A cheater bar, snipe, or cheater pipe is an improvised breaker bar made from a length of pipe and a wrench (spanner).

Primary use

Cheater bars are usually used to free threaded pipe, screws, bolts, and other fasteners that are difficult to remove with a ratchet or pipe wrench alone. They are also commonly used to operate valves. When the handle of a pipe wrench, box wrench or ratchet is inserted into a cheater bar, the additional distance makes it possible to generate the required torque with the same amount of force being applied. However, the work done is the same with or without the cheater bar because the torque and angle of rotation needed to accomplish a particular task does not change. The cheater bar allows higher torque with the same force by A cheater bar is sometimes called a snipe, a pipe extension or an extension pipe.

Industrial safety problems

Problems in using such bars include:

Pump or fluid transport equipment problems

Ports of pumps can be damaged resulting in: Some organizations forbid their use. For example, NASA is one such organization: "'Use the approved tool for the job. Makeshift arrangements such as the use of a screwdriver as a chisel, a pair of pliers as a wrench, a wrench as a hammer, or overloading a wrench by using a pipe extension (cheater bar) on the handle are not to be employed.'"

Alternatives

Due to the potential problems associated with a cheater bar or snipe, some situations may require an alternative to loosening and removing threaded pipe, screws, bolts or other fasteners.