If you would like to maintain your bike or car on your own, you need the right tools. A torque wrench with a ratchet head is one of them. But first, what is a ratchet torque wrench?
This is a torque wrench with a ratchet head. A ratchet works in a unique way. When you rotate the head in the clockwise direction, it tightens your fastener.
When you rotate the head in the anticlockwise direction, the fastener is loosened. Therefore, when you are looking for information about a ratchet wrench, you are looking for a torque wrench that can tighten as well as loosen fasteners.
A plain ratchet can only move in one fixed direction. However, when you equip a torque wrench with a ratchet head, it can move in both directions.
You can also use the ratchet-style torque wrench for short cycles without the need to get it off the fastener and reset it again.
When you get a torque wrench that has a ratchet head, you get the combination of accuracy and flexibility to work in tight spaces.
How to use a ratchet torque wrench
Torque wrenches with ratchet heads come in all sizes. You can even get an industrial sized torque wrench.
Before you can get one, check the calibration declaration/certificate to know the stated accuracy rating.
Knowing how to use a tool correctly can help you put it to full use. Using this tool is simple. Always follow the user manual that it comes with.
Set the torque
The first thing you need to do is to set the torque level that you need for your fasteners. Check the fastener’s recommended final torque. It is usually indicated, or you can find out from the manual of the item you are assembling.
You can twist the handle to set the torque level on the body. This is not any different from what you would need to do when setting the final torque on a regular click-type torque wrench.
Tightening the fasteners
When you have set the torque, place the socket on the fastener. Turn it clockwise until you hear a click to let you know you are done tightening. Continue tightening until you have fully tightened the fasteners.
Since this is a ratcheting style wrench, you can tighten in short cycles without having to remove the wrench from the fastener.
When you make an anti-clockwise turn, the handle goes back so that you can continue tightening again.
Because of the design of the tool, you will tighten your fasteners quicker than you would with a plain ratchet or with a torque wrench.
Do not mistake a ratchet for a torque wrench. The ratchet wrench is a combination of the two tools. You add a ratchet on the fixed square head of the torque wrench.
If you are tightening heavy-duty fasteners, use a torque wrench. If you are tightening fasteners in a tight space, you are going to use a ratchet torque wrench.
Because a torque wrench with a ratcheting mechanism is a bit bulky, it might not fit everywhere. In that case, use a torque wrench.
Types of ratchet torque wrenches
There are not that many types of ratchet torque wrenches, but there are different ratchet heads that you can use with torque wrenches.
You might choose the square drive ratchet head for using with a torque wrench. Choose a round ratchet. Consider the size of the body and the drive. Some ratchets come with a small body and larger drive size.
You can also buy your ratchet wrench by the final torque. Some come with square drives that can hold sockets that can do 250 in-lb, while some have final torque as high as 2500 in-lb.
1. Cam-over torque wrenches with ratchet heads
These ones work in the same way as a socket wrench. They cannot go over the preset torque limit. The only limitation with such ratchet wrenches is that you can only use them with a ¼-inch socket drive. You cannot use them to apply final torque of more than 90 ft-lb.
2. Interchangeable ratchet head torque wrench
Interchangeable ratchet head wrenches are very common. At the end of the torque wrench, you have an interchangeable ratcheting mechanism.
With this mechanism, you can tighten or loosen a fastener without first removing the ratchet torque wrench from the fastener.
You can use these types of ratchet torque wrenches in jobs that require precise application of torque. You can also use them for tightening tasks that do not allow the handle to go the full cycle when tightening.
The benefit is that you need not remove the socket from the fastener when you are tightening in short cycles.
3. Flare nut ratcheting torque wrench
This is yet another type of the ratchet torque wrench. This is mostly a uni-direction ratchet wrench that is used for delicate jobs as pneumatic fittings, brake, air conditioning and fuel lines.
This type of ratchet wrench also comes with an interchangeable head so you can use a different head, as the job at hand demands. If you have flare nuts that need torquing, this is the perfect wrench to go for.
Sometimes, you come across jobs that require the use of a spanner head as opposed to the use of a regular socket.
Other types of ratchet wrenches come in the form of ring spanner heads, which you can use in areas that you cannot access with a regular socket. Basically, there is a torque wrench for almost every kind of job at hand.
Can you ratchet with a torque wrench?
To get the best use out of a tool, you should never use it for any purpose apart from which it was intended.
You cannot ratchet with a torque wrench. There are many reasons for this. However, the main one is that torque wrenches are adjusted so that they can fail when they achieve a certain torque. Because they are calibrated for torque, they can fail if you ratchet with them.
When you are using a manual torque wrench, you are going to have to keep repositioning it, until you attain the final torque and you hear a click or get any other signal.
Ratchets, also called socket wrenches, enable you to tighten a fastener without having to keep on removing it to reposition it. It does not measure torque, so you can use it for general work in the workshop.
Ratcheting means being able to “reverse” fast. In this case, you can tighten fasteners in the clockwise direction and when you turn the handle of the ratchet in the opposite direction, it runs loose.
A torque wrench only runs in one direction – it can only tighten fasteners. If you try to move it in the opposite direction, it is going to loose its calibration.
If this happens, you might over-torque your fasteners and damage them and the threads. You might also under-torque the fasteners and risk getting them loose with vibrations.
Some resources will tell you it is okay to use the wrench to loosen your fastener, as long as you can do it within the top torque of the fastener. However, this is misleading. Just use the right tool, such as the ratchet for loosening.
What’s the difference between a ratchet and a torque wrench?
Apart from the torque wrench being adjusted to fail once it attains the final torque, there are other differences even in the design of these two tools.
Both of them are for tightening fasteners, but a ratchet cannot torque fasteners. It can only be useful for general tightening needs but not where precise torque is needed.
You cannot use a torque wrench without a socket. When you buy it, you will notice that it comes with a fixed square head, which holds the socket so that you can put it to work.
The best ones come with a spring loaded ball detent in the square head. It holds the socket securely so that it does not slip off.
When using the ratchet, you can overload it with an extension pipe without worrying about damage. After all, it does not measure torque. In the case of the torque wrench, you cannot use an extension pipe because that might throw the calibration off.
Ratchets are best used for quick fix tasks. You will get the best result in the shortest time possible. If you have plumbing fittings or car fittings that do not require to be tightened to a certain pressure, use a ratchet.
Complex works where precision is critical require a calibrated torque wrench.
The prices of the two pieces differ a lot. Ratchets are simpler by design and they are useful for general automotive maintenance works.
They are more affordable than the inherently complex wrenches. Besides, torque wrenches need calibration at least once every 5000 cycles or 12 months.
How much torque can ratchet wrenches handle
Generally, the torque range of a ratchet wrench is from 20 to 250 in-lb/1.67 to 20.8ft-lb. Therefore, you can only use these tools in light-duty tightening jobs.
Heavy duty tasks would require a bigger tool such as a pneumatic torque wrench that has a final torque of up to 6000ft-lb.
Ratchet torque wrenches come in different sizes. You can use ¼-inch drives to tighten fasteners that need up to 250 in-lb of torque.
In some cases, ¼-inch cam-over ratchet wrenches can only do a maximum of 90 in-lb. since they break when they reach the final torque, you will never over-tighten your fasteners.
You can use ½-inch sockets to tighten fasteners that require up to 750 ft-lb of torque. However, for heavier tasks, regular torque wrenches are more preferable to ratchet wrenches.
If you work in a garage that maintains all types of engines, it is best to have a set of ratchet wrenches for all types of fasteners.
Some ratchet wrenches have torque limits of as high as 2500 in-lb, especially the ½ and 3/8-inch ones. Overall, there is a ratchet wrench for any tightening job in your garage.
Best ratchet torque wrench
After knowing what is a ratchet torque wrench and the various types available, you might want to buy a couple for your tool kit. Here are a few to try check out:
Park Tools Ratcheting Click-Type Torque Wrench
You can use it for bike bolts because the torque range is 10 to 60Nm
Good for cassette lockrings, bottom bracket and other parts
There is a small TW 5.2 which is best for lower torque needs
Ratcheting head enables you to tighten in shorter cycles without taking the wrench off the fastener
It comes with one, 1/2-inch square drive
Low torque range of up to 20N.m
The integrated scale and knob will help you to set the torque
24 teeth ratchet head and a 15-degree working angle for small spaces
Resin handle is comfortable on the palms
ICOOL 3pcs 1/4″ 3/8″ 1/2″ Ratchet Wrench
This is a set of 3 ratchet wrenches with ¼, 3/8 and ½-inch drives
Helps you to tighten or loosen a fastener easily without removing the wrench
Good for working in tight spaces
72-tooth ratchet
It has a quick release button built into the ratchet mechanism to help change sockets fast
Conclusion
Choosing the right tool for the job is always crucial. When it comes to tightening fasteners for bikes, cars, boats, aircraft and other applications, you need a fastener that can do the job perfectly.
Torque wrenches come in different types. So, what is a ratchet torque wrench? As you have seen here, this tool can help you work on light duty tightening jobs, in squeezed spaces.
This is a special tool that combines the flexibility of a regular ratchet with the precision of a calibrated torque wrench. You can use it for home improvement jobs too.