Lug Wrench failed; best solution?

[zouch]

yeah, my stock lug wrench started to fold up the first time i used it.
(yes, the shop monkeys put the lug nuts on too tight; this is why i always check lug nut torque after a shop has done any work.)

as i was loosening the lug nuts of the first wheel, i started to see the paint peeling off of the lug wrench just below the head. but the time i was getting close to done, the arm of the wrench had softened to the point that it actually bent while under moderate force.

is there a better wrench available that will serve the same purposes and fit in the stock storage location?

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[Chrisdupe]

I don't know if it'll fit in the storage location but i have used these in the past with pretty good luck.

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Tool-W7-Folding-Wrench/dp/B000N37E9O?th=1

 

[Punknhed]

you could go to lowes buy a craftsman 1/2 in drive breaker bar and socket and use that.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

Consider keeping a 16" breaker bar with the appropriate size socket in your JL at all times.

I have the socket attached to the breaker bar and the tool is placed in a 18" long piece of gray, foam pipe insulation.

I keep this affair, in the small compartment where the scissor jack is. Fits right in on top. With the foam pipe insulation, I have no metal to metal related rattles.

I learned long ago, you can be up chitt creek so to speak, sometimes trying to break lugs loose with the little tire iron that comes with the Jeep.

Once you see someone standing on a tire iron trying to break a lug loose and the lug snaps off, etc., you realize wise man/gal carries a breaker bar with socket as I do in the vehicle at all times.

.

 

[Reinen]

Ah, I'm not the only one. The paint on mine quickly flaked off in the exact same spot and I was looking at it thinking this thing is gonna really screw me over one day.
But lug wrenches aren't special. They're just cheap-assed breaker bars. Get a real one and stash it in the jack compartment.

 

[pangmaster]

I got myself one of these, which is pretty good. I just keep it in one of my bags in the back. I like that it's telescoping so it doesn't take up much space, but I don't keep it in the factory spot.

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-1721-Telescoping-Wrench/dp/B000CMF4J8/

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I bought a 1/2" drive ratchet with an extendable handle and a 6 point 22mm socket to keep in my Jeep. The easiest way to find a deep 6 point 22 is to buy an impact socket.

Do not use 12 point sockets on these OEM lugnuts, it will round off the stainless cover on them and make getting one off nearly impossible.

 

[FLTrailRider]

This is best !!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L8C3828?th=1

 

[SteveFinn]

Yeah....I pretzel-ized the stock lug wrench last night trying to get one of the lugs loosened. That would've been a nightmare if it was on the side of the highway. Going to carry a breaker bar & socket from now on.

 

[longfiredragon]

Yep, breaker bar from harbor freight or the likes, and a socket.

 

[zouch]

just carrying another wrench is an obvious choice (and yes, i typically do that along with a dedicated 6-point lug socket and torque wrench anyway), but i was hoping someone might have found something that would replace *all* the functions of the wrench. fact is, that wrench is supposed to be what's used on the handle of the factory scissor jack.
(yes, that jack is already near the end of its limits on a 35" tire, and yes, manly men all have a high-lift jack with them at all times... but i like to try to keep the stock stuff working for the simple cases.)

i liked the idea about the foam insulation. i usually keep 'rattly' stuff wrapped in towels as they can serve more alternative purposes.


i suppose what i was hoping to see was that someone somewhere had come up with wrench that was made stouter, but actually performed all the same functions as the stock POS.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I've never even looked for the OEM lug wrench. I carry a long 1/2" drive torque wrench in the JL with an impact drive socket. But, I typically use a Milwaukee cordless impact to rotate tires. Then torque with the torque wrench, of course.

 

[Shibadog]

yeah, my stock lug wrench started to fold up the first time i used it.
(yes, the shop monkeys put the lug nuts on too tight; this is why i always check lug nut torque after a shop has done any work.)

as i was loosening the lug nuts of the first wheel, i started to see the paint peeling off of the lug wrench just below the head. but the time i was getting close to done, the arm of the wrench had softened to the point that it actually bent while under moderate force.

is there a better wrench available that will serve the same purposes and fit in the stock storage location?

A decent breaker bar and a quality deep well socket. Carry one under the floor in the back.

 

[zouch]

looks like you didn't read to the end of the thread before you revived this nearly year-old thread to add nothing new.

A decent breaker bar and a quality deep well socket. Carry one under the floor in the back.

 

[Ron-Short]

Anyone know if a 24” bar would fit in with the jack?

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