Breaker Bars / wheel nuts

The type where the head swivels tend to be the weakest. Best are those where the main bar is bent through 90 degrees or so. Not so flexible, but doubt you'd break that easily.

That was my conclusion.

However, I can?t find any long ones ( longer that 10? / 250mm) which don?t have swivel heads- at least that aren?t extendable. ( After my experience with the extendable one, I?m dubious re their quality.)

I have considered a battery impact driver - I have an air driven one I can use with my compressor at home- but ensuring it is always charged is a concern.

I must admit, if I get a puncture in the MH, I?d probably call out the RAC. Jacking up a vehicle weighing over 3.5 T with a scissor jack isn?t my idea of fun, especially on the hard shoulder. However, at busy times, that could mean a long wait.

I have one of the "bent" ones for my Renault Master horsebox. Lidl had cordless impact drivers for cars last week; I decided I didn't really need one.

This sort of thing

is usually ok.

The idea is that you tighten up the nuts without extending it, but extend it to get extra leverage when undoing them.

Landrover went a step further and supplied a folding wheel wrench which only worked unfolded in the undo direction but had to be used folded when tightening the nuts, to prevent over-tightening.

I don't have a motorhome, but I do carry an 18v impact wrench and a torque wrench in my car.

I have one of those, possibly not Halfords, but cheaper than a proper breaker bar and fits by the spare wheel. The extender tube will not take a huge torque, but should help a small person. Athome, in collapsed mode with a scaffold pole over it will take some torque.

That is exactly like the one I broke ;-)

I normally do exactly that. This time, as I wanted ?more welly?, I used it extended to check they were still tight. That was probably the mistake.

I have a torque wrench although I?m not sure it goes to 160 Nm.

How much force did you apply? 160 Nm on that bar requires about 35 kg on the end. So if e.g. you tried the traditional jump-on-the-end technique ... :)

It wasn?t the extending bit which failed.

Where the 1/2 square part is, there is a ball bearing. It failed there. The tip, the last 1/4?, twisted off.

It is possible I hadn?t fully engaged the the drive in the socket - I was using the double one, which in retrospect was probably the mistake.

I suggest you stop using 1/2" car stuff and upgrade to 3/4" truck kit.

I didn?t think I was such a brute ;-)

Screwfix have them as well as machine mart...

Or part number (7182R)

Ages ago, I got an impact driver which runs off the car battery. Large - the size of a mains drill. It spins up to speed then whacks the nut round. Develops a lot more torque with that bash than most impact drivers. Says it will undo 250 ft.lb. Wasn't that pricey, either.

Just buy decent quality 1/2 inch stuff and he will be fine. What he bought was cheap rubbish. Ex MOT tester neighbour has a bar nearly

3 foot long with a swivel end, and sometimes when removing a wheel that a Kwikfit fitter belted on with a air-impact driver needs all his strength on a bar that long.

As I recall, it wasn?t that cheap but ?

Looking at the bit which failed, I suspect I may not have fully engaged the

1/2 square part in the hole.

I used one of those double ended sockets which has the drive part in the middle. That stops you seeing the drive is pushed home.

I?ve ordered another design and will carry a ?proper? socket. I will need one for the trailer anyway.