Officer, this post right here ^

Oh, very true, definitely don’t want any bolts or nuts coming loose.

I started working on and rebuilding go-kart engines like 30 years ago at age 12, and started working on vehicles around age 22. I’ve never had any screw, bolt, or nut that I’ve installed ever come loose, and my roommate’s brakes are no exception, they’re not going to come loose.

It just dumbfounds me that I managed to twist break an extension like that, with my bare hands and muscles and all.

After breaking the extension, I dug deeper into the trunk to get our boxed in wrenches to tighten everything back up, no problem there.

Honestly I think the extension was made of mild steel, not good tempered steel.

Ranch dressing instead of pizza sauce.

Hey, don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it, I thought it was fantastic!

Update:

From end to end, the ratchet is 7 1/2 inches long.

The center of the ratchet head is about 5/8 of an inch in, meaning there’s basically 6 7/8 inches of handle delivering the torque.

That stupid ass song that says…

“Chew tobacco chew tobacco chew tobacco spit”

I’ve never seen this happen before unless a cheater bar or hammer or whatever was used. That would be misuse. I was not using a cheater bar or hammer though, I was only using my bare hands and muscle.

If I had a torque wrench, it would be interesting to test a variety of brands of extensions to determine their failure points.

I didn’t have 1/2" drive tools. I’ve been doing brakes and other vehicle repairs for over 20 years and I’ve never needed 1/2" drive for anything besides drive axle and strut mount nuts.

This was just a couple measly 17 millimeter bolts. If anything, I would have expected the bolt head to round off first, I’ve never twisted a 3/8" extension to the point of breaking before.

Hell, I’ve even done head gaskets using a 3/8" drive and it didn’t break. It wasn’t HF either…

If you can afford a garage, you can afford good tools. If I had a garage, you think I’d cheap out on my tools?

I had to go back at the bolt in question with a wrench from another kit after breaking the extension. At least I have other better extensions, I just didn’t have them with me at the moment.

Learn what?

I’ve replaced head gaskets before using 3/8" drive ratchet, sockets and extensions before, even the exhaust bolts didn’t cause the tools (non HF tools) to break.

This HF shit is just piss poor tempered, not suitable for any serious real world use when the extension can’t even handle the socket sizes that came in the same kit.

Impact rated? Who said anything about an impact wrench, I broke this with a ratchet and my bare hands.

Yeah, I broke this while working on brakes today, a torch ain’t got any business anywhere near the ABS sensors.

It broke trying to loosen one of the 17 millimeter main mount bolts. The extension was apparently made of poorly tempered metal, plain and simple.

You don’t just up and buy a higher quality version when you’re stuck on the side of the road, you count your blessings that you have like 5 other extensions, all better brands than HF.

It’s almost a nice convenient road kit, but yeah when you can literally twist-break an extension just using your hands and arms, the metal is shit tempered and can’t handle torsion forces.

Which is exactly what ratchets and extensions are meant to handle, torsion forces, AKA twisty forces.

You don’t mechanic much do ya?

I broke this while replacing brake pads today, it couldn’t handle a 17mm bolt. Thank goodness I have 5 other extensions, all other brands that aren’t made of frozen peanut butter.

I broke this while replacing brake pads today.

Fuck Harbor Freight. At least I have 5 other extensions, all other brands that aren’t made of frozen peanut butter.