My uncle told me to never use a breaker bar on a torque wrench. I did it anyway on a Ford F-150 axle nut and broke the wrench.

4 comments

4 Comments

Wait, you used a breaker bar on a torque wrench? That's like using a sledgehammer to push a thumbtack. Those things are meant for precise measurement, not brute force. No wonder it snapped.

ben_lewis3mo ago

Seen that happen more times than I can count.

the_max3mo ago

Seen a guy at the shop do the exact same thing on a lug nut. He argued it was just a "long handle" until the clicker part flew off and put a dent in the ceiling tile. Those tools are basically fancy spring scales, not meant for extra leverage.

pat_stone1mo agoMost Upvoted

That's exactly right sean_green44, it really is like using a sledgehammer on a thumbtack. I did the exact same thing a few years ago on a trailer axle nut, except I put a four-foot pipe on the handle of my torque wrench to get more muscle. The whole clicker mechanism just twisted right off and shot across the driveway. My neighbor saw the whole thing and still brings it up every time we work on cars together. Learned my lesson the hard way, just like your uncle warned you about. A torque wrench is for measuring, not for breaking loose rusted nuts.