Torque Wrenches

[sfhogman]

Just replaced the brake pads on my little Honda PCX scooter and was left with two realizations...
1. I don't like doing brakes. Disc, drum, doesn't matter. Some jobs are fun and some jobs are just a messy chore. Don't like it.
2. I don't quite trust click-type torque wrenches. Mine are of good quality but somehow I do not quite trust 'em.
Thinking of buying a beam-type to replace the old Craftsman that I gave to my son...
Rant over...comments?

Edited to add:
My son returned the beam wrench, so my little kerfuffle seems to be over. Thanks for the responses!

 

[s4s4u]

Numbers are for nerds...tight is tight

 

[BoggusDeal]

I personally prefer click type or dial type. But I also have my own torque wrench calibration tool.
I don’t care for beam type. There may be some quality ones out there but I haven’t found one I like.

 

[454Redhawk]

If the fastener breaks you we you went full retard. Otherwise give her all the beans. I have both click and beam but I prefer to click type. As a side note, I was going to do my own brakes this time as in retired and have nothing else to do but I decided to let my mechanic friend do them. After speaking with him I'm glad I did. It took him 8 hours because my fronts are 4 piston calipers.

 

[Slidboot]

I also prefer the click type, but for most cases, my motto is, "Tight as you can get it and a quarter turn more."

 

[BoggusDeal]

Just remember, overtorque is why Ruger revolvers have constricted bores under the threads….

 

[Mike J]

While I have used a beam type one once all the ones I own are click type. I make it a point to put them back on zero before I put them away. I have been known to test them against each other to see if they agree. So far they do. I think I have 4 of them now. I bought one & it worked perfectly for what I was doing. Needed one that went higher bought that. Needed one that went lower, bought that, Then needed one that went lower still, I hope I have it covered.
I it possible to overtighten & break things. I learned that when I was about 13. Hand tightning is fine for most things but there are some things it is better to make sure are right. I've learned the hard way.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I also prefer the click type, but for most cases, my motto is, "Tight as you can get it and a quarter turn more."

Yep, tighten it until it squeaks.

 

[DGW1949]

I've got an old (Made in USA) beam type that I've used for over 50 years. It still returns to zero, and it's still accurate to within 2%...I bought it on sale at a NAPA auto pars store in Fairfield Alabama 1974....On the other end of that mule, I've seen a new Snap-On click type fail within the first week that it came off of the truck.

DGW

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Always love the comments in tech threads.

 

[Chief 101]

I've got an old (Made in USA) beam type that I've used for over 50 years. It still returns to zero, and it's still accurate to within 2%...I bought it on sale at a NAPA auto pars store in Fairfield Alabama 1974....On the other end of that mule, I've seen a new Snap-On click type fail within the first week that it came off of the truck.

DGW

I'm with DGW on this but my old beam unit has no use in my firearms.....

 

[Fox Mike]

Worked in aviation for many years. Torque specs are gospel. Worked on autos and other engines and German torque (gut un tite) is fine in some places, engine torque specs I always follow.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Clickers are more accurate than beams. I have two electrics (1/2" Snap-On that does angle and 250 lb/ft and a 3/8" GearWrench that only does TQ) and one clicker (light duty 3/8" GearWrench). They all need sent in to be calibrated ever so often. Something I have never done.

 

[jimbo1096]

I don’t know how many I own. I know I’ve got some in foot pounds and inch pounds. Ha ha
Whenever I need one I can’t find it so I just end up buying another one. They’re probably all in there hiding in the corner laughing at me.
I prefer a clicker over a dial or a beam. That way I can use it to torque down a bolt without having to look at it.

 

[krw]

I don’t know how many I own. I know I’ve got some in foot pounds and foot inches. Whenever I need one I can’t find it so I just end up buying another one. They’re probably all in there hiding in the corner laughing at me.
I prefer a clicker over a dial or a beam. That way I can use it to torque down a bolt without having to look at it.

How bout foot lbs and inch lbs

 

[krw]

In my Sawmilling days, I had a Vollmer grinder that face ground and top ground the carbide tooth. It was an awesome grinder BUT when you worked on it you went strictly by the spec sheet on torque settings. I learned that the hard way!!

 

[Jim Walsh]

If there are torque specs I always follow them, especially when mounting a scope. Spent my career at a jet engine manufacturer and I learned the value of torque specifications in my teens.

 

[TheTexasRAT]

Having had both over the years I prefer the clickers. Way easier to read. With the needle ones one has to be a contortionist, or get a second person, to read them at higher torque ratings.

 

[Jeepnik]

And the next thread will be either how do I remove the bolt I snapped off or how do I get the bolt loose that I overtightened. Remember fasteners stretch, rotors warp, and sometime things are meant to move some. Then again, I'm one of those guys that torques lug nuts.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Both? I guess y'all have never used an electric one. Those who say you torque everything obviously haven't worked flat rate for warranty time. Yes, there are torque specs for Phillips, Torx, and hex screws that hold plastic interior trim and 100% of techs ignore them.

 

[Mobuck]

I've used both but not enough to have a firm opinion. Both work and sometimes either can be 'fooled'. I was watching a mechanic(?) tightening the rod and main bearing caps on an engine he was rebuilding. When I tried to explain the difference between 'jerk torque' and steady pull torque, he got a bit upset.

 

[coachk64]

When you have multiple people doing assembly on the same type of equipment, and you are constantly getting calls from the field complaining about fasteners being either too loose or too tight, you quickly learn the value of putting torque specs on the important parts. For a lot of years we used the term "tight enough", but with the current available workforce you have to give them a specific setting, and the proper tools to get that setting. We currently use the Milwaukee electronic torque wrenches, and I think they're the easiest I've ever used. Slow down when it starts beeping, stop when the beep becomes continuous. And we do send them in once a year for calibration.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Whenever I need one I can’t find it so I just end up buying another one.

That's why I have so darn many tape measures.

 

[Fox Mike]

Then again, I'm one of those guys that torques lug nuts.

So do I. Now I know that I am not the only 'crazy' person, as I have been told. Generally 85 ft/lbs works.

 

[BoggusDeal]

Both? I guess y'all have never used an electric one. Those who say you torque everything obviously haven't worked flat rate for warranty time. Yes, there are torque specs for Phillips, Torx, and hex screws that hold plastic interior trim and 100% of techs ignore them.

Lots of things I don’t torque. Like the screws and stuff you mentioned. The seat bracket on my Ford tractor? Not likely. The headbolts, yes. The lug nuts on the aluminum wheels on my trailer? Yep.

 

[eveled]

When you have multiple people doing assembly.

For a lot of years we used the term "tight enough", but with the current available workforce you have to give them a specific setting, and the proper tools to get that setting.

Many do not understand the length of the wrench they are using effects the perceived tightness.

Somehow we learned to balance the size of the fastener, the material of the fastener, the sized of the tool being used, and made a calculated guess how tight is tight.

I never used torque wrenches until I tried teaching my sons to work on stuff. Then I realized how valuable they are.

 

[Johnnu2]

I still have the beam wrench I bought as a yewt in the 60's. Can't see the numbers anymore. Gave my clicker to a younger family member when I started "lightening" the load, Anyone remember having to re-torque the head bolts on a Chevy after "500 miles"?.... in the OLD days.

J.

 

[RoninPA]

I wasn't going to chime in but I will because of my background. Those who use torque wrenches, do you really know what torque you are applying? If you have never had your torque wrench calibrated then I dare say you do not. Any precision instrument (yes a torque wrench is a precision instrument) should be calibrated preiodically to insure it is doing what it says it's doing. You are stressing the workings of the wrench which will, over time, change the instrument and the settings won't be accurate.

I can safely talk about this because my background is metrology. For 26 years in the USAF I worked in, ran and built metrology laboratories on USAF bases (even built 2 for the Egyptian AF when the US sold them F-16's). The USAF called them the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) and later changed it to the Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) Laboratory. The lab was the holder of all the reference standards on base with a direct line, (one step removed) to the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) which is now called the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Our workcenter calibrated and repaired any/all equipment on base (including the base hospital) that was used to test, measure, and repair equipment and aircraft. All of the test equipment was checked, adjusted (if needed) and certified on a set schedule to insure its reliability. This even included testing the tire gauges that were used to check the pressure of the aircraft tires. Yes, we calibrated (and adjusted if needed) all the torque wrenches on base as well as the micrometers, vernier calipers, and other physical measuring equipment.

So if you do use torque wrenches to do critical work, where it might mean your safety, you should get them calibrated periodically. Oh, and I really wouldn't use them to remove nuts and bolts, or as a hammer, or anything else

And yes I do have torque wrenches that I calibrate myself (I have what is needed to do the job).

 

[DGW1949]

I've used both but not enough to have a firm opinion. Both work and sometimes either can be 'fooled'. I was watching a mechanic(?) tightening the rod and main bearing caps on an engine he was rebuilding. When I tried to explain the difference between 'jerk torque' and steady pull torque, he got a bit upset.

You are absolutely correct..."Proper use" means everything....Jerking the tool, erratic movements, using socket extensions, no or improper fastener lubrication, holding the wrench wrong, all those things can throw readings off.

DGW

 

[BoggusDeal]

And the next thread will be either how do I remove the bolt I snapped off or how do I get the bolt loose that I overtightened. Remember fasteners stretch, rotors warp, and sometime things are meant to move some. Then again, I'm one of those guys that torques lug nuts.

What’s even worse is when they try to get it out, break a drill bit, easy out or tap off in it. Then bring it to the shop to get it out..
I ran an automotive machine shop for about ten years. I had a price to get out broke bolts and a different price to get out other stuff…