Table of Contents
What is a breaker bar good for?
Generally, breaker bars are pretty long, allowing you to apply more torque with the same amount of force as you’d use with a standard socket wrench. Think of it as the opposite of a torque wrench. Since a breaker bar is non-ratcheting, its main goal is to break loose nuts and bolts.
Can you use a breaker bar to tighten?
You shouldn’t need to use a breaker bar for tightining down the lug nuts as it’s long enough. Yes, this is what a breaker bar is for; to give someone more leverage when loosening or tightening a bolt or nut. Although, I would not use a breaker bar to tighten lug nuts as it may cause damage.
What is the difference between a breaker bar and a ratchet?
The purpose of the breaker bar is to break loose stubborn lug nuts or bolts. The purpose of the breaker bar is to break loose stubborn lug nuts or bolts. A ratchet is used to quickly remove or install fasteners that have good threads and are not stuck or otherwise damaged.
How much force does it take to break a breaker bar?
150 ft-lbs will break a 3/8″ drive usually and about 300 ft-lbs will break a 1/2″ drive. These are on regular breaker bars that are partially hollow and have the little ball in the space of the head to hold the socket. A SOLID 1/2″ heat treated impact rated drive anvil will go up to about 1200 ft-lbs.
Can I use a breaker bar to remove lug nuts?
Breaker bars work on the basic principle that a longer handle creates more torque. An 18-inch breaker bar is the most common length. This produces enough torque to remove lug nuts from wheels without causing damage while still being short enough to handle smaller nuts in the engine.
How long should a breaker bar be?
Although 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. An extendable breaker bar gives you the best of both worlds by allowing you to get the perfect length no matter the job.
Can you use a cheater bar on a torque wrench?
Q: Can I Use A “Cheater Bar” On A Torque Wrench? Answer: You should never, under any circumstances, use a “cheater bar” with a torque wrench. Not only is the accuracy adversely affected by cheater bar tools, but also serious bodily injury may result.
Is it OK to loosen bolts with a torque wrench?
So long as users operate with caution and do not exceed the maximum torque, most torque wrenches can be used for undoing. By exceeding the maximum torque limit during a bolt loosening you can affect the wrench accuracy, causing problems for future use. If in any doubt, use another tool for loosening bolts.
How much torque does it take to break a lug nut?
An impact wrench with a minimum of 500 ft-lbs torque is required to remove lug nuts. What tool do you use to remove lug nuts? An impact wrench works best, either battery-powered or air-operated.
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 torque wrench 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.
What type of sockets are the most commonly used?
Hex sockets are the most common type of socket and come in two main types: hex/6 point sockets and bi-hex/12 point sockets.
How much torque can a human generate with a wrench?
It depends primarily on the length of the spanner. Using a metre-long breaker bar, a force equivalent to lifting 25kg vertically (something most fit adults will be quite capable of doing) will generate 250Nm of torque.
How much torque can a 1/2 ratchet take?
How much torque can a 1/2 ratchet take? Normally a 1/2 inch drive can break up to 300 pounds, but a solid 1/2 impact-rated drive can take up to 1200 pounds of torque effortlessly.
What is another term for 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.
Will impact wrench break bolts?
No, an impact wrench will not break bolts – in fact, it will take less torque to break the wrench’s drive than to loosen the bolts.
What are the three common drive sizes for sockets?
Common ratchet sizes include 1/4-in. drive, 3/8-in. drive, 1/2-in. drive and 3/4-in.
Does adding an extension affect torque?
When you put an extension on a torque wrench (e.g. a crow foot or a dog bone) the torque applied to the fastener increases as the lever arm extends. The calculator will work out what value you should set into the wrench to achieve the required fastener torque. The following formula has been used: M1 = M2 x L1 / L2.
