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How to use a ratchet spanner

Updated: 24 October 2026

The handle clicks and the nut stays still. How to use a ratchet spanner is a direction change or a stop. Seat the ring, set the direction, and run a nut that already turns. If it does not turn, the pawl is the wrong place to prove a point. Wheel torque and ring versus socket are on the [car repair](/hub/hand-tools/ratchet-ring-spanner/sub/ratchet-ring-spanner-car-repair) page. Which set to buy is on the [buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/ratchet-ring-spanner/sub/ratchet-ring-spanner-buying-guide) and in the [ratchet ring spanner comparison](/hub/hand-tools/ratchet-ring-spanner). Peter F. drew the steps from Wonkee Donkee Tools, Hagerty and the Health and Safety Executive. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The handle clicks and the nut stays still. How to use a ratchet spanner is a direction change or a stop. Seat the ring, set the direction, and run a nut that already turns.

Our top picks

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional 1600A016BU

Best overall

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional 1600A016BU
9.4/10about £101.53
View offer
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics DS-CWS-7M

Best value

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics DS-CWS-7M
9.0/10about £18.53
View offer
DURATECH DURATECH DTRRW05M

Alternative

DURATECH DURATECH DTRRW05M
9.0/10about £21.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Seat the ring before you pull
  2. 2.Lever or flip
  3. 3.When the nut will not move
  4. 4.A quiet ratchet

Seat the ring before you pull

Put the ring fully onto the flats before you load the handle. A ring cocked on two corners will click, slip, or round the hex, and the click feels like work. Haynes' note is the same rule: a ring bears on more of the fastener than an open jaw, which touches two faces and then slips. Use the ring for the pull. Use an open end only to place the tool when you cannot drop a ring on from above. A 12-point ring, which DURATECH, ss shovan and Enventor SGRD008 print, gives more places to sit and less material on each corner. If the flats are already rounded, stop and move to a six-point socket or a nut splitter. None of these sets prints a six-point ring. Clockwise tightens a normal right-hand thread as you look at the nut. If it loosens, the direction is wrong, or the thread is left-hand.

Lever or flip

Wonkee Donkee Tools tells you to turn clockwise to tighten and, if you are loosening by mistake, to flip the spanner or move the lever. Bosch Professional is a direction you follow once you accept there is no click. On some Amtech sets the practical reverse is to flip the tool because the lever is awkward. If neither the lever nor a flip changes the direction, the pawl is not driving. On a double-ended ring such as the Rolson or the DURATECH, the other end is a different size, not a reverse gear. DURATECH prints a reversing lever at each end. Rolson says reversible and does not say how. The working stroke is a pull towards you, with the ring seated. A stated 5° swing is that short bite. It is not extra torque.
Bosch Professional Bosch Professional 1600A016BU

Testsieger

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional 1600A016BU
9.4/10about £101.53
View offer

When the nut will not move

Stop when the handle clicks and the nut does not. Check direction once. If the direction is right and the nut is still stuck, Hagerty's sequence is next: clean the flats, soak with a penetrant, seat the tool fully, and do not lean so hard that a stud shears. Give the penetrant time. Do not put a tube on the handle. HSE leaflet INDG229 says not to use a pipe as an extension, and to scrap spanners that slip. Do not put the ring on an impact driver. A DURATECH reviewer broke the 19 mm that way. Crack a seized nut with a plain ring, a six-point socket, or a breaker bar, then use the ratchet to spin it off. Finish a published torque with a torque wrench. This page does not give a figure for a wheel or a caliper.

A quiet ratchet

Bosch Professional's listing says the ratchet is toothless and the backswing is 3°. On that set, silence is the design. You judge it by whether the nut turns. A toothed set that goes quiet after you have checked the direction is a different fault. Amtech K1500 texts describe a spring that failed so the ratchet would not hold. Put that spanner aside. HSE's line is to take a slipping spanner out of use. A warranty line is a claim with the seller, not a reason to keep pulling.

Common questions

Which way tightens a right-hand nut?
Clockwise, as you look at the nut. If it loosens, flip the spanner or move the lever, which is the Wonkee Donkee rule. Some left-hand threads exist, including some pedal and wheel-bearing parts. Confirm the direction on a free nut before you load a tight one.
What if the handle clicks and the nut stays still?
Check that the ring is seated and that the direction is the one you wanted. If both are right, stop. The click is the pawl skipping, not progress. A penetrant and a solid ring or a socket are the next tools, not a harder pull on the same ratchet.
Do you flip the spanner or use the lever?
Read that spanner. Wonkee Donkee allows either. DURATECH prints a lever at each end. Some Amtech review texts say the practical reverse is to flip the tool because the lever is awkward. If neither action reverses the drive, the mechanism is not working.
Can you crack a rusty nut with the ratchet?
Not as the first move. Clean the flats, use a penetrant, and break it loose with a fixed spanner or a socket. The ratchet spins it once it turns. First-use pawl failures in the cheaper ring reviews are what happens when that order is reversed.
Is a tube on the handle acceptable?
No. HSE INDG229 says not to use a pipe as an extension on a spanner. The extra length loads the pawl and your knuckles if the tool slips. Use a longer solid tool, or a breaker bar, for the crack.
When do you stop and change tool?
Stop when the nut will not start, when the hex is rounding, or when the job is a brake, steering or suspension fastener and you do not have the manual's method. A shearing stud is a garage job. The car page covers stands and torque. This page only marks the stop.
Does a silent ratchet mean it is broken?
On Bosch Professional 1600A016BU, no. The listing says toothless, and reviews describe a quiet action you judge by the nut. On a set that used to click, silence plus a nut that does not move is a failed pawl. Retire that spanner.

Related pages

Best ratchet spanner sets

Ratchet ring spanner

Ratchet spanner set buying guide: sizes, teeth, AF

Ratchet spanner for car repairs: ring, socket, torque

Double ring ratchet spanner vs combination: open jaw

Sources

Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. ISO 21982:2020 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. HSE, INDG229 Using work equipment safely (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Car Mechanics, best ratchet spanners, 17 September 2025 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Auto Express, best ratchet spanner sets 2024 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Haynes UK, car maintenance tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Hagerty UK, choosing spanners for DIY (retrieved 22.10.2026)