Can You Use a Torque Wrench to Loosen Bolts?

Torque wrench tools are essential for DIY, automotive, and mechanical work. However, it is not usable for the multi-purpose task. The torque wrench is usually used for accurate tightening. It is especially used for bikes, cars and various tightening work. You do not need any knowledge to use it. But many people have a lot of confusion about using a torque wrench and frequently ask the question, Can I use a torque wrench to loosen bolts?

That’s why we created this article, and we will thoroughly discuss this topic. Can you use a torque wrench to loosen bolts? or why not? Also, we will suggest to you what is the best wrench to use to loosen bolts.

Can You Use a Torque Wrench to Loosen Bolts?

The torque wrench has never been designed for loosening nuts, screws, bolts. The torque wrench is made for accurate tightening of any type of nuts, bolts, screws. If you use a torque wrench to do the opposite, it will be damaged, reducing its efficiency.

Also, one thing to keep in mind while tightening nuts and bolts with the help of a torque wrench is whether it is over tightening or not; in this case, you must try to notice the click sound while tightening. Also, try to avoid doing anything other than tightening with a torque wrench.

So, How Do You Loosen a Tight Bolt?

You will find many ways to remove stuck bolts. You can loosen tight bolts in a few simple steps and the process we have described below.

First of all, a breaker bar is a perfect choice for loosening any nut bolts. It allows you to easily loosen any nuts, screws including stuck bolts. However, there are more ways besides this. If you do not want to pick the breaker bar option, you can choose the next option.

First of all, remove all the dirt around the bolts with a wire brush, then trapping the bolts with the help of an extension pipe or aka ratchet, and then try loosening the bolts.

Another way is to heat the bolts with the help of a propane torch then leave it for a while to cool. Then try loosening. The last way is to remove the head of the bolts with the help of a hacksaw, then drill inside the bolt and remove it.

Although there are many more methods, I would suggest you remove any bolts effortlessly with the help of a breaker bar or wrenches. And if you want to remove some big or small bolt nuts, then a wrench is the best choice. It is an easy and best method to use.

What is The Best Wrench to Use to Loosen a Bolts?

When you want to loosen big stuck bolts, nuts, these things, the best choice for you is to use a wrench. However, now you can see different types of wrench on the market, some wrench are designed for work with standard fasteners, and some wrench is designed for the metric application.

Below, we share some examples of wrenches that will help you understand which type of wrench is best for loosening and tightening bolts, nuts.

Adjustable Wrench

An adjustable wrench is commonly used in both tightening and loosening fields. However, it is the perfect choice for small and medium bolts and nuts. It also has a moveable lower jaw to adjust wrench size. You can easily work with standard and metric fasteners.

Open End Wrench

It is also perfect for tightening and loosening in the same way. In addition, it has two different sizes of open ends, which will help you a lot in working from different angles.

Pipe Wrench

A pipe wrench is most commonly used for pipework. However, one of its great features is that it can be easily used for loosening other large size nuts and bolts in addition to the pipework. It has a moveable upper jaw so that you can easily adjust the wrench size. In the case of bolts loosening, I would highly recommend it.

Ratchet Wrench

The ratchet wrench is designed with one end moving freely in one direction, and the other side is designed so that nuts and bolts can be easily tightened and loosened without removing the tool. It is also useful for loosening in tight spaces.

Stubby Wrench or Short Body

The stubby wrench is the short version of the ratchet wrench. It is specially designed for the task of tightening and loosening in a small space. As a result, it can be used to remove tight nuts bolts easily. Its other specifications are the same as the ratchet wrench.

Torque Wrench vs Wrench

We have already given you many ideas about torque wrench; there are many differences between a torque wrench and a traditional wrench; in this section, we will discuss some of them and highlight the main differences.

Torque Wrench	Wrench
The torque wrench usually moves in a clockwise direction so that only accurate tightening can be done with it.	The wrench can move easily in both directions, so you can easily tighten and loosen both with the help of the wrench.
The torque wrench cannot easily exceed its setup torque limit.	There is no torque limit in the wrench.
A tight bolt can permanently break the wrench.	It is built with loosening features; that’s why it can easily loose challenging objects like nuts, screws, bolts, etc.

Final Verdict

A good torque wrench set can save your day and efficiently manage any project. Some machines have nuts bolts that require a certain amount of torque, in which case a torque wrench will help you a lot in tightening properly.

On the other hand, the torque wrench is not perfect for loosening because you have to keep in mind that the torque wrench is not a hammer, which can be used in any work field. So use the torque wrench for accurate torque, and use the wrenches or breaker bar for loosening.