Should I Use Ratchets Instead of Breaker Bars to Break Loose Bolts and Nuts?

Written by Luis Montes Updated On November 14, 2024

The image is split in half. On the left side, a heavy equipment mechanic holds a breaker bar; on the right, he holds a ratchet

After reviewing the testimonies on some popular forum websites from several mechanics and DIY fans, we found that roughly 35% rely on ratchets to break loose bolts and nuts, while the rest use breaker bars.

The 35% group uses a ratchet simply because it works. Yes, ratchet mechanisms can withstand equal or more torque than some breaker bars. However, that’s not their intended use.

We’ll briefly compare breaker bars vs ratchets and consider why breaker bars aren’t obsolete, as some claim.

Table of Contents

Comparison Between Ratchets and Breaker Bars
A Tool Intended For Breaking Loose Frozen Bolts and Nuts
The Bottom Line

Comparison Between Ratchets and Breaker Bars

The tables below compare the failure load of ratchets and breaker bars from popular brands.

Although some ratchets developed higher loads than breaker bars, keep in mind that the results were achieved using a cheater pipe.

3/8" DRIVE BREAKER BARS
Brand	Part Number	Length (in)	Failure Load (lb-ft)	Hardware Failure
	51-110	10	232.2	Anvil
	GM6111	12	225.9	Anvil
	B2G12	13	279.4	Anvil
	67931	17	271.7	Anvil
	87802	18	211.8	Anvil

3/8" DRIVE RATCHETS
Brand	Part Number	Length (in)	Failure Load (lb-ft)	Hardware Failure
	3725Z	7	260.1	Anvil
	66313	7 7/8	246.5	Anvil. Some damage to the gears. Pawl held fine
	81220T	8 13/32	286.2	Anvil
	R2QR	9 1/16	284.5	Some damage on a couple of gear teeth.
	DWMT81097	9 27/32	230.8	Anvil
	42045	5 5/16	267.2	The anvil broke where it attaches to the gear, and there's some damage to one of the pawls.
	CMMT86320V	3 19/64	262.1	The teeth experienced a lot of damage, and the pawl also experienced some damage.

Again, the above loads wouldn’t have been possible without a cheater pipe, especially for ratchets whose handles are no larger than 10 inches.

Besides, using a ratchet to break frozen bolts and nuts (not its intended purpose) could damage the anvil and the internal mechanism. It will void most, if not all, warranties, which matters because of the price difference between the two types of tools.

Check, for instance, the table below of hand tools available at Fortis HD. While the cheapest breaker bar is $50, its ratchet counterpart is $97 (95% more).

Tool	Part Number	Length (mm - in)	Price
Breaker Bar	Ko-ken 3768Z-250	250 - 9 13/16	$50
Breaker Bar	Ko-ken 3768Z-400	400 - 15 3/4	$87
Ratchet	Ko-ken 2725Z-3/8	114 - 4 1/2	$97
Ratchet	Ko-ken 2725Z-3/8(L160)	160 - 6 5/16	$120
Ratchet	Ko-ken 4725ZB	253 - 9 15/16	$153
Ratchet	Ko-ken 3725Z-280	280 - 11	$121

Ideal for professional heavy-duty tasks, Ko-ken breaker bars combine strength and maneuverability.

We have them available at Fortis HD. Visit our tool section to purchase yours.

A Tool Intended For Breaking Loose Frozen Bolts and Nuts

Photo source: www.garagejournal.com.

A breaker bar design is intended to produce torque and withstand it.

The amount of torque is directly proportional to the handle’s length (Torque = Force x Distance). Thus, breaker bars usually have longer handles than ratchets.

In addition, the simple design of breaker bar heads transmits loads directly to the fork section, which is beefy enough to resist them.

Diagram of the interaction between the anvil and the head on breaker bars

On the other hand, ratchets distribute the torque from the anvil among the teeth of the gear and pawl, whose areas aren’t nearly the size of a breaker bar fork head.

Most people’s solution is to use a ratchet with fewer teeth (which are bigger), but besides teeth, other things, like the anvil-gear joint or the faceplate, are at risk of failing when a ratchet is misused.

A red arrow represents the torque generated by a ratchet’s anvil, while a yellow arrow represents the gear torque and the pawl’s reaction

Photo source: www.garagejournal.com

The Bottom Line

Breaker bars are:

Affordable.
The intended tool for breaking loose frozen bolts and nuts.
A way to extend the lifespan of your beloved ratchets.

But, regardless of their simple and beefy design, average breaker bars are prone to fail.

Two breaker bars side-by-side. One with a broken anvil and the other with a split head

Photo sources: www.reddit.com / www.garagejournal.com.

So visit Fortis HD for premium Japanese hand tools: Ko-ken breaker bars.

We also have one of the best ratchets in the industry: the 72-tooth Ko-ken Z-series. In our review, we delve deep into its unique mechanism.

If you choose to join the 35% that use ratchets to loosen frozen bolts and nuts, we have a tool that combines the best of both worlds: the Mueller-Kueps 1/2″ x 600 mm Ratchet Breaker Bar.

For more details, visit Fortis HD’s website.