I have learned to sacrifice a nut when necessary. That is, if the
coupling is held together with bolts and nuts, rather than busting a
knuckle, or the bolt, just use a nut splitter to take off the nut. The
nut will be destroyed, but will come off easily. This is especially
handy when removing a nut corroded onto a stud - it saves the stud, and
eliminates the risk of breaking it off.