Broken wrench

[Coach James]

I have been wondering about this for a long time. I have seen sockets and ratchets break, but I have never broken a wrench. I have read other people's posts about wrenches breaking and I'm curious how. I don't care to know the brand, but can you give some examples of how you, not what someone told you, but actually you broke a wrench? And did it actually break into pieces, bend etc.

Coach

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Had a WWII vintage Craftsman 9/16 combination wrench shatter the 12 pt box end into about three pieces on me one day when I gave it a pull to break a bolt loose. This was 30+ years ago, my dad's tools and we just took a trip to Sears and they gave us a new one (after some arguing, they didn't understand why it had no chrome on it and thought it was a fake of some sort).

 

[Mickey O]

I have been wondering about this for a long time. I have seen sockets and ratchets break, but I have never broken a wrench. I have read other people's posts about wrenches breaking and I'm curious how. I don't care to know the brand, but can you give some examples of how you, not what someone told you, but actually you broke a wrench? And did it actually break into pieces, bend etc.

Coach

Yes, imported ones, rounded out the box end, split box ends and broke off part of the open end like picture below. How they broke, normal use. **** tools break, good tools don't. Never broke a US made wrench, damaged a few, never broke one though.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

mabye the edges..........

 

[64merc]

I broke a 3/4" Proto flare wrench the other day trying to remove part of an old bottle jack. It snapped one of the "ears" right off.

It was my fault though because it was a stubborn booger so I stepped on the wrench with most of my weight (I'm not small). I have to say though, I was surprised it broke so easily. I managed to wiggle the 12 pt box end of a Wright wrench on it and it took the abuse like a champ. I should have done this in the first place but I was being lazy.

 

[Coach James]

Yes, imported ones, rounded out the box end, split box ends and broke off part of the open end like picture below. How they broke, normal use. **** tools break, good tools don't. Never broke a US made wrench, damaged a few, never broke one though.

Mickey, that broken wrench looks like it was cast. Am I seeing it wrong?

Thanks for the replies guys.

Interesting stuff.

Coach

 

[jeepnut24]

I have stretched out a craftsman open end before...

 

[RLRRLRLL]

ive had numerous ratchets lock up, just from normal use. But they were cheapies....thats about it.

 

[TangoFoxTrot]

I've only broke one wrench, it was a new Craftsman Pro wrench the first time I used it. I'm not a Craftsman basher, I actually think their the best bang for the buck (plus it's American made), but I was amazed it happened. It broke just like the picture above in Mickey O's post.

Sears was great about it, I grabbed a new one of the shelf and exchanged it with no hassle. What's funny is I bought the set to have a step up from my "regular" Craftsman wrenches which never had an issue. I might have just got a bad one, but I still think the Craftsman Pro is a great value, and haven't had any issues since. I'm certainly not going to throw down $1200 or so for a full set of Snap On wrenches.

I was using the open wrench on the flat part of a tie rod to hold it while I was tightening the end nut, and I wasn't really putting that much stress on it, but it was a small wrench (like 12mm).

 

[woody 73]

Maybe about six years ago I broke a 1/2" Craftsman wrench,the poor women at sears kept saying "never seen that before".

 

[rsanter]

I have broken many cman wrenches. it is always the box end that breaks because to break a wrench you have to be putting a good amount of force on it. if you did that with the open end you would round the bold head or spread the open end of the wrench.

largest wrench I broke was a cman 1''. a friend and I were working on his tractor and we were trying to remove a bold that had been there for many years. we were both pulling on the wrench and the damm thing snapped

bob

 

[mrshaun]

after 8 years I have seen 1 or 2 snap on wrenches broken, I have seen a lot of 12mm that the 12point end was bent from ford drive shafts or rear end bolts. they are apparently really really tight.

 

[speed bump]

I have a MAC with a with a broken box end but I didn't do it. Every once and a while flare wrenches get broken right at the handle.

I have seen several cheaper pipe wrenches break as well.

 

[sberry]

I cant recall ever breaking a quality end wrench, if so I just don't remember. I have broken a couple china like the pic, we actually break the box end on a couple too but these were from using as backups with air guns for a job where hundreds or thousands of cycles were involved, cost me 5$ on the whole job. I do not remember ever breaking one larger than 9/16.

 

[metal1313]

i busted an extra long wrench, im trying to remember the tools truck brand, removing the driveshaft from my bronco. those sucker are really really tight. it wasnt my wrench, a buddy was over hanging out and had his tools and handed it to me when my little husky was clearly not gonna break the bolt loose.

 

[Joe69]

I broke a 1/2" Mac wrench on the aforementioned driveshaft 12pt bolt. They use locktite on those bolts. My SO saltus wrench is bent from a driveshaft as well. I refuse to trade it in, because the bend is pretty handy.

Joe

 

[ears]

I used to double a gearwrench to break them loose, dinged up the open end pretty good, so I bought a Mac extra long, broke it first bolt.

i busted an extra long wrench, im trying to remember the tools truck brand, removing the driveshaft from my bronco. those sucker are really really tight. it wasnt my wrench, a buddy was over hanging out and had his tools and handed it to me when my little husky was clearly not gonna break the bolt loose.

 

[sberry]

Seems I recall using socket and air gun on those?

 

[Mickey O]

Mickey, that broken wrench looks like it was cast. Am I seeing it wrong?

Thanks for the replies guys.

Interesting stuff.

Coach

Don't know, I found the image on google images, I was just using it to illustrate how the wrench broke.

 

[WVU Tuba Dale]

I broke the box end of a 15/16 SnapOn combination wrench. It has been hammer on for years with an impact. I put the box end on top of a radiator mounting bolt in a Peterbilt, 1/2" impact on bottom, hit the impact, and the nut just spun inside the wrench. I thought I accidently grabbed the 1" or 1 1/16" wrench on accident, but it just split the "ring."

 

[nissan_crawler]

I broke a 10mm Craftsman, Craftsman pro, Snap-on, and Popular Mechanics on the same bolt one night. Pissed me off. All were warrantied, though.

The best one I remember is breaking a 3" HF wrench in spectacular fashion. The wrench wasn't really at fault, though. We already tried using the skid steer to turn the wrench, and it was picking up the skid steer, so we covered the entire affair with a heavy canvas tarp, and used the loader on the orange Allis:

It damn near had the front tires of the Allis off the ground before the wrench exploded into tiny pieces. Amusingly, the shock got the nut loose.

 

[LGMechanical]

I broke the box end of my Brico 1 1/2" wrench about 6 years ago when I hooked another 1 1/4" to the back of it trying to remove a Cat C15 drain plug. I managed to weld the split in the box end and I still use it

 

[WVU Tuba Dale]

I broke the box end of my Brico 1 1/2" wrench about 6 years ago when I hooked another 1 1/4" to the back of it trying to remove a Cat C15 drain plug. I managed to weld the split in the box end and I still use it

I use a 1/2" impact to remove drain plugs in cast aluminum pan/steel plug setups.

 

[LGMechanical]

I use a 1/2" impact to remove drain plugs in cast aluminum pan/steel plug setups.

Just watch out you dont spin the plug out to quick

 

[Griff93]

I've broken a snapon E10xE12 box wrench twice on the E10 end. The whole end just completely seperated from the wrench. My SO man was a bit surprised when I handed it to him in two pieces. I bought these new and never used them to back up an impact. They are pretty think though for good access and my 200lbs was hanging off of them both times trying to get a bolt loose.

 

[krusty the clown]

funny.....i broke one today. and yes i was using cheater pipe. i'll spare the guesome details but i had to use a air hammer to chisel the bolt loose.



and no there wasn't another option than the cheater pipe, other than pulling the engine.

 

[Hiball]

I broke The box end of a 1" Fleet brand wrench today, I didnt get any pics but it is also my go to wrench for removing the pumps on Walker/Lincoln floor jacks. Its given me at least 10 years of being hit with a Dead blow hammer so i cant complain. Grandpa went over and picked it up and asked where we could get it warranted... I just chuckled.

 

[Hiball]

funny.....i broke one today. and yes i was using cheater pipe. i'll spare the guesome details but i had to use a air hammer to chisel the bolt loose.



and no there wasn't another option than the cheater pipe, other than pulling the engine.

Wow today was a bad day for Wrenches....

 

[kartracer55]

Broke the box end of a gearwrench non-ratcheting box end. Had it on an allen key socket. Cracked the box right open. Granted, it was a smaller size (10mm IIRC) and it was one of the super long ratcheting on one end, non ratcheting box on the other.

Not abusing it, just pulling, and I am not a heavy guy.

 

[wreckercologist]

I've broke a few Craftsman box ends. The open ends on the Craftsmans usually spread before they break.

Several years ago I broke a 8mm Snap-on on a Chevy 3500HD driveshaft. It was one of the old patent # wrenches without a date code. It had a super thin beam and the box end just twisted off. No cheater was used.

The replacement Snap-on was much more robust. Only bad thing is now I have a miss matched set of wrenches.

 

[Builder302]

I have broken several snap-on E12 box end wrenches.

 

[Monte]

 

[Mickey O]

I was just talking to my friend tonight and asked him, he's an auto mechanic, he said he aside from Asians he's only broke one, a Craftsman 12mm ratcheting wrench. I figured the ratcheting mechanism, it wasn't, it was the open end like in the picture I posted earlier.

My older Craftsman wrenches have damage on the open end but I never broke a Craftsman like that, that ain't good.

 

[srmofo]

Ive broken a few chicoms just like the pic also. never broken a quality one though

 

[vssjim]

I broke The box end of a 1" Fleet brand wrench today, I didnt get any pics but it is also my go to wrench for removing the pumps on Walker/Lincoln floor jacks. Its given me at least 10 years of being hit with a Dead blow hammer so i cant complain. Grandpa went over and picked it up and asked where we could get it warranted... I just chuckled.

Why not pack it up with a note to Proto in Georgia, I'll bet they will send you another one even though it was pretty much over by the time Stanley came around, NAPA still replaces New Britian when they break.

 

[mkdive]

I have stretched out a craftsman open end before...

 

[flashpuppy]

I broke a 17mm Snappy one time. I had a forklift underneath lifting up on it..... I didn't warranty it, I just bought a new one.

 

[29Sedanman]

Sorry, no pictures but I broke the box end completely off of an old thorsen wrench once. Years ago, I was working on a chevelle my dad had and was tightening the headers. He had switched to 12 point header bolts witht he small heads. There was one bolt that was a bear to get to. We had this old off set double box end thorsen 12 pt. that was a perfect match for this application. While tightening them one time the whole box end broke completely off. Not really blaming the wrench. It was agreeably a bit undersized for a 3/8 16 bolt that needed quite a bit of torque on it. Other than that I have never had a problem with a wrench weather it has been a quality wrench or a cheapie!

 

[crewchief888]

ive only broken a couple of wrenches, one i was breaking loose spring bolts, and had 5 foot of pipe on the SKm wrench
the other was a snapon 5/8 com wrench that i broke the handle in half. it took 5 heavy swings with an 8lb sledgehammer before the handle snapped. my snap on man started to ask me what happened, i told him , not to ask, he didnt, and handed me a new wrench

 

[scottmlew]

Wow, I'm surprised to read about multiple SO e-torx breakages. I know on smaller sizes, but still...

Maybe this means I need a backup set of e-torx wrenches, just in case?