My hands hurt. After pushing and pulling the ratchet and breaker bar for about an hour I gave up. Are the bolts on the tow hooks welded onto the truck? Or glues or soldered or something incredibly overkill? We have a pneumatic air ratchet for our air compressor, but I don't have the proper downsizing socket adapter for the 17mm socket.

 

Nope, but they get REALLY rusted being all exposed to the elements like they are. Fortunately, they're pretty strong bolts so you don't have to worry much about breaking them.

PB Blaster or similar and a LONG cheater bar.

 

X2

If you have a jack, take the handle off of it and use it as a cheater bar.

The air ratchet wont work anyway....not enough torque.... but an impact would help

 

Arrg. Hand hurts. Now way I'm getting that off as-is. I don't have a cheater bar around, I'll have to get that tomorrow. I sprayed penetrating oil on it and it didn't help. I looked at the other hook and it did look like it was soldered or welded on, but that could just be from corrosion.

 

Fire Wrench!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

are you sure your not tightning the bolt get a decent breaker bar one there and if you need a bit more leverage get a pipe to put on the end of it. they are not welded

 

x2 on the victor/blue wrench.

 

Whip by a garage with $10 and a coffee, and ask one of the mechanics to loosen the bolts for ya. It's just not worth bruised palms for a week.. ya know?

 

Totally agree. Yet, the bruised palms would be a badge of accomplishment.

I have no bars around to aid the situation, so I'm going to swing by Lowes for one. It'll be good for the future.

And yes, I'm 100% sure I'm not tightening it. I'm new to cars, but not mechanical engineering.

 

Go to the gym, or befriend an Igor.

 

Do not under estimate the power of a long cheater bar! I'm talkin at LEAST four feet here.

 

pb blaster & heat

get it nice and hot, and put on a 6pt socket, and a 4 ft cheater bar, and have someone hit the end of the bar with a sledge hammer...works every time.

I had to do that once for a lugnut that I couldnt get off with a 400 ft/lb impact gun

 

Look, I am a huge dude, and I go to the gym, but I can show you some bolts that will defeat an Iron Man without a cheater bar... come work on my runner, I dare you...

+1 for the Igor

 

I broke 2 of the bolts on one side getting mine off and twisted the other 2 nuts free that are welded inside the frame. Ended up cutting those off with a grinder.

 

Yes but can you speak with an austrian accent? I got ya beat there hoss

Why not just do the two wrench cheater trick?

 

I can do British/Boston/Italian, but not Australian... you got me I guess.

 

Lol, Dude, Austrian as in Hitler's homeland, south of the motherland.

 

I can do German. and I can't believe I missed that... I am not even sure of an excuse to use for that...

 

I was actually going to try that. I was going to heat it up with a cigarette lighter (I don't smoke, but I have a lighter around just in case...fire is fun )

I also thought about using the lighter to heat the surrounding metal and ice down the bolt so the metal around the bolt would be expanded and the cold bolt would shrink.

 

Man... Come on... GET TO THE CHOPPA!

Ring a bell? Maybe?

What about the GOVERNATOR!

No?