# Torque adapters and breaker bar basics



## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

Keep the gauge set at 100 #.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

It doesn't matter to the reading if you put it on the end of a ratchet or a breaker bar or a breaker bar with an added length of pipe.

Just that if you go over the capacity of the transducer, you will destroy it. And you are unlikely to be strong enough to do that with a ratchet -- that's why they say to put it on your ratchet.

Instructions likely also advise not to put it on an impact gun either. Any very brief impact over its capacity, is still going over its capacity.

With a 250 ft.lb capacity, one would think you don't need to be too concerned about overloading it. Maybe they use the same instruction page for all sizes of their transducers. Or maybe its more delicate than we expect.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I think there are two concerns that the mfg is trying to prevent or get away from when they say no extension on ratchet.

They don’t know what quality your ratchet is or what condition it is in. Cheap or worn ratchets occasionally slip or break. When they do, you may slam your hand into something, or you may be off balance and fall. 

The other thing they don’t know is what size pipe or other jury rig extension somebody might use in extending the ratchet. The extension on the ratchet creates a possible slip point which can cause an accident.

The reason they call it a breaker bar is it is made to break loose nuts or bolts under larger torque loads. There is no ratchet to give away, nor is there any slip point in its length. It is made for the job. 
Ratchets are really lighter torque tools made to speed the extraction of the nut or bolt after the torque has been broken.

Personally, I see that torque adapter as another point of failure and would not use it if you gave me one. I’d prefer a torque wrench. There is nothing wrong with using an inexpensive needle type or click type torque wrench for setting lug nut torque.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

We are talking foot pounds, 100 pounds on a 1 foot long wrench , 25 pounds on a 4 foot long wrench
200 pounds standing on a 6" long wrench.


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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

Nealtw said:


> We are talking foot pounds, 100 pounds on a 1 foot long wrench , 25 pounds on a 4 foot long wrench
> 200 pounds standing on a 6" long wrench.



😆 😆 

Now You've gone and dunnit !

Confusing the guy with how leverage works !

Law of Levers


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## jayhanig (Feb 1, 2019)

Nealtw said:


> We are talking foot pounds, 100 pounds on a 1 foot long wrench , 25 pounds on a 4 foot long wrench
> 200 pounds standing on a 6" long wrench.


So on a 30" wrench, it is 2.5 times the length of a 12" wrench. Divide the desired 100 ft-lbs by 2.5 and I get 40. I should set the limit to 40 ft-lbs when using that 30" breaker bar?

And if so, which of you guys is right? My first reply said to set it to 100 ft-lbs.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

jayhanig said:


> So on a 30" wrench, it is 2.5 times the length of a 12" wrench. Divide the desired 100 ft-lbs by 2.5 and I get 40. I should set the limit to 40 ft-lbs when using that 30" breaker bar?
> 
> And if so, which of you guys is right? My first reply said to set it to 100 ft-lbs.


I do not know about the adapter, I doubt the length of the wrench would change that just easier to get there. 
Hire the kid next door and divide 100 by his weight and you have the length of wrench for him to stand on.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

jayhanig said:


> So on a 30" wrench, it is 2.5 times the length of a 12" wrench. Divide the desired 100 ft-lbs by 2.5 and I get 40. I should set the limit to 40 ft-lbs when using that 30" breaker bar?


Look at it this way. The input is a 1/2 inch drive female socket. 100 ft lbs of torque input to it is 100 ft lbs.
it doesn’t make a difference whether you are pulling 100 lbs on a 12 inch wrench or 40 lbs on a 30 inch Wrench. While you will note the difference, the adapter has no way to tell the difference.

So no resetting is required. You set it for desired torque on the bolt, not the force you are applying to an wrench of unspecified length.

What will throw the torque of would be on the output side. Putting an angle on it between the socket and bolt (not plumb onto the bolt), or using flex joint (or flex socket) in between the output and the bolt.


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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

Egg-zactly what post #9 says.


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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

jayhanig said:


> So on a 30" wrench, it is 2.5 times the length of a 12" wrench. Divide the desired 100 ft-lbs by 2.5 and I get 40. I should set the limit to 40 ft-lbs when using that 30" breaker bar?
> 
> And if so, which of you guys is right? My first reply said to set it to 100 ft-lbs.


I am, of course ! keep the gauge at 100#
😆 😆 (self depracating humor there)

again, post # 9 is the clearest explanation so far.


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## jayhanig (Feb 1, 2019)

Oso954 said:


> it doesn’t make a difference whether you are pulling 100 lbs on a 12 inch wrench or 40 lbs on a 30 inch Wrench. While you will note the difference, the adapter has no way to tell the difference.
> 
> So no resetting is required. You set it for desired torque on the bolt, not the force you are applying to an wrench of unspecified length.


Ah, so desu ka! "I see", said the blind man!

That makes sense. Thank you.


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## pumpkin11 (Oct 31, 2020)

make your life simple and buy one of these......









TEKTON 24335 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench (10-150 ft.-lb./13.6-203.5 Nm) : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement


TEKTON 24335 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench (10-150 ft.-lb./13.6-203.5 Nm) : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement



www.amazon.ca





a torque wrench is the first tool anybody doing home automotive repairs should have


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I had never heard of 'torque adapters' until this thread, and it seems there are several on the market. The transducer senses applied force - it doesn't care how the force is applied. There are some online concerns about accuracy, but it's wheel nuts. I have a Snap-On dial wrench from the late 60's, even the scale of the dial doesn't led itself to hyper precision, but these days wheel nuts is all I use it for. It's never been calibrated in my memory, but well taken care of. Pretty much every fastening comes with a recommended range anyway. I did a rough bench test a few years ago and it seems within a couple of ft/lb so good enough for government work.


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## JIMMIEM (Nov 17, 2016)

If you're not going to use it much then the Harbor Freight click type torque wrenches are a good bet. I've got a couple and I tested/adjusted the calibration and they work fine. Around $20+....$9.99 when on sale.


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## pumpkin11 (Oct 31, 2020)

JIMMIEM said:


> If you're not going to use it much then the Harbor Freight click type torque wrenches are a good bet. I've got a couple and I tested/adjusted the calibration and they work fine. Around $20+....$9.99 when on sale.


i would never trust the accuracy of a $20 torque wrench,

a torque wrench is a tool that you should never try to go cheap on


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## JIMMIEM (Nov 17, 2016)

pumpkin11 said:


> i would never trust the accuracy of a $20 torque wrench,
> 
> a torque wrench is a tool that you should never try to go cheap on


I wouldn't either but the click style wrenches are a lot less expensive than the expensive ones (digitals, electronic?). But I was able to test the accuracy before using. I wouldn't have trusted it out of the box.
I was doing some automotive work and got the technical manual that gave torque specs. I asked a mechanic about a torque wrench and he said he didn't use one. I can't remember ever seeing an auto mechanic use a torque wrench.
I used the torque wrench to torque the blade on my lawn mower. A new mower would have cost less than a high end torque wrench.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I remember torquing lug nuts back in the 60s on foreign cars with disk brakes.

If your guys are not doing it, I’d change shops or mechanics.

When installing the wheels on a vehicle after servicing, it is important to torque the lug nuts properly. *Lug nuts that are not tightened correctly can ruin wheels, affect rotor runout and can be deadly if the wheel comes off or studs snap*. Over-torqueing the lug nuts does not affect runout immediately.

Runout happens over time, particularly with heating and cooling cycles. One day you notice a vibration in the brake system. Depending how bent/warped it gets, you may not be able to turn it true, and you end up replacing the rotor earlier than necessary.
It also accelerates wear on pads and causes uneven wear on the pads.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

pumpkin11 said:


> i would never trust the accuracy of a $20 torque wrench,
> 
> a torque wrench is a tool that you should never try to go cheap on


The answer is, it depends. You have to use the right tool for the job. I have no issue using the HF 1/2" torque wrench for lug nuts—they typically have a torque spec of 85-100 ft lb. For a bolt that has a spec of 20 ft lb, it's the wrong tool, even though its range is 20-150 ft lb—you want the 3/8" wrench for such a bolt.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

The transducer that the OP mentions specs at +/- 2% accuracy (tightening). Pretty good for a consumer grade product (if the spec is true).

That would be better than most of torque wrenches that Todd tested. 
Especially if you fast forward towards the end, after they cycled the wrenches a thousand times, you pretty much get what you pay for, in torque wrenches. Snap On ranked very high (but crazy price), the cheap ones rather poorly. That Wera wrench is real pretty.


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## pumpkin11 (Oct 31, 2020)

JIMMIEM said:


> I asked a mechanic about a torque wrench and he said he didn't use one.


I am sure there are LOTS of mechanics who don't use one,

Those are the mechanics you want to avoid


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Ya, in the days of steel wheels on brake drums, it really wasn't much of an issue and you reef down the nuts with the impact driver (leaning on the trigger a little longer if he ticked you off, then hoping he got a flat on the side of the road).

You find a whole lot of torque wrench use in most shops these days because most shops don't do much precision work anymore and will do wheel work using 'torque sticks' on their impact drivers. My indy shop always has customers come back in a day or two so they can check the torque on wheel nuts.


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## Akachibisaru (5 mo ago)

pumpkin11 said:


> make your life simple and buy one of these......
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As a retired mechanic I have three 1/4, 3/8. and 1/2. My 1/2 is a Snap on that I bought first day on what was supposed to be a temp job at AAMCO I worked for 5 different AAMCOs over the years. Any way I learned long ago to use the color coded lug bars that you can buy from the tool vendors they will torque to their rated load then twist and absorb the impact guns blows so they will not over torque your lugs. I still break out the Snap-On for my own vehicles of course.


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## seharper (Mar 17, 2020)

jayhanig said:


> I stupidly tried it with just an ordinary ratchet wrench and the best I could do was about 70 ft-lbs, and that was a truly tough thing for this old man.


That's a tough thing for anyone. Ratchets have their human factors designed so it would be very difficult for a human to exert that kind of force. Saves money on the ratchet mechanism.




jayhanig said:


> What the difference is between a rachet with a cheat and a breaker bar is beyond me


Difference is about $40 everytime you break the ratchet lol. 

The ratchet is a compromise - convenience of ratcheting but limited torque. 
Breaker bar gives more torque but you have to reposition every 30-60 degrees. Obviously you use a ratchet to limits then switch it up to the breaker bar or torque wrench. 



pumpkin11 said:


> a torque wrench is a tool that you should never try to go cheap on


if you want cheap, get a quality beam-type torque wrench. There's no mechanism, just a particular steel alloy with known properties. The indicator bar shows you how much the main bar is bending, which reads out torque. There is nothing to calibrate.


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## FIXitfriend5304t (4 mo ago)

The instructions warned to not use the adaptor with a breaker bar, did they mention what they believe to be the optimal size tool for the product by chance?

My guess is they don't want someone to use a breaker or pipe and "jam down" on the lug, over exerting the gauge and breaking it - they would rather have people struggle with a lesser than optimal set up than dealing with warranty claims of broken product from high leverage tooling.

Just my opinion.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

One foot pound or pound foot is a bar one foot long with one pound of rotational force on its end. A three foot bar with one pound on the end would yield 3 foot pounds. The length of the bar only counts if you are manually calculating torque.


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