the BROKEN tools thread

[young_buck]

Though I have not been wrenching long enough to break a tool I am sure that you folks have a few laying around from over the years, lets see

 

[rmsg0040]

Tools that have a warranty gets swapped, non-warranty hits the trash

No pics

 

[mspecperformance]

We burn through matco 88 ratchets. My dealer swears we are using these things as breaker bars, hes having to install repair kits weekly :/

 

[anthonyfilice]

We burn through matco 88 ratchets. My dealer swears we are using these things as breaker bars, hes having to install repair kits weekly :/

I've been thinking about getting these, would you recommend or not. Im an apprentice.

 

[mspecperformance]

I used to have decent luck with them. They used to break every 6 months or so but they are seemingly getting destroyed a whole lot more often. Id suggest investing in ratchets that you can easily warranty and conveniently because any ratchet will eventually break if used in a pro environment. Having back ups of most tools becomes a must as well. They are really smooth ratchets but i am starting to think the sealed heads of the dual80s are better.

 

[Murphy4570]

I don't take photos of broken stuff. It gets warrantied or thrown away. I could tell you stories about broken stuff if you like though. Mostly involving cheater pipes.

Hell I broke a junk Chinese 3/8 to 1/2" adapter today. Sheared that thing righ in half at the 3/8 drive end.

 

[greasemonkey44]

mushroomed a socket; cracked a few others
chipped some chisels and pry bars
bent some wrenches and broke some screwdriver tips; nothing fancy to see

 

[greasemonkey44]

i take that back
i was using this socket a month or two ago on a cv axle and it went pop
HF at the end of its life span

 

[muskaman67]

i just broke my matco 88 tooth ratchet today actually. i was tightening a bolt and the 3/8 square end just sheared off. And that was maybe 40 ft lbs. But its stood the test of time, ive used a pipe on it numerous times and its been good. so i would definitely recommend one.

 

[Rezeppa]

I have broken 2 88s but haven't broken a single dual 80. I have even put a cheater on my low profile duel 80 and it stood up to it. I would buy one Matco and the rest SO because I do prefer the head shape and width on the Matco but I find its not as well made as the Snapon.

 

[pilotman81]

I haven't broken any of my SO ratchets. In the past I broke several CMAN and a MATCO 3/8. I have however broken 2 PROTO 1"to 1.5" adapters with a stack of torque multipliers. Whoops!

 

[rider9195]

Broke off a piece of a 10mm snap on socket. Was helping out installing the down pipe on my car last year. Heated up the flange and the bolt probably got pretty hot too. So went to break one bolt loose and it instantly snapped.

Now I work at that shop and all the broken tools get placed in a pile. There was a dual 80 flex head and the mechanism seized up and right where the pin went through broke off. Broke a 10mm 1/2 drive SO impact socket the other day. But did have a 24" ratchet on it.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mofo62]

.


Soon picture of my socket K-D 13/16 socket.soon...



V!

 

[tjmonsen5]

. Broke a 10mm 1/2 drive SO impact socket the other day. But did have a 24" ratchet on it.

What kind of 10mm bolt could possibly be so tight, that the 1/2 impact socket broke before the bolt sheared or stripped? That is amazing!

 

[chris142]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140561&highlight=matco

 

[tjmonsen5]

Only socket I have ever broke. Craftsman 17mm. It has spent its life removing lug nuts. Broke this on a very tight lugnut on my roomates "newly aquired" BMW while in college. Was using an 18" Ace Hardware breaker bar when it broke. Broke the warranty socket as well on the first pull. Ended up buying an impact socket and it stripped. Roomate then took it to a shop where they removed it.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I got a couple Ridgid pipe wrenches at a garage sale yesterday.
Took them apart to clean rust off, and found the spring broken:

Gotta order a replacement spring tomorrow.

 

[Hammell]

Broke my SO number 2 philips, soft instint screwdriver yesterday. Tip broke off. Not impressed.

 

[dirtmister16]

broke two breaker bars just the other day. one 16" thorsen usa i snapped the handle off of it. the other was a farm and fleet 24" bar snapped the drive off it.

i stood on the farm and fleet bar and didn't bounce. i just stood and it slowly sheared. i wish i had a impact or 3/4" drive tools that day.. only got on lug nut loose. dam 1 1/2" nuts. all i had was my 1/2" drive 38mm socket. oh well. i bought a replacement penncraft for the short bar. ill be buying a snap on to replace the big one.

 

[Danglerb]

HF has strong looking 3/4 breaker, but only about 18" before cheater pipe.

 

[wissman38]

Snap on flank drive plus 12mm wrench, had it for 3 weeks before totaled. Might have been a 5 ft cheater used. Exceeded my expectations it stood up pretty well never once striped the 12pt head like I did with my old craftsman RP wrenches

 

[fflintstone]

Ever since I bought torches, I have never split a socket. It is truly a blessing to use the right tool for a job, and to have that tool on hand.

 

[rider9195]

It was actually the opposite end of a bolt which happened to be hex shaped and 10mm. It attached the end of leaf springs to a frame on a truck. It was stuck and hitting with a hammer did not slide it out. So spraying with penetrating oil and trying to turn it and break it free. The first try turning it cracked the socket down the side.

Funny thing is the lower bolt we used a shallow 10mm socket and that didn't break. So I'm wondering if it was because of the deep length it cracked?

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[454ragtop]

Stanley dead blow, don't know why it did this, wasn't THAT cold in the shop. Kind of disappointing.
Jim

 

[morregerbert]

broken SK, pre ideal wrenches

 

[shocksandstrutz]

dont have pics of them, but ive broke a HF 1/2" breaker bar twice removing front axle nuts on a nissan - sheared at the head....and broke a snap on dead blow........also spread the open end of a craftsman industrial 14mm wrench doing some front end work

 

[HandsomeDan]

1/2" to 3/8" Craftsman adapter.

 

[refried]

here's the Snap On stuff from my broken tool bucket, I'm running out of 3/8 ratchets.

 

[m0ondoggy]

 

[G_P]

Stanley dead blow, don't know why it did this, wasn't THAT cold in the shop. Kind of disappointing.
Jim

Had a Bluepoint deadblow do that to me. Cold was not the problem. The plastic/rubber body of the hammer had just become brittle.

Snap-On sent out a new one no problem.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Blew the guts out of an old Powerbuilt ratchet with a cheater trying to break loose a flywheel bolt on a seized engine quite while back.

Clutch took a **** in my DeWalt electric impact about a month ago (and I'm STILL waiting for it to come back under warranty, I'll fix it myself next time)

Cracked a USA Craftsman 13mm chrome deep socket at work last week. Had to replace a u-joint in a Kenworth (1/2" or 13mm 12pt cap screws) and because of the angle, couldn't get a breaker in there, so out came the 3/8" impact with a swivel extension, and ran out to my pickup box to grab the only 12pt I didn't care about damaging. 4 cap screws and it cracked over an inch down the side. Ordered a 3pc set of Snap-On 12pt swivel impacts from ebay 2 days ago, so no worries in the future... and I guess I'll end up with one China Craftsman socket now...

I'm sure I broke a lot more stuff back in the day, but no real stories to go with that I can remember...

 

[KoJo]

I bent a Duralast 3/8 fine tooth rachet (the hollow handle) breaking loose the transmission drain plug on a Honda CRV. Didnt break though.. Will post a picture when I get a chance.

 

[jeffmoss26]

whenever I break a small flathead screwdriver I just turn it into a scratch awl!

 

[garthg]

What kind of 10mm bolt could possibly be so tight, that the 1/2 impact socket broke before the bolt sheared or stripped? That is amazing!

Especially since a 10mm nut (or bolt head) is attached to a 6mm screw!

 

[garthg]

What kind of 10mm bolt could possibly be so tight, that the 1/2 impact socket broke before the bolt sheared or stripped? That is amazing!

Snap on flank drive plus 12mm wrench, had it for 3 weeks before totaled. Might have been a 5 ft cheater used. Exceeded my expectations it stood up pretty well never once striped the 12pt head like I did with my old craftsman RP wrenches

A five-foot cheater bar on a 12mm bolt? And an impact driver or air gun couldn't reach?

 

[Fireball027]

I was wondering why the air hammer wasn't hitting as hard on the last few blows.. Went to take the bit out and came out like this.

 

[chris142]

My favorite wrench. Matco WC162.

 

[zkling]

Barring all the China jokes. I've used these pliers for years as welding pliers, primarily to snip mig wire and cut up to 1/8" tig lengths in half for tight spaces. Finally killed them yesterday cutting a plastic packaging zip tie of all things. Had to pull out the knipex to finish the job. Need to relegate a new pair of needle nose to welding duty now.

 

[fasteddie313]

I break the black CMan 1/2 to 3/8 impact adaptor regularly, CMan 1/2 RP ratchet and a socket, SK like 18" 3/8 extension, snappy 9/16 spanner and 3 screw drivers, easco socket?, indestro 1/4 breaker bar?..

Things waiting in the take back pile

 

[n8n]

Only socket I have ever broke. Craftsman 17mm. It has spent its life removing lug nuts. Broke this on a very tight lugnut on my roomates "newly aquired" BMW while in college. Was using an 18" Ace Hardware breaker bar when it broke. Broke the warranty socket as well on the first pull. Ended up buying an impact socket and it stripped. Roomate then took it to a shop where they removed it.

For some reason BMW lug bolts like to get tight if they're not R&R'd periodically. Don't know why that is but when I first got my car I had to use a long breaker bar with a cheater pipe to get the wheels off.