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Old 11-13-2011, 06:30 PM   #1
cam fan

 
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torque wrenched enough?

I bought this great new 1/2" torque wrench at a steal from Sears online for $35 to tighten my wheels after painting the calipers.

the torque wrench:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...3&blockType=G3

I never have done this before but I HAVE made the mistake of thinking my hand strength (and jumping on the tire iron) was enough...I lost some lug nuts on the hway that time.

When I used the torque wrench THIS TIME after a hand tightening at 140 foot lbs - it didnt go very far before it clicked (idk about 30 degrees of push on the handle or less)

Am I doing it wrong? I don't want to risk losing my wheels on the road

ty!

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Old 11-13-2011, 06:51 PM   #2
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From my experience, the final torque on wheel bolts is surprisingly light. I think you'll be Ok. Check them again after 50-100 miles to be sure.
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Old 11-13-2011, 06:51 PM   #3
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If the torque wrench is set at 140 ft lbs, and it clicks, you're fastener is tightened to 140 ft lbs, give or take how acurate the torque wrench is.

Think of it like this, if you put 140 lbs on the end of a one foot long bar, you are exerting 140 ft lbs of torque. The longer the bar, the less weight or pressure you need to exert to get the same torque.

I am guessing the handle on your torque wrench is 1 1/2 to 2 feet long, do the math, you don't really need to push that hard huh?
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Old 11-13-2011, 06:56 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by techinny View Post
If the torque wrench is set at 140 ft lbs, and it clicks, you're fastener is tightened to 140 ft lbs, give or take how acurate the torque wrench is.

Think of it like this, if you put 140 lbs on the end of a one foot long bar, you are exerting 140 ft lbs of torque. The longer the bar, the less weight or pressure you need to exert to get the same torque.

I am guessing the handle on your torque wrench is 1 1/2 to 2 feet long, do the math, you don't really need to push that hard huh?
This. My torque wrench is about 2 feet long. It takes almost nothing to get the lug nuts to 140.
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Old 11-13-2011, 11:34 PM   #5
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cam fan......since this your first torque wrench......just remember, after you have used it and are ready to piut it away, release all the tension, by returning the setting to zero.
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Old 11-14-2011, 06:52 AM   #6
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Price went up. How did you get it for $35. Was it a one day sale or something?
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Old 11-14-2011, 08:47 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Nuke View Post
cam fan......since this your first torque wrench......just remember, after you have used it and are ready to piut it away, release all the tension, by returning the setting to zero.
Thanks! I didn't know that Man this site is awesome


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Price went up. How did you get it for $35. Was it a one day sale or something?

wow that's crazy! $80? i had no idea. There was a $5 off sale from it's $40 price online but I always thought the listed "original price" was a marketing ploy to make the products look more valuable ...sorry man. Check KMart (a sister company) & they might have a sale soon too
+ don't forget to google coupon codes to get free shipping or other deals off stuff, holiday sales etc
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Old 11-14-2011, 09:39 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Nuke View Post
cam fan......since this your first torque wrench......just remember, after you have used it and are ready to piut it away, release all the tension, by returning the setting to zero.
I have a Craftsman that got out of calibration due to that very thing. I do not trust it anymore because it fails to click some times. You go right on past the proper load and never get the "click". Who is going to calibrate it for you?

After that I went to old school beam types that never need calibration, cost less and can be used to measure break-away dissasembly torque (can't do that with a clicker).

Clickers are "sexier" but they must be returned to zero after each use or you can't count on it.

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Old 11-14-2011, 09:42 AM   #9
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I have a Craftsman that got out of calibration due to that very thing. I do not trust it anymore because it fails to click some times. You go right on past the proper load and never get the "click". Who is going to calibrate it for you?

After that I went to old school beam types that never need calibration, cost less and can be used to measure break-away dissasembly torque (can't do that with a clicker).

Clickers are "sexier" but they must be returned to zero after each use or you can't count on it.

-Mark.
I just bought it yesterday and left it over night (17 hours) set at 140 lbs ... am I screwed?
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Old 11-14-2011, 10:03 AM   #10
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Quote:
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I just bought it yesterday and left it over night (17 hours) set at 140 lbs ... am I screwed?
You're fine. Constantly storing it with the tension on will eventually corrupt the calibration, but 17 hours is insignificant.

Also, if you think it's clicking too soon, it may be because you're accelerating the wrench too aggressively. A slow steady pull/push is what you want.
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Old 11-14-2011, 11:02 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingr69 View Post
I have a Craftsman that got out of calibration due to that very thing. I do not trust it anymore because it fails to click some times. You go right on past the proper load and never get the "click". Who is going to calibrate it for you?

After that I went to old school beam types that never need calibration, cost less and can be used to measure break-away dissasembly torque (can't do that with a clicker).

Clickers are "sexier" but they must be returned to zero after each use or you can't count on it.

-Mark.
I have a couple of split-beam torque wrenches from precision instruments (pic below). They work great, give you a nice positive click, don't lose their calibration like clickers (can store them set without any issues), will last forever and are 1/2 the price of snap on (company use to make them for snap on). If you're ever in the market for another torque wrench I'd look into them. The old school beam style is a good option if you're just using it for tires but it gets tricky if your doing other work and can't see the dial. But considering you only paid $35 for what you got you can't go wrong, nice buy.

PS. Try not to lend your clicker to anyone, odds are they'll forget to set it back to zero.


Last edited by Kabul SS; 11-14-2011 at 11:52 AM.
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Old 11-14-2011, 11:11 AM   #12
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that's a lot of useful information! sure beats the advice, "ah, just take it to the gas station & let 'em air gun the thing"

+ tis the season for my Blizzaks...meaning I will be using the torque wrench again in about 2 weeks when snow starts to come down here in NY

I usually don't get lucky when it comes to purchases & I appreciate the highlight you guys have made of this one!
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Old 11-24-2011, 08:13 PM   #13
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it's on sale again if you guys want it from sears.com
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Old 11-24-2011, 11:01 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stieger View Post
This. My torque wrench is about 2 feet long. It takes almost nothing to get the lug nuts to 140.
It takes 70 lbs...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Nuke View Post
cam fan......since this your first torque wrench......just remember, after you have used it and are ready to piut it away, release all the tension, by returning the setting to zero.
This...

Something else to think about is when using the torque wrench, do not bounce the handle... When applying the torque, use steady even pressure until it clicks.. Bouncing it will give false readings...

Off topic, but we have guys on my rig offshore that use 3/4" and 1" drive torque wrenchs, They use these for achieving 600 ft/lbs, and I've walked on the drill floor many times and seen two, 200 + lb guys bouncing on the end of a four foot long handle, and occasionally with a cheater pipe (illegal for use) and they wonder why they break... By doing the math, and a bit of Kentucky guessing... I figure they are often in the 3000 + ft lb range... and they always tell me... well it didn't click...
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