any 'new' breaker bars any good?

NoNewParts · May 24, 2015

I'll post this here instead of in tractor talk.
good advice and less battling here.

well, I need another new 3/4" drive breaker bar.
Online buy, retired, no tool truck anymore.
I need the type with the swivel head.
Weaker design, but the sliding head ones don't work well
in some situations (Farmall axle clamp bolts for one..not enough room)
The sliding head one I have is ok if I put a small pipe, then big pipe so the handle doesn't bend.
But I need a swivel head one that is strong.
Last couple swivel ones I've had snap the ears off where the pin goes thru.(one 'name' brand 1/2" one broke with no pipe, just my hand....c'mon)
Recommendations?
Thanks

like to add that the swivel ones I own that break are warranty
replaced without a problem......but ya know...when it breaks in the middle of the job....warranty doesn't help much...then

Ultradog MN · May 24, 2015

The best warranty is having a pair and a spare.
I bought these at a yard sale a couple/few years ago.
3/4" Craftsman ratchet, 3/4 Proto breaker bar and an OTC slide puller.
$25 for the lot.

NoNewParts · May 24, 2015

(quoted from post at 08:41:27 05/24/15) The best warranty is having a pair and a spare.

ain't that the truth.
no luck at yard sales so far.
usually buy all the ancient wrenches I see at them.
breaker bars....I must get there after you do.......lol

TheOldHokie · May 24, 2015

(quoted from post at 07:09:31 05/24/15) I'll post this here instead of in tractor talk.
good advice and less battling here.

well, I need another new 3/4" drive breaker bar.
Online buy, retired, no tool truck anymore.
I need the type with the swivel head.
Weaker design, but the sliding head ones don't work well
in some situations (Farmall axle clamp bolts for one..not enough room)
The sliding head one I have is ok if I put a small pipe, then big pipe so the handle doesn't bend.
But I need a swivel head one that is strong.
Last couple swivel ones I've had snap the ears off where the pin goes thru.(one 'name' brand 1/2" one broke with no pipe, just my hand....c'mon)
Recommendations?
Thanks

like to add that the swivel ones I own that break are warranty
replaced without a problem......but ya know...when it breaks in the middle of the job....warranty doesn't help much...then

Anything will break under too much load ;-) Here is a nice Armstrong bar I found with the first search:

[u:ab9425a015]Armstrong 3/4" Breaker Bar[/u:ab9425a015]

You can get the 1" version for about triple the price ;-)

[u:ab9425a015]Armstrong 1" Breaker Bar[/u:ab9425a015]

TOH

Hobo,NC · May 24, 2015

I am not much or a craftsman lubber... There ratchets/pull bars in the 1/2" up range are hard to beat tho....

I had a Craftsman 1/2" pull bar that survived every thing I put it on were the rest did not... I left it on the bumper of a customers truck and it was never found again. :x I can live with the loss but replacing a 41 year old Mac socket I brought when I was 18 is hard to replace... (Simmental value)

I would replace the pull bar with a Craftsman and feel good about it as long as the head was designed like the Armstrong in the link...

NoNewParts · May 24, 2015

appreciate the info so far fellas.
most of my 'bought new' good tools have been in my toolbox for
a very, very, long time.
And the used tools I buy at auction and sales have been around even longer.

So, when I try to do a search for a replacement new tool today,
the barrage of names I've never heard of gets confusing.
and 'professional grade' and/or a higher initial price
doesn't seem to mean the same thing as
it did 40-50 years ago.

Craftsman store nearby closed, but it will be easy to find one online.
That Armstrong one looks pretty good too.
Either will do until I can talk
UD out of that S-K branded one in the pic...lol

TheOldHokie · May 24, 2015

(quoted from post at 10:20:14 05/24/15) appreciate the info so far fellas.
most of my 'bought new' good tools have been in my toolbox for
a very, very, long time.
And the used tools I buy at auction and sales have been around even longer.

So, when I try to do a search for a replacement new tool today,
the barrage of names I've never heard of gets confusing.
and 'professional grade' and/or a higher initial price
doesn't seem to mean the same thing as
it did 40-50 years ago.

Craftsman store nearby closed, but it will be easy to find one online.
That Armstrong one looks pretty good too.
Either will do until I can talk
UD out of that S-K branded one in the pic...lol

Some long time top of the line industrial hand tool suppliers:

Armstrong - industrial tool supplier since 1890.
J H Williams - goes back just as far and they now belong to SnapOn.
Proto - a relative newcomer founded around 1910 and now a division of Black and Decker.
Martin Tools- about the the same vintage as Proto and the long time tool division of Martin Sprocket and Gear.

If you are into "big (as in large size) tools" you can find a lot of very fine used hand tools from these folks on eBay at very reasonable prices....

TOH

Ken(Ark) · May 24, 2015

The strongest breaker bar I have is one that broke and had the parts reassembled and welded solid . Now the pressure is distributed and not concentrated pushing on the pin and one ear , it is also pulling at the shaft .

It is stuck at 90 degrees but that is usually what I need . I have other breaker bars but never use them .

Tall T · May 24, 2015

NoNewParts,

My two 1/2 drive ones are Proto Professional. Proto Challenger is the lesser quality line, the lesser quality being obvious in the metric ones I was forced to buy when Canada went metric. Grrr.

When I am using the flex bar and putting so much force on it that I think I'm closing in on the breaking point, I switch to my long-handled Proto Pro [b:46b5cdd254]ratchet[/b:46b5cdd254] and a pipe because I think the ratchet end gear will actually take more force than the flex bar ears.

My beater of a 3/4 has already had one ear broken off and someone had welded it back on. I haven't really put that weld to the test yet.

T

ASEguy · May 24, 2015

I only bought a short 1/2 breaker bar once. I've learned the short handle makes me want to use a pipe on it and then it breaks. I bought the longest MAC breaker bar and have loved it. Comfort grip handle serves me well. As I got older it became harder to tighten head bolts that final 90 degrees, but with the long breaker bar it was easy. When I use my 3/4 drive I have no reservation about using a 3 foot pipe on the end. Mine gets limited tractor use so Harbor Freight worked for me.

Jock(OR) · May 24, 2015

If you run into the following brands at a garage/estate sale or Craigslist you can't go wrong:

PLOMB (the O can look like a V with a closed top) is the ancestor to Proto. They had to change the
name about 1950 because of a trademark lawsuit by the PLUMB hammer company.

Wright tools are an industrial brand that is very good and often sells for less because no one
recognizes them.

Good hunting!

hd6gtom · May 26, 2015

I bought a new Craftsman in 1974 with the complete line of tools. I've been pulling on it every since, using 3-6' "extensions on the handle" Works for me. Now if I could remember which pickup it was in???

any 'new' breaker bars any good?

NoNewParts

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Ultradog MN

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NoNewParts

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TheOldHokie

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Hobo,NC

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NoNewParts

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TheOldHokie

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Ken(Ark)

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