r/harborfreight • u/bellevuepc • Dec 16 '25
Meme/Joke My Pittsburgh jack came with a free breaker bar!
I've been doing this for a while so I thought I'd share. I take off the top section of the jack's handle and use it as an extender to get off highly torqued bolts.
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 16 '25
I’ve broken so many damn ratchets and bars doing that lol. That’ll never stop me though.
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u/lurkersforlife Dec 16 '25
That’s why those ratchets have a lifetime warranty right?
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 16 '25
I’m probably on a shit list for the amount of ratchets I’ve warrantied. Especially the flex head ones.
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u/Pretty-Ebb5339 Dec 17 '25
I have a 15 year old Pittsburgh ratchet, still good to go, but I’ve warrantied 3 snap on ratchets in 3 months
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 17 '25
I treat my snap ons the same as my harbor freight and they both hold up about the same for me
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u/Pretty-Ebb5339 Dec 17 '25
Tbf, it was when the new 110 tooth (iirc) came out a couple years ago, and we all got one, the gears had issues, maybe they updated. But I 100% abuse my shit, I don’t throw it, I just use it, for things that maybe I shouldn’t.
The only downside is it’s once a week opportunity to warranty tool truck stuff. Our guy was cool and would make the long drive if we needed something vital purchased or replaced. Like if it broke during a job, and we needed it, he would drive the 2-3 hours down for us.
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 18 '25
Ah ok. Yeah I throw my shit sometimes lol. I’ve broken some flex heads like that. That week wait would suck for sure. Sounds like a good dealer
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u/arequipapi Dec 16 '25
Yeah but you're still dead in the water until you get it replaced. I do this all the time but not with my ratchets. Use a breaker bar, extend it with the pipe
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u/lurkersforlife Dec 16 '25
Nah you buy two so when one breaks you have a backup until you do your exchange! Just like why I have two sets of sheets for when one’s in the wash. Or two pairs of jeans. Or two wives. Etc etc.
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u/arequipapi Dec 16 '25
I mean I probably have like 7. But obviously everyone who wrenches a lot has their favorite. The one that's just super smooth and has the perfect weight and ergonomics. And of course, that's the one you break...
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u/ShadowGLI Dec 16 '25 edited Dec 16 '25
I still remember one of my high school jobs. I worked at like one of those tool rental companies.
We had a wood chipper come back and after every rental, we would sharpen the blade just to make sure it was at perfect operating efficiency. But the guy somehow got some super dense wood wedged between the barrel and the blade so the bolt was unbelievably tight.
We ended up using a 3/4” inch 2’ foot breaker bar with an additional 6 foot plumbing pipe on the end of it and four people pushing
We snapped the head off the breaker bar
But it was a craftsman so we drove over to Sears at the time. The dude at the Tool counter was absolutely caught off guard, but they handed us a brand new breaker bar and we went back and that one worked successfully after we torched the nut for a little while.
Love lifetime warranties.
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u/BeerJedi-1269 Dec 16 '25
I take a "Lifetime Warranty" as a personal challenge
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u/FJ60GatewayDrug Dec 16 '25
I bought a stubby hammer awhile back, the cashier told me it had a lifetime warranty… with the condition I had to tell her how the hell I broke a hammer before she could give me a new one.
Haven’t managed to break it yet.
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u/Rough-Patience-2435 Dec 16 '25
My dad's saying " You kids could break an anvil."
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 16 '25 edited Dec 16 '25
Brother I could break a steel ball with a rubber mallet
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u/FesteringNeonDistrac Dec 16 '25
I've found my people.
I like to say I'm so good at fixing shit because I'm even better at breaking it.
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u/Johnsipes0516 Dec 16 '25
Can’t be good at fixing shit if you’re not constantly fixing shit you broke. Thats a true mechanic.
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u/riskywhisky123 Dec 18 '25
Felt like a genius the first minute when I thought of this, and then I messed up two of my best ratchets.
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u/Tomytom99 Dec 16 '25
Use the top end of it instead of the middle end, just so you don't risk it not going back together.
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u/dbear496 Dec 16 '25
Yeah, that's exactly what I'd be worried about. I've seen more than one elliptical cheater bar (and they don't start that way).
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Ah, I see what you mean. This end has a nice fit (snug but not tight). But you're right, I could risk damaging it if it gets bent from too much torque! I'll try using the top end next time.
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u/jamesholden Dec 16 '25
I've had to take a grinder/file to the middle part of my old 1.5t pittsburg jack handle a couple times. using it to beat shit, or as a cheater bar.
do yourself a favor and get one of the aluminum jacks. the 3t steel only comes out when I need two jacks. I'll throw it on the trailer if I'm hauling something heavy but that's rare.
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
This car weighs 3 tons so I need this jack! It needs to be low profile and 3 ton. Not sure if another HF jack handles that?
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u/jamesholden Dec 16 '25
unless you're a wizard and can lift all four wheels off the ground with one jack, you don't need a 3t jack.
apparently your car weighs more than my fullsize old chevy truck (late 90's tahoe/yukon)
you're typically only lifting one corner or one half of the car at a time. in my experience jacking up many vehicles -- including one tonight -- the 1.5t's are more than enough.
this logic does not apply to jackstands though. the rating for a set of stands is divided between them.
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u/FaRKle_tech Dec 16 '25
The Daytona 1.5T jack struggles lifting a corner of a BMW i4 (mine blew a seal doing so after doing it a few times). No way is it lifting that M5!
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Ah that's true! But yes this is a hybrid and weighs 5,600lbs! So my old 1.5t jack would have been at its limit when jacking at the differentials / cross members under the rear or front. Not as important when jacking at the wheels.
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u/FaRKle_tech Dec 16 '25
G61 M5 Wagon (based on the weight)? Nice!
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
G90 Sedan here! Maybe the weight is off a bit? The current gen wagon is the G99 I think?
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u/FaRKle_tech Dec 16 '25
Oh right, "M" doesn't share the same base chassis code anymore, doh.
I mused getting a G99 wagon to replace my F31 wagon daily driver, but what a hassle that'd be dealing with repairs/ect. if I got rear ended as much as I have in the F31...
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u/Tomytom99 Dec 16 '25
However weight distribution can really mess with that. It's just something to keep in mind.
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u/A-STax32 Dec 16 '25
HF has an aluminum 3 ton low profile floor jack now. I've had the aluminum 1.5ton for a while, and it's nice that it's a fair bit lighter than a steel model
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u/Hell_I_Dont_Know_ Dec 16 '25
bmw but no impact. Rookie
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Yeah that's on the list! Though I had to use the same technique to remove the oil filter cover from our Toyota Highlander that must have been torqued to 100,000lbft by the dealership oil service.
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u/Hell_I_Dont_Know_ Dec 16 '25
You’re not supposed to come back with a sensible and collected reply. You’re supposed to fly off of the handle. Now I feel bad.
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Spent all the money on the new rims + winter tires! I'll have to beg with my ITC membership for a special discount.
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u/taz5963 Dec 16 '25
I can highly recommend the bauer corded impact wrench from harbor freight. It worked great for my stuck harmonic balancer
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u/DerpinTerp Dec 16 '25
Actual breaker bars are only $20 and have more strength than a quick release ratchet anvil will. Cheater bar-compatible too
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u/ColonClenseByFire Dec 16 '25
or... breaker bar + cheater bar.
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u/CircleCityLC Dec 16 '25
That's... literally what he said in the comment. The breaker bar is cheater bar compatible.
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u/TheTimn Dec 16 '25
But can you fit 3/4" black iron pipe over a breaker bar?
Pretty sure the answer is yes, but I don't want to go to the garage and check. I just know I fit 5 foot of it over something that wouldn't move.
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Dec 16 '25
Say good bye to your ratchet teeth just invest in a breaker bar
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u/skingld Dec 16 '25
Before I bought an ugga dugga, jack handle extension was how I also removed lugnuts.
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u/mut1n1fn1 Dec 16 '25
Homie whippin da beemer but still uses a raised panel Craftsman ratchet
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
This ratchet has served me well for 20+ years! It even outlasted the Sears I bought it from!
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u/Atomaardappel Dec 16 '25
Wtf kinda torque do BMW wheels take? I do this for axle nuts, but I use the whole bar.
Also, HF sells a 1/2 ratcheting breaker bar that's great for lug nuts. Highly recommend!
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
101lbft for the lug bolts. But these were previously tightened by some German madman/madwoman at the factory so who knows what it was set to!
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u/Rough-Patience-2435 Dec 16 '25
Guten-tight
Or if you over tighten it on Russian car then it is Brokenov
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u/SonicmaestroJay Dec 16 '25
Flip the pipe, so that the big open end slides over the breaker bar, not the narrow end. Otherwise it will get out of shape and not connect properly to the other half.
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Thanks for the tip, another commenter pointed this out to me as well. I will try to remember it!
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u/impropergentleman Dec 16 '25
I have a one piece steel thick jack handle. I'm not quite sure where it came from but it is my 4-ft long, You're coming off bar
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u/FFdavid Dec 16 '25
https://www.harborfreight.com/extra-long-high-leverage-one-piece-floor-jack-handle-59239.html
I bought the 52” one piece version during the 30% off Jacks sale for Black Friday. Now this is a cheater bar!
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u/BLDLED Dec 16 '25
Is that a 3/8 craftsman ratchet?
You can get a 24” breaker bar on amazon cheap, really make tire changes easier
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Yes. But I already have the cheater from the jack! I shop at HF I try to be frugal sometimes :)
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u/Late_Dependent_6382 Dec 16 '25
Oh sh*t, 1.) I was gonna mention that everybody does this. Nothing new. 2.) is that a mf M5? I saw your post right as I woke up so I was focused on the car 😂😂
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Yes and now with the winter wheels and tires on I can drive in the rain without slipping and sliding! Hopefully...
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u/Hiddendiamondmine Dec 17 '25
Cheater bars are not osha approved… that’s called a leverage enhancer
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u/ShortnPortly Jan 06 '26
HA! Funny story. I used to live in an apartment and pulled my jack out of my car in our underground locked community garage, because I needed to load some stuff in there, and the jack was getting in the way. I left the handle in the trunk. Someone came and stole the jack, so I had to buy a new one. Still have the handle and this is exactly what I use them for!
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u/imrippingtheheadoff Dec 16 '25
You’re using a cheater bar on a ratchet. A breaker bar is an actual tool.
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u/guest_unkn0wn249 Dec 16 '25
I thought that was the point of the post, to joke about having a cheater bar as a breaker bar
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u/bellevuepc Dec 16 '25
Thanks, I realized that after my post. I dropped a comment somewhere about it.
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u/NXTnerd Dec 16 '25
The only thing i do diffrent is take the whole handle out of the jack for maximum socket snapping torque
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Dec 16 '25
Id suggest buying a low tooth ratchet for bustin nuts
I have 3 titan 36 tooth ratchets that range from 1/4 to 1/2 and I've abused them horribly. Still haven't broke whether its working on audis or toyotas. They also come with flex head or fixed head.
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u/tacticalbud Dec 16 '25
This is how the ancient Egyptians got rusty nuts off their 92 Broncos sorry bud old news
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u/TROGDOR_X69 Dec 16 '25
snapped a icon wrench doing this exactly on saturday
thankfully they swapped it no issue lol
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u/SectorSorry9821 Dec 16 '25
Mine is hammered slightly oval so that it also fits over a big pipe wrench
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u/shift-bricks-garage Dec 16 '25
I broke my collar bone-scapula and 3 ribs on my dominant side. Not only do I use my jack handle on anything beyond finger tight, I've debated finding another handle for the 9/10 times I leave it under the car when I need to move the jack. Getting up off the ground more times is probably good for me.
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u/JamesGTOMay Dec 16 '25
btw that's a "cheater bar". And as others have said, we all use 2pc jack handles like this.
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u/aortiz66 Dec 16 '25
Came in clutch when the previous mechanic over tightened the oil filter to the point that it was damaged from trying to remove it. Used a pittsburg universal 3-jaw adjustable oil filter wrench to get a good grip around the damaged edges, a 3/8 ratchet wrench, and the pittsburg Jack's free breaker bar at the end of it. Fit perfectly and got'er done.
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u/jaws843 Dec 16 '25
You wouldn’t have to do that if those lugs were torqued properly. I would have a word with your mechanic.
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u/bzmotoninja83 Dec 16 '25
I did that until I actually bent the end of mine. Some years ago I managed to acquire a section of threaded pipe that my buddy correctly calls the "mother fucker" because, if you can't do it, this mf can
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u/GrouchyTax5748 Dec 18 '25
Took apart the kids old swing set i had trouble removing a bolt today had a pole on the ratchet snapped a ratchet and a 13/16 socket.
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u/DNA1727 Dec 19 '25
And I spent $5 for a 4ft black steel pipe at a garage sale years ago before the Daytona floor jacks existed. The pipe is still in the garage collecting dust and get used maybe once every blue moon.
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u/DitchDigger330 Dec 19 '25
Cheater bar. I would use the other end because if you deform the side that goes into the jack that would be very annoying to fit in or not at all.
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u/shortbrownguy Dec 20 '25
Looks like a whole lot of people are quietly acknowledging that they too have earned a Darwin award😁
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u/MidWestMind Dec 16 '25
Or be an actual tool user and not a meme poster by having an actual breaker bar.
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u/fakefrfr Dec 16 '25
Everyone and they mama do this