flex handle vs breaker bar
- Thread starter moron88
- Start date
Gotcha640
Well-known member
How do you have a shop but no tools? If you have the money for a breaker bar, why are you not buying jack stands? I use a combo wrench with another combo wrench for an extension when I'm feeling lucky, or hammer on the end of the wrench, never owned a breaker bar and I've done full suspension swaps on 6 cars now.
Does anyone live near this guy to post the video?
Does anyone live near this guy to post the video?
Long breakers and not using jack stands is THE recipe for injury. I admit to changing pad sensors without using jack stands. But as soon as you get a stuck caliper bolt, that's when you pull the car off the jack by hosting on a breaker. Happened to a friend of mine in high school. He was under the car at the time and it killed him. It happens.
can't believe people use a ratchet and cheater pipe, with the HF 1/2 breaker bar about 10$ ish, had one for 5 years use cheaters on it, no problems, jack stands are good practice, but I have been without before and used cinderblocks and wood, just insure its not resting on a jack, and secured well, another good practice is as you remove tire to set them under the car as a back up plan "b" if jack stands tilt or fail whatever, brake bolts are subject to pretty crazy heat cycles and have been pretty hard to get off at times, even a cheep breaker bar is better than using a ratchet, thats just tool abuse. and the wrong tool for the job, even on the cheep.
ff4500
Well-known member
It all depends. I have three breaker bars, and they all get use. Long 1/2", short 1/2" and a 3/8". And the other day, I changed out the tie rods and hubs/bearings on my truck and had to use a cheater pipe on the ratchet because of the lack of clearances and space in the wheel well at a few angles. Each job calls for something different, and you won't know until you're in there, most likely.
Also, buy jack stands. Really, just do it. They're cheap, and worth it.
Also, buy jack stands. Really, just do it. They're cheap, and worth it.
Another vote for jack stand.
If you use them, you may avoid killing yourself, or lopping off a toe or foot or whatever, in which case you will end up doing more work and will need the jackstands anyway.
I vote against the cinder blocks. Yes I've stacked a lot of cars on them with the holes up and piece of 2x6 or 8 or 10 across the top 2 or 3 blocks high even. Mainly when I was selling parts from cars in a grass lot it was the only reasonable way to do it, but I wouldn't get under any of them, or let anybody else get under them.
If you put a cinderblock (or cement block as grew up calling them) the other way it will crumble like Styrofoam. Even if you put them holes up with a support board I've seen them fail. Granted this was in a grassy field and not on firm ground.
For $40 you can get the 6 ton hf jackstands. Which I would not trust to hold 6 tons either, but we have a couple pair at the shop and they hold up passenger cars and light trucks just fine. So far anyway.
Edit: there were 100 cars/pickups in that field give or take a few. If somebody needed to get under one I kept 3 pieces of plate steel, one for the jack and one for each stand.
If you use them, you may avoid killing yourself, or lopping off a toe or foot or whatever, in which case you will end up doing more work and will need the jackstands anyway.
I vote against the cinder blocks. Yes I've stacked a lot of cars on them with the holes up and piece of 2x6 or 8 or 10 across the top 2 or 3 blocks high even. Mainly when I was selling parts from cars in a grass lot it was the only reasonable way to do it, but I wouldn't get under any of them, or let anybody else get under them.
If you put a cinderblock (or cement block as grew up calling them) the other way it will crumble like Styrofoam. Even if you put them holes up with a support board I've seen them fail. Granted this was in a grassy field and not on firm ground.
For $40 you can get the 6 ton hf jackstands. Which I would not trust to hold 6 tons either, but we have a couple pair at the shop and they hold up passenger cars and light trucks just fine. So far anyway.
Edit: there were 100 cars/pickups in that field give or take a few. If somebody needed to get under one I kept 3 pieces of plate steel, one for the jack and one for each stand.
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Folks, the OP has to be joking. Really. But IF he is truly serious, then this may be a case of "survival of the fittest" or "thinning of the herd" and/or an "evolutionary dead end".
half joking. i was legitimately asking about the necessity of jack stands as i havent seen them used in many years (last time i remember seeing them used was when i was 8 and my uncle was swapping the engine in my mom's 92 grand am). the cinder block comment was more to make people cringe. i dont know what each person's aversion to blocks stems from, but i have always gotten the impression that it isnt the best idea.
to clear up some confusion, i know i have to break the lug nuts loose before lifting the van. the breaker bar is for the bolts holding the calipers on. i'm not even sure it'll be needed, just better to have and not need rather than need and not have. i will be doing one corner at a time, which is the reason i questioned using a jack stand. i did find one of the jack stands in the garage, which i will be using just for safety's sake.
to answer the question of how i have a workshop without tools, i inherited it. my great-grandfather was a tinkerer. he had a very well equipped workshop, lacking only a mill. he died at the age of 99 and 1 month back in january 2005 (i was 11). my grandpa gave the machinery to my other grandpa shortly after. there was still a full set of hand tools, but teenage me got a hold of them and subsequently lost most of them. now adult me is trying to rebuild the shop.
anyone else have any concerns? not being a smart-***, i really dont want to screw anything up. the more you call me a ***** the less moronic my actions become.
OK. Jack stands are simply put the best and safest idea. You can make wood supports but they will be heavy and unwieldy compared to jack stands. Cinder blocks can fail and it is not worth trusting your health or even life to them. Do a Google search and lots of stuff will come up advising against them. If you are working on dirt, cracked concrete or asphalt, get a piece of 3/4" plywood, cut it into a square larger than the jack stand footprint and place it under the jackstand when you lower the vehicle onto the jack stand to avoid it sinking into the ground or tilting which could prove dangerous.
Safety first.
Safety first.
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If i were your Dad and I walked in and saw you under a car supported by a jack with no stands, i'd pull you out by your hair, call you and idiot, and send you to immediately go by jack stands. Not. An. Option.
(and i'm not old and crotchety, I'm 35 and don't have kids, but this brought it out of me)
(and i'm not old and crotchety, I'm 35 and don't have kids, but this brought it out of me)
anndel
Well-known member
$30??? Try Ebay, Garage Sales, Flea markets, Pawn Shops as they may have some. I got my Armstrong 1/2" drive 18" long breaker bar for $100 at Amazon.com so I doubt you'll find anything new at that price. Good Luck
PS - you need jack stands to hold up the car, not just the floor jack though some leave the floor jack up when the car is on the jack stands as a measure of safety. I do that most of the time.
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Empty Pockets
Well-known member
I have a 24" SO 1/2" drive breaker bar that I bought at auction for about $25.00. It's used regularly on my New Holland branded equipment.
It's taken a beating over the years, and never let me down. I don't think I'd trust a mongrel brand with the hard use I've given this tool.
It's taken a beating over the years, and never let me down. I don't think I'd trust a mongrel brand with the hard use I've given this tool.
stonesfan68
Well-known member
You should use jack stands in pairs. The listed capacity ratings for all but a few brands are valid when the stands are used in pairs.
Someone else mentioned getting the 6-ton HF jack stands. That's not a bad idea since the car that you're working on weighs way less than that.
I also slide the tire under the car when the jack stands are in place. Always have a back-up.
Be safe and don't be afraid to ask more questions.
Someone else mentioned getting the 6-ton HF jack stands. That's not a bad idea since the car that you're working on weighs way less than that.
I also slide the tire under the car when the jack stands are in place. Always have a back-up.
Be safe and don't be afraid to ask more questions.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Always? I can't count the times that I had to lower the car back down because I forgot to break the lug nuts loose. I was a slow learner.
Not as much of a problem now that I have an impact !
Yep. Back in the day I didn't even have a floor jack. It was a real pain in the rear having to raise and lower the car multiple times with a scissor jack.
John in OH
Well-known member
Yep. Back in the day I didn't even have a floor jack. It was a real pain in the rear having to raise and lower the car multiple times with a scissor jack.
No criticism intended here towards anyone .... but mention of a scissor jack brought back some old memories (old codger reminiscing here)! I've seen two jacks fail in my lifetime .... one was a hydraulic jack and the other was a scissor jack.
The scissor jack was under a one-row corn picker on soft uneven ground. Dad placed a piece of thick plank under the jack so it wouldn't sink, but the ground wasn't quite level. (Hey, we had the spare wheel & tire all ready so this replacement was only gonna take a couple of minutes so why bother with a jack stand, right?) When the jack got up about 6", it was on a tilt rather than plumb and that damn thing crumpled up like a wet tissue! Fortunately, we hadn't taken the wheel off yet. On a level concrete floor with a plumb vertical load it would probably have been fine, but neither Dad nor I ever used a scissor jack again.
The hydraulic jack failed while lifting the corner of a small barn to make some foundation repairs. A friend and I would jack (20 ton jack) the building up a few inches and slide in a piece of 2x8, jack a few more inches and add another 2x8 etc. On about the fourth lift, I picked up the next 2x8 when the seal blew on the jack and the building came down with a BAM! Scared the **** out of both of us. I still use hydraulic jacks, but I sure don't trust them anymore!
Just food for thought!
G_P
Well-known member
The Harbor Freight breaker bar will get the job done. I've abused the hell out of mine putting pipes on it to break loose lug nuts that were cross threaded or hammered on with powerful impact guns.
Well the good news is that you're asking the right questions and listening to the answers. That'll give you a big leg up on most people.
four.cycle
Well-known member
John in OH said:
^ We sold jacks made by a company called "Universal Tool" - they made bumper jacks (remember those?) and scissor jacks and 4-way lug wrenches.
The lug wrenches were good quality - I think I still own one.
I saw a lot of flattened scissor jacks come back as "warranty" where they'd been placed cockeyed before lifting the car - this isn't the Midwest and there isn't a lot of flat ground here unless you're at sea level.
I had an OEM scissor jack pancake like that. Fortunately I had a cheapie hydraulic bottle jack in the car too - those are equally as unreliable as the scissor jacks, but at least it got me out of that pickle that day.
No way would I trust any jack - I don't care how big or who made it.
I've seen too many of them collapsed, flattened, and (in the case of the bottle jacks) blown out.
Jack stands and huge chunks of Douglas fir are your friends.
littleponderosa
Well-known member
Safety first, and always.
Everyday life should give you the later years aches and pains, not accidents.
Hell, I used a no name 1/2" breaker bar for years with no issues. Lost that wrench to a wrecker guy when he retrieved my Nova. Poor damn car nearly went to the semi without being squished. It wasn't one of my better moments.
Bill
Everyday life should give you the later years aches and pains, not accidents.
Hell, I used a no name 1/2" breaker bar for years with no issues. Lost that wrench to a wrecker guy when he retrieved my Nova. Poor damn car nearly went to the semi without being squished. It wasn't one of my better moments.
Bill
i got to cleaning the garage up a bit this afternoon. found one of the jack stands just to discover that it had a slight vertical bend in one of the gussets. i'll be heading to menards to pick up a new set once my credit card payment clears.
i picked up my breaker bar yesterday. decided to go with one from menards. in my somewhat limited experience, their tools are the same or better quality as harbor freight and menards is way closer (3 miles literally down the highway vs an additional 3.5 passed menards in city traffic(menards is just before the first light)). while i was at it i bought a small pry bar, a "rubber" mallet (last i checked PVC wasnt rubber...) a can of brake cleaner, a bottle of dot 3 brake fluid and a pair of cheap gloves.
i picked up my breaker bar yesterday. decided to go with one from menards. in my somewhat limited experience, their tools are the same or better quality as harbor freight and menards is way closer (3 miles literally down the highway vs an additional 3.5 passed menards in city traffic(menards is just before the first light)). while i was at it i bought a small pry bar, a "rubber" mallet (last i checked PVC wasnt rubber...) a can of brake cleaner, a bottle of dot 3 brake fluid and a pair of cheap gloves.