the nuts or bolt heads that have a hexagonal shape. Some of the most common spanner types found in the market are ring-style spanners, C-type spanners, combination spanners and ratchet spanners.
RS Components have a range of spanners that are found on our website. They are made from tough materials like hardened chrome vanadium steel or beryllium copper and come in both metric (mm) and imperial (in) sizes. This lets the handler use spanners for many jobs and applications.
In this article, we will take a look at the features of a ratchet spanner.
What is a ratchet spanner?
Like any other spanner, the ratchet spanner is used to tighten and loosen the nuts and bolts. However, the ratchet spanner has a feature that allows it to turn in one direction and spin the bolt in the other. This means, as opposed to a traditional spanner, ratchets allow you to quickly undo or tighten nuts without having to lift the ratchet off constantly.
Ratchet spanners have tooth
Ratchets have a toothed wheel inside which permits the spanner to rotate without hindrance while you are trying to tighten or loosen a nut. As you tighten or loosen a nut, you will be able to listen to a click sound which is each tooth passing the ratchet. A ratchet with more teeth means you only need fewer return strokes. For instance, a ratchet with 72 teeth is the basic standard and it will work considerably faster than a ratchet with a lesser number of teeth.
With ratchet spanners, you do not have to flip and turn
As mentioned earlier, ratcheting spanners reduce your chances of flipping and turning because you never need to remove the ratchet from the nut or bolt until the job is done.
Socket release
Unlike other spanners, the sockets of ratchet spanners do not get stuck when a lot of force is applied. Sometimes, you would need to apply external force to get other type of spanners released. On the contrary, ratchet spanners have a button on the back which smoothly pushes off the socket when stuck or you want to release it.
Ratchet spanner sizes
The standard ratchet spanner sizes are the following:
- 1/4-inch drive: These are the smallest ratchet drives. Primarily used for smaller sockets and precision work and where other spanners cannot be used.
- 3/8-inch drive: This middle-sized drive set is one of the most used ratchet sizes. Majorly used in the automobile sector, the 3/8-inch drive can drive sockets of all sizes. The main advantage is that it is big enough to exert a lot of pressure, yet small enough to fit into confined spaces.
- 1/2-inch drive: The 1/2-inch drive is used for nuts and bolts from around 10 mm and up. A ½-inch drive spanner is enough to undo all nuts on a car.
- 3/4-inch drive and 1-inch drive: These ratchet drives are used in applications in industrial machinery, car service stations and workshops.
Ratcheting spanners have a feature that avoids removing and resetting your socket. Choosing the right ratchet spanner has a lot to do with the quality of your project. If you need help finding the right ratchet spanner for your project, visit our website and browse to take a look at all the high-quality brands available.