What is the length of a breaker bar?
With this set, you’ll get breaker bars with a 1/4″ drive (6″ length), 3/8″ drive (10″ length), and 1/2″ (15″ length) drive. They feature 180-degree range of motion with 45-degree positive stops to prevent overtightening.
What is the best breaker bar to buy?
Top 10 Best Breaker Bars. 1 1. Editor's Pick: Neiko 1/2" Drive Premium Breaker Bar. It’s rather difficult to choose a best of the best when it comes to breaker bars, especially ... 2 2. Capri Tools Breaker Bars. 3 3. EPAuto 1/2" Drive Breaker Bar. 4 4. Performance Tool Breaker Bars. 5 5. GreatNeck 1/2" Drive Breaker Bar. More items
What happens if a breaker bar is too long?
A breaker bar that’s too long may be difficult to get into tight spaces. It may also produce too much torque, creating so much force that it shears off a bolt rather than loosens it. This risk makes it a good idea to always use safety glasses when using any size breaker bar.
What is an extendable breaker bar used for?
For this reason, this tool can be used for simple lug nuts or bolts that are rusted in place. The Olsa Tools Extendable Breaker Bar is unique because of the telescoping handle. While most breaker bars feature handles between 18 and 24 inches, this tool gives you options.
How long should a breaker bar be?
16 to 24 inchesAlthough length is necessary, there is generally no need to buy the longest break bar you can get your hands on; usually, 16 to 24 inches should be enough for general use.
How can I make my breaker bar longer?
0:081:26Cheater Bar - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut if you want even more leverage. You can attach piece of plumbing tube. And we call these aMoreBut if you want even more leverage. You can attach piece of plumbing tube. And we call these a cheater bar. And once again you get even more leverage. So from this point.
Is it okay to use a pipe on the end of a breaker bar for more leverage?
Extending any tool with pipes or other contrived schemes is to be discouraged. You are always better off to get a bigger tool for the job for the sake of safety and well being.
Is a breaker bar stronger than a ratchet?
The long handle on breaker bars compared to shorter wrenches allow a larger torque to be generated with the same amount of force. Also, the absence of a ratcheting mechanism makes a breaker bar considerably stronger than a ratchet. This allows greater torque to be applied to a fastener without the tool failing.
What kind of pipe do you use for a breaker bar?
Get a regular 1/2" drive breaker bar. Cheater pipe is a great way to screw up your ratchets.
What does a cheater bar do?
Cheater bars are usually used to free threaded pipe, screws, bolts, and other fasteners that are difficult to remove with a ratchet or pipe wrench alone. Cheater bars are also commonly used to operate valves.
Can you use a torque wrench as a breaker bar?
Never use your torque wrench as a breaker bar—that'll damage the torque mechanism.
Can you tighten nuts with a breaker bar?
Breaker bars are only used to loosen securely tight nuts and bolts that require a lot of torque to be removed. On the other hand, Torque wrenches are used to tighten bolts to a specific preset torque. To summarize, breaker bars are used to remove bolts, while torque wrenches are used to tighten bolts.
Can I use a breaker bar to tighten lug nuts?
To rotate tires or change a flat tire, you need to know how to tighten lug nuts, but “tight enough” isn't enough. While many people get away with using a spider wrench, breaker bar or impact gun (which could be disastrous), the best way to tighten lug nuts is with a torque wrench.
Is an impact driver better than a breaker bar?
Despite having the same purpose as a breaker bar which is loosening lug nuts with a lot of torque; the impact wrench provides much more acceleration using a hammering mechanism with either electric or air motors.
Do breaker bars break?
Breaker bars are strong themselves. They are made of polished chrome steel. So you won't ever hear it breaking. Even if it doesn't, replacing is cheap, and you can get it in any hardware store.
Why is it called a breaker bar?
Top Definition. Called a breaker bar by the trade and a "Flex Handle" by Klein, this tool is a long handle with a flexible head to which a 1/2" or 3/8" drive socket is attached. The long handle provides substantial leverage which allows the user to "break" difficult bolts or nuts.
What is a breaker bar?
A breaker bar (also known as a power bar) is a long non-ratcheting bar that is used with socket wrench -style sockets. They are used to break loose very tight fasteners because their additional length allows the same amount of force to generate significantly more torque than a standard length socket wrench.
Why are breaker bars longer than ratchets?
Also, the absence of a ratcheting mechanism makes a breaker bar considerably stronger than a ratchet. This allows greater torque to be applied to a fastener without the tool failing.
Breaker Bar Reviews
If you’re looking for a cheap breaker bar “just in case”, ABN might have the perfect solution for you. This entry-level model is available in either 3/8″ drive X 15″ or 1/2″ drive X 18″ — the most common sizes in the auto repair industry.
Buying Guide: What to Consider When Choosing a Breaker Bar
Breaker bars are available in various lengths, usually from 10 to 40 inches. Their handles are longer than most ratchets and wrenches to create more torque using the leverage principle. Thus, breaker bars are better at freeing a seized nut than rachets, even when using the same amount of pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In most cases, breaker bars are “last-resort” tools — when all else fails, it will be there for you.
Verdict
In the auto mechanic world, each tool is designed for a very specific job and should only be used only for that purpose. Breaker bars are not different; they are made to break tough bolts. You surely won’t use yours as often as other hand tools, but when you’ll need it, it will literally save your day.
What is a breaker bar?
A breaker bar consists of a long steel bar that attaches to a head with a socket drive. This head usually rotates up to 240 degrees to allow the user to get the bar in the optimal position for creating the leverage needed to remove a difficult nut or bolt.
How long is a telescoping breaker bar?
These telescoping breaker bars have an adjustable length, typically from around 16 to 24 inches. To operate these bars, the user typically twists the bar clockwise to extend or retract the bar and counterclockwise to tighten it.
What size breaker bar to use to remove lug nuts?
While an 18-inch breaker bar will suffice for removing lug nuts, a 24-inch bar is typically the best option. This allows the operator to remove the lug nuts easily without straining the back or placing an undue amount of force on the nuts or bolts.
What is a Maxpower breaker bar?
An innovative dual-head design makes this Maxpower breaker bar one of the most versatile models on the market. Its rotating head is double-sided, with a ½-inch drive on one side and a ⅜-inch drive on the other. A spring-loaded ball bearing ensures that sockets stay on regardless of which side is used.
How much does a breaker bar weigh?
This makes it more susceptible to bending or even breaking when a significant amount of force is applied. With that in mind, most breaker bars weigh between 1.5 and 3 pounds, depending on size, which makes them light enough to manage but stout enough to hold up to the forces they must endure.
What size drives are needed for a 40 inch breaker?
Larger ¾-inch drives are generally reserved for longer 40-inch breaker bars while smaller 6- to 8-inch breaker bars have ¼-inch drives. Avoid using adapters to change the drive size, as this could cause damage to the machinery or the breaker bar.
How much torque can a 40 inch breaker bar produce?
At more than 3 feet long, a 40-inch breaker bar can produce a staggering 1,000 foot-pounds of torque.
What is a breaker bar?
Breaker bars are long steel tools with a socket head at the end. While they share many features, breaker bars cannot ratchet and rely on brute force to remove bolts from sockets. This is why they feature long handles that turn leverage into torque.
How are breaker bars similar?
Breaker bars are similar in the ways that they look and work, but there are a few features that make them different. You’ll come across different drive sizes, lengths, and weights. For this reason, you need to carefully consider these features before you decide on a breaker bar.
What is a manpower breaker bar?
The ManPower Breaker Bar is an excellent tool for automotive applications. It’s made with high-quality materials like forged and heat-treated chrome vanadium, and the handle has grooves to keep your hands from slipping. The 24-inch handle gives you enough leverage to tackle simple jobs like lug nuts and complicated jobs like frozen or rusted bolts.
How heavy is a tekton breaker bar?
The TEKTON Breaker Bar is a great tool, but it’s heavy and bulky. The 40″ handle is excellent but it makes it challenging to work on smaller projects. Furthermore, the product weighs close to ten pounds. That’s more than triple the weight of most breaker bars on the market.
Why do we like the Performance Tool Breaker Bar?
Why we like it: We love the Performance Tool Breaker Bar for its destructive power. With a 30" handle, you'll have enough torque to crack the toughest bolts.
How many drive heads can you have on a Manpower breaker bar?
Why we like it: We love how the ManPower Breaker Bar gives you two different drive heads on the same tool. You can choose between ½-inch and ¾-inch heads.
Why do we like Craftsman Flex handle breaker bars?
Why we like it: We like the Craftsman Flex Handle Breaker Bar Set because you get three different breaker bars at a great price.
Product Overview
Use this breaker bar to break loose stubborn nuts and bolts. Chrome vanadium steel construction gives this 1/2 in. breaker bar the edge on tough jobs. The drive end of the breaker bar has a 180° swivel to get the best angle on your work.
Warranty
Lifetime Warranty. We guarantee this Tool to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply.
Why add a cheater pipe to a breaker bar?
Adding a cheater pipe on the end of any of these tools allows you to produce even more torque via greater leverage but it may also surpass the torque rating. If the breaker bar you are using is not providing enough leverage, it is best to use a longer breaker bar than added a pipe to the end.
Do you need a breaker bar for a car?
Metal certainly seems sturdy and firm when held in the hand, but given time, heat, and certain chemicals, that can change, which is when you'll need a breaker bar. A car frame's number one enemy is rust. Also known as the slow fire, this oxidation process is notorious not only for weakening structures, but also fixing them permanently in place. Depending on the type of alloy you're working with, oxidative corrosion comes in a decent range of pretty colors, including frosty white and bright turquoise, and none of them are a welcome sight to a mechanic.
Can breaker bars rust?
Breaker bars have a much more robust mechanism for applying high torque and are therefore much likelier to survive rust-welded fasteners. The JH Williams H-41AA is an excellent example of a tool built to allow both multiple angle access to bolts and withstand as much rotational force as any human can apply by hand.
