Toolhorder
Well-known member
I just did it Sat. to break loose a locknut on an alignment job for a concentric bolt adjustment but it was a regular open/box end. Would never use a ratcheting wrench to break loose anything.
Ratcheting Wrench Failure test
- Thread starter Fedwrench
- Start date
I just did it Sat. to break loose a locknut on an alignment job for a concentric bolt adjustment but it was a regular open/box end. Would never use a ratcheting wrench to break loose anything.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
or get the job done. Been chain linking wrenches together since I was 14 when an old timer showed me the trick and never has in been a problem for me, the car I was working on or the bolt/nut.
It's fairly common place in most shops and most techs do it.
or get the job done. Been chain linking wrenches together since I was 14 when an old timer showed me the trick and never has in been a problem for me, the car I was working on or the bolt/nut.
It's fairly common place in most shops and most techs do it.
I dont have a problem with this; but you're quoting a reply of mine made when someone asked about breaking a stuck fastener loose with an open end.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
Personally I didn't see the sales pitch from Matco.
Their tool broke within about 15% of the other two - which means they're pretty much identical in my book.
After the video hype, I was expecting the matco to go 2-3X as much.
Their tool broke within about 15% of the other two - which means they're pretty much identical in my book.
After the video hype, I was expecting the matco to go 2-3X as much.
Lucky I bought the 20 pieces Metric/SAE Gearwrench set for $50 (cost the same as one SO ratcheting wrench).
85FourEyedGT
Well-known member
seeing as im not He-man and it would take 280 lbs of force as a point load on the very end of a 6 inch long wrench to make a 140ft-lb moment, I will be going with the Gear Wrench set! 
Dumb question- does anyone make a ratcheting wrench with a box end?
That's what I'd do......break the nut loose with the rigid box end and then spin the nut off with the ratcheting box end. I see no use for an open end/ratcheting end combination wrench and I wouldn't own one.
Dillithium
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2011
- Messages
- 151
That was me, but despite what you say/said, it works for me.
on a motorcycle you can't always fit a box end, on my shifters/kickstarts open ends is all I can fit, and breaking them loose works. You just have to mind what you're doing as far as slipping goes. I've never rounded a bolt off like that. Even if I could fit a ratcheting end, I would still flip it, and if I can tell I can't break it loose with the open end, I'll reach for another tool.
FunkyfullWidth
Well-known member
My tool cart usually has gear wrenches, and regular combo wrenches. I've never used a cheater bar on my wrenches, but a big hammer sometimes...And definately doubling up on the wrenches (chain linking)
For gear wrenches, i have metric and standard flex heads, and metric/standard 10* offsets, metric and standard straights. I use and abuse them everyday. I've only had one wrench that got stuck everyonce in a while. And one wrench I ran over with a bulldozer on concrete. still works mint. And snap on guy warranty's them. I've used the snappy ratcheting wrenches, but would never pay for them...
For gear wrenches, i have metric and standard flex heads, and metric/standard 10* offsets, metric and standard straights. I use and abuse them everyday. I've only had one wrench that got stuck everyonce in a while. And one wrench I ran over with a bulldozer on concrete. still works mint. And snap on guy warranty's them. I've used the snappy ratcheting wrenches, but would never pay for them...
mscribellito
Well-known member
Who really applies that much torque on a ratcheting wrench though? And you really aren't supposed to break something loose that is torqued down that much with a ratcheting wrench.
rlitman
Well-known member
Got me. Here's the way I see it.
They used a 13mm wrench in the tests.
A 13mm head is found on a M8 bolt, which in 10.9 grade, is supposed to be torqued to just under 28ft-lbs.
For the sake of the argument, lets go with a 12.9 grade M8 bolt (which would be a cap screw, and not a hex head . . . ). That is only supposed to be dry torqued to just over 31ft-lbs.
These numbers are estimated clamp loads, based on 75% of the proof loads.
So, that 12.9 grade bolt should have a proof load at 42ft-lbs, yield at 48ft-lbs, and fail at no more than 53ft-lbs.
So, while I'm not exactly sure when the head of an M8 bolt will just shear off (just some good guesses from some charts I found), but I am sure it will happen well before 140ft-lbs, so I don't see how even using a cheater on this wrench would put it in any danger.
BullfrogJohnson
Well-known member
This is a great thread. I bought a set of the 90 tooth reversible offset Matco wrenches off the truck a couple months back. I have used gearwrenches my whole career. None of them have been reversible though. I really wanted a nice set of reversible ratcheting wrenches and had been looking at the snap on fdp set for several months but never pulled the trigger. I saw the matco's on the truck one day and had to have them. They sat in my box for a while because I was working on a nasty job (I work on heavy equipment) and did not want to tear them up yet. I waited till I had a nice clean job and grabbed the 12mm and it broke the selector the first time I used it! I thought it was a fluke and I would get it warrantied. Later that week I broke the 18mm. Needless to say I gave the set back to the matco man and got a refund. Took my money and bought a set of snap on's and have never looked back. I am very hard on tools. I double wrench, cheater pipe, hit with hammers, do what ever I have to do to get the job done. I can't waste time crawling back down off equipment to get a regular wrench just cause your not supposed break bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench. If I am gonna pay 400.00 for a set of wrenches they better hold up to whatever I throw at them. To this day I have not had a single issue out of my snap on's. I have even hooked an overhead crane to my 18mm to break a bolt loose and it never skipped a beat! Try that with a matco or gearwrench.
it just occurred to me, matco is owned by danahar, which also owns Gearwrench. so that video is basically suggesting, if you have money to spend, buy matco. if you don't have a lot of money to spend,buy Gearwrench. either way, buy a danahar tool.
BullfrogJohnson
Well-known member
I can live with eventually. I know nothing is unbreakable. I just had such high hopes for the matco's and was completely let down.
The video isn't about using the right tool for the right job.It illustrates something that has been debated here many times, breaking fasteners loose with a ratcheting wrench. If anything, it shows that there's no sense in spending big money for a truck brand when Gearwrench will get it done for a lot cheaper.
I wished they would have used current Kobalt, Titan, and Mac edge. EZ Red, I'd like someone to test those EZ red wrenches to failure. How much does one of those torque testers cost any way?
I think Matco's point is that you'll bend the wrench before the Kabo made ratcheting mechanism will fail.
Exactly how I feel. I would never use the ratchet box end like that but it's good to know that I could if I needed to. The Gearwrench would do just fine. I wonder what the Max torq is for the new Gearwrench 84 tooth ratchet 1/4, 3/8. and 1/2" drive.
