i need a breaker bar for the ratchet. i have 1/2 ratchets both craftsman and snap on and broke both recently trying to remove bolts from truck. can i get a bar that doesnt ratchet? ive seen one with a pivot at the end but it didnt look strong enough

 

I've got a long Snap-On ratchet and a Proto breaker bar that I've put quite long pipes on for extra leverage and haven't broken either of them
If that isn't enough maybe it's time to heat up the nuts you're trying to remove

 

You have not mentioned it, but, it almost sounds like from your posts that you are trying to do spring work. Because the bolts in springs and hangers are about the only things on light duty trucks were you can break a 1/2 inch without snapping the bolt.

If this is the case, you need 3/4 to 1 inch with a 36 inch handle, not counting the pipe you are going to put on the end. Or, you just could burn them off in less than 60 seconds with a torch. You need something, depending on the truck, that can handle upwards of 1,000 ft lbs of torque. That is outside the 1/2 range because most 1/2 or smaller fasteners will break or shear at that pressure.

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Whatever you are doing, there has to be a better way. What are you working on and what size is the bolt/nut combo you are trying to remove?
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Example: using a 1/2 drive anything to remove a nut 1 3/8 in size is an exercise in folly if it requires 800 ft lbs to remove.

 

I've got a 24" breaker bar that is a no name tool. Picked it up 8 years ago at a garage sale for $12. I've broken 2 extensions (Craftsman and Snap-On) and countless name brand sockets and have used pipes up to 5' in length for extra leverage. I wouldn't worry too much about breaking a swivel head breaker bar, that's what mine is.

 

For those stubborn bolts, I ended up buying a good-quality 3/4" drive sliding T breaker bar - though that's not the right name, because I can't remember it off the top of my head. Basically, it's not the kind with the pivot on one end (like most breaker bars), but the kind where the main handle is a solid rod and the 3/4" male bit fits over the rod and can slide from one end to the other. The one I bought uses a solid rod in the neighborhood of 1 1/4" diameter (and at least 2 feet long), so I dug out a length of heavy-wall steel pipe just barely large enough to fit over it - the one I usually use is 48" long, but you could cut it to whatever length you wanted. Then, to go with it I bought heavy-walled impact sockets - 3/4" drive for the larger sizes, and 1/2" drive (with a good impact-quality adapter) for the smaller stuff.

I'm not sure if this was the way to go or not, but I've used this setup on some pretty tough jobs and haven't broken anything. Well, except the bolts I was taking off. I thought about going with a 'normal' 3/4" breaker bar with the pivot on the end, but after looking at them both the sliding-T setup looked quite a bit stronger - plus, the handle shape works better with a pipe. Also, hopefully if I push my current setup past it's limits the solid rod will bend instead of something breaking.

If I was starting over and buying a new tool selection, I wouldn't even buy a 1/2" breaker bar - because if the job requires that, you might as well go even bigger and guarantee it won't break. Plus, if/when something does break you run the risk of injuring yourself - I messed up my shoulder pretty bad when the head snapped off my 1/2" breaker bar. Used to be I didn't worry too much about it, but as I'm getting older I don't heal as fast as I used to.

LK

 

I have the Craftsman 1/2" ratcheting and non-ratcheting breaker bars and have busted loose some tough bolts. More often than not the bolt breaks if I've got the breaker bar out.

You haven't said what you're trying to do, is it spring work as suggested?

If you have a no-name I'd suspect this is why you're breaking it/them, they're inferior and their sockets will fracture as well. Thus the reasoning by paying more for the better quality, be they Craftsman, Mac, Snap-On, etc.

HTH

zman

 

wow you guys are scary! yes it was spring related, i was removin g the springs for the new shakles in the leveling kit for the 2002. on the pass side i broke the snap-on 1/2" ratchet, on the driver side i broke the craftsman 1/2" ratchet. both had a 3' pipe on the ratchets for leverage. amazingly enough they broke right as the bolts came loose,both times! i replaced the craftsman but havnt tracked down a snap-on man yet.
now i need a breaker bar for this purpose instead of a ratchet and wanted to know if they exist and which ones are the better.

 

 

I used a noname 3/4 breaker bar once to loosen some rusted lugs on rear dullays. I had about 5 feet of cheater on it. Didn't break the breaker or the extension. I started with 2 feet but after jumping on it....... well you get the idea. Yes I did lift up to break them loose. Oh yea it was a '80 e350.

 

> now i need a breaker bar for this purpose instead of a ratchet
> and wanted to know if they exist and which ones are the better.

The sliding T-handles are much stronger than breaker bars, both in the 1/2 and 3/4 size (I have 3/8 for small close quarter stuff inside engine compartments). Not to mention a lot less expensive than a bar/breaker bar set-up in the 3/4 size.

What is nice about the sliding T-handle, is once the nut is loose, you can pull the handle 1/2 way through the head and spin the nut loose using both hands. Sort of like using a 4 way tire iron. Or having a friend on each side of the T-handle (with a short cheater bar) can put a great deal of even leverage and torque on a nut without cranking it to one side and rounding something off.

For spring work I would go with a 3/4 sliding T-handle and just buy the one socket I need. I would tend to go with the impact socket because being six sided instead of multi-point, like the general service sockets, they will not round off the nut. Especially if you are going to be jumping on a cheater bar to help break the bolt from the rubber.

Because they are hard to find, I did a browse through the Snap-On catalog to get you started:

3/4
L52BH
Sliding T-Handle, Complete, 19 1/4"
$89.40

L52B
Head, Sliding T-Handle
$48.83
If you have bar stock or a tire iron (for changing med. duty truck tires) the head should slide right over. It has to be a close fit and you do not want to use it on a hex bar.

Don't bother with the 1/2" T-handle. For the extra $40, there is a world of difference in strength and leverage.

 

thank you for the input. ill be shopping around for some.

 

you are welcome