Torque Wrench question

[groucho]

I have that torque wrench in 1/2" drive, ive used it twice over the past 5 years, i'll sell it to you CHEAP,its in my garage collecting dust

Cheap? Did somebody just call me?

[Bill McGuire]

....aaand that's one more benefit of the classic beam-type torque wrench. It never requires calibration. If the pointer is at zero on the scale when you take it out of the drawer, there: you just calibrated it. And it will always be as accurate as any torque-based measurement.

And you can buy a nice beam wrench for what it costs to get a click wrench recalibrated. The click wrench is great for production or flat-rate work but for home use, it's hard to beat a beam wrench.

And of course, torque-based fastener measurement has its limitations, especially for critical applications like head screws and connecting rods, but for many purposes it's still more than adequate.

[1badmonkey]

Cheap? Did somebody just call me?

nope it was just a little birdie that you heard.

nothing to see here

[Huskinhano]

Have you seen the latest issue of Car Craft on page 26? They tested HF torque wrenches....guess what? They were damn accurate. At 70 lbs only off .2 ftlbs compared to the Snap On they tested! HF also sell a digital adapter to convert a breaker bar into a to torque wrench also deadly accurate. It was dead on at some settings. When they tested the HF wrench, they left it on 70 lbs for weeks, never unloading it either!

[pdub]

Thanks guys, I've learned from all of this discussion. Did I ever say that I love BangShift?

I just went and turned my 1/2 inch torque wrench back to zero and it said, "Ahhhhhhh." Had it set to 95 pounds (for lugs) for weeks.

[BigBlockMopar]

Doesn't anyone calibrate their own torque wrenches here? Or is that lost 'knowledge' these days?
I could 'understand' as a company in the US, you probably should be able to the prove calibration-dates in case a greedy lawyer or insurance company comes down on you after a posible incident.

I myself bought an old Craftsman beam/dial torquewrench on a local swapmeet many years ago for about $5. Dates probably from the 70s or 80s I tihnk.
Still use it for every motorbuild on the head-, main- and rod-bolts. Sometimes use it for rotating an engine by the crank, especially when dialing in a camshaft orso.
Never used it to torque wheelnuts.

I think they invented clicktype-torquewrenches for people who can't read numbers (anymore)... no?

[Russell]

How do you calibrate at torque wrench? Why don't you use the beam wrench for lugs?

[Huskinhano]

I think they invented clicktype-torquewrenches for people who can't read numbers (anymore)... no?

Parallex maybe?

[Beagle]

hard to read when you're torquing a lug nut or wheel bolt, easy to hear and feel the click. This is for a production environment, I'd go with the click. Time is money...

The 10.00 on sale HF clicky torque wrenches are surprisingly decent. I have 1/4 , 3/8, 1/2 in that size and they click about the same point my split beam 3/8 or 1/2 shows. My old Craftsman clicky kind both disassembled at the handle end, would cost more to make them right again I think than a new one would cost. I suppose I could check them with a split beam and just match them up.

I'd measure bolt stretch if I really cared that much or was building stuff for other people but on a car wheel, I'm okay with the clicky kind.

How accurate is it gonna be on an un-lubed lug nut with unknown interference from wheel face anyway? How many times have the fasteners been used already?

[Chad's Dad]

In 1970 I bought a 1/2" drive Snap-on ratchet torque wrench. Last year I was having a problem with the ratchet. I contacted Snap-on and they have a rebuild/calibration service with FREE SHIPPING both ways. It costs $66.45 total including any parts and labor. When it was ready I asked how far it was out of calibration. They said it was in calibration. I was really surprised.

[BigBlockMopar]

How do you calibrate at torque wrench? Why don't you use the beam wrench for lugs?

A torquewrench shows nothing more than Pounds per foot.
Fill a bucket of water so the combined weight of the bucket and water is a known amount. Hang it on a foot long bar with a pivot on the other end. Mount the torquewrench on the pivot point and set it to the weight known in the bucket. When trying to lift the bucket slowly, it should click or show the exact amount on it's dial. If not, or it clicks before the bucket moves, the wrench is off.

Why I don't use it on wheels?
The handy nearby crosswrench always comes with the right size sockets on it...

[70chevyC-10]

In 1970 I bought a 1/2" drive Snap-on ratchet torque wrench. Last year I was having a problem with the ratchet. I contacted Snap-on and they have a rebuild/calibration service with FREE SHIPPING both ways. It costs $66.45 total including any parts and labor. When it was ready I asked how far it was out of calibration. They said it was in calibration. I was really surprised.

Walt - they are probably going to use you in their next commercial or your wrench for their museum, or both.

[silver_bullet]

i guess that means my 1982 vintage one is ok then....i have checked it against my dads deflecting beam type a couple of times tho...

[Scott Liggett]

When I rebuilt my 454 , I was just going to use Dad's 40 year old Craftsman torque wrench, but didn't trust it. I bought a new Craftsman. But, being anal in a engine build is a good thing, I used both. There was no discernable difference between the two.