Torqometer TQ-300-L

[seanb02]

I'm not sure whether this belongs in here or over in the vintage tools section...

This is a Snap-on Torqometer TQ-300-L. Searching Google came up with nothing for that part number. What would be a fair price to pay for it? I'm feeling $200, but could be way off on that number. I want to give the guy fair market value for it, but have no clue what fair is and he doesn't seem to know either. What year even is this thing?

Truth is, I don't even have an immediate use for it. About the only thing that comes to mind would be using it for setting pinion bearing pre-load on something big like a loader. But I feel that if I pass it up, I will come to regret it in the future, better to have a tool and not need it rather than not have a tool and suddenly have a need for it and not have one immediately available. Thoughts on this? Thanks

 

[bob15]

Contact Snap On to confirm they can repair that torque wrench if it is out of spec. Looking at the age of it there is a good chance that they will not have the parts and it will be rendered into a 200 dollar paper weight.

 

[seanb02]

Contact Snap On to confirm they can repair that torque wrench if it is out of spec. Looking at the age of it there is a good chance that they will not have the parts and it will be rendered into a 200 dollar paper weight.

Good point. I’ll talk to my dealer tomorrow about it and see what he can find out on it.

 

[bob15]

Good point. I’ll talk to my dealer tomorrow about it and see what he can find out on it.

You can ask him, but if he says that will fix it or replace it, no problem; be leery. I would personally contact Snap On and pose the question to them. I've seen where they won't replace the torque wrench and it cannot be calibrated due to its age.

 

[J.A.F.E.]

It shows up in the Snap-on 58-67 catalogs. 200 is high in my mind but I paid 40 for a TQ352BL which is a similar vintage and the same body just a little different range than the 300.

Page from the Collecting Snap-on site showing the page from the 58 catalog.

http://collectingsnapon.com/catalogs/catalogs.php?loggedin=0&catalogPage=1559

 

[seanb02]

You can ask him, but if he says that will fix it or replace it, no problem; be leery. I would personally contact Snap On and pose the question to them. I've seen where they won't replace the torque wrench and it cannot be calibrated due to its age.

Doesn't look like parts or calibration services are available for this model anymore. Essentially makes it useless to me, as I would prefer to have the calibration checked before using. Also if I drop it on the dial or something like that it can't be fixed.

 

[seanb02]

It shows up in the Snap-on 58-67 catalogs. 200 is high in my mind but I paid 40 for a TQ352BL which is a similar vintage and the same body just a little different range than the 300.

Page from the Collecting Snap-on site showing the page from the 58 catalog.

http://collectingsnapon.com/catalogs/catalogs.php?loggedin=0&catalogPage=1559

That's a neat website you linked, didn't know that the old catalogues were posted online. Also $200 is now very high in my mind and not anywhere close to the amount I would be willing to pay for it since I purchase tools to use rather than look at. I might be willing to pay $50 because it is a cool conversation or display piece, but somehow I think the guy would rather just keep it if that is all he can get out of it.

Would have to find the right collector who is interested in it. The guy originally brought it to me to see if I could find a dollar value for it and possibly a buyer, and I was immediately interested because I thought it would be useful. But without being able to have calibrated it becomes a collector kind of thing, and I'm not having any success finding a way to put a price on something like that or a market for it since I don't really follow vintage tools.

 

[greg13]

Here is the year code chart, there should be a mark somewhere on the tool.

https://www.pitt.edu/~blair1/images/snapon2.jpg

 

[B_Bimmer]

Very accurate tool. Test it against a beam wrench, it'll probably be fine. Personally I would not pay near $200. $50 I'd consider.

 

[mikegt4]

I would like to have a Torqometer, casually looking at them on CL and ebay for a while, they always seem to go for big $ or at least far more than I will spend.

I use to use them at work to set up rotary knives on an assembly line to cut disposable diaper material webs. There was a ft-lbs spec for "break over" torque as the knife rotates. Too little and the knife won't cut, too much and the knife wears out quickly. They worked in reverse as well recording how much torque a nut or bolt was torqued to.

 

[greg13]

Contact Snap On to confirm they can repair that torque wrench if it is out of spec. Looking at the age of it there is a good chance that they will not have the parts and it will be rendered into a 200 dollar paper weight.

Many tool trucks have torque meters to check wrenches. I have 2 antique meters, one from the 40's one from the 60's and they both checked fairly accurately. They are more for show than work.