1/4" "Hex" drive torque wrench?

[manwithtools]

I've done a bit of Googling and I've only found one apparently quality adjustable 1/4" "hex" drive torque wrench.

This seems odd to me. We are in the electrical industry and torque a number of different fastener types too a variety of torque values. Our faster types range from straight blade, hex, torx, Phillips, pozidrive, square, etc.

With the number of 1/4" hex drive bits on the market it seems strange to me that more manufacturers don't offer 1/4" female hex drive torque wrenches.
I realize that I can adapt from 1/4" hex to 1/4" square, but why should we have to do that given the variety of 1/4" hex bits I / we have on hand?

This is the one I found https://www.norbar.com/en-gb/products/view/product/categoryname/professional-model-5/rangename/model-5-adjustable/pname/model-5-n-m-scale/category_multid/56/range_multid/9/id/1101

Doesn't look like it's readily available in the US. Does anyone know of any other options for an adjustable version with certification?

 

[bob15]

Not sure the range you are going for, but torque screwdrivers are 1/4 female hex.

 

[manwithtools]

Not sure the range you are going for, but torque screwdrivers are 1/4 female hex.

Roger that, we've got plenty of 1/4" torque screwdrivers, they get just a bit difficult to operate over 20 inch/pounds or so from an ergonomic prospective. I would ideally like to go from 20 - 100 in/lbs, 10 - 50 is probably okay as well, just not optimum.

 

[ryan20021982]

Why not use a hex adapter on a standard 1/4" drive torque wrench?

http://store.apextoolgroup.com/hand-tools/screwdrivers-and-nutdrivers/gearwrench-890002gd-1-4-hex-shank-bit-adapter-hex-bit-adapter.html

 

[scissorman]

20 in/lbs. is barely over 1.5 ft/lbs. Must me some pretty damn weak people if you can't manage 1.5 ft/lbs. I can usually easily tighten close to 20 ft/lbs or more with a screwdriver.

Have you checked Snap-on yet to see if they offer anything? I'd be surprised if they didn't.

 

[CarsonConcepts]

Could possibly look into who makes both 1/4" sq. drive torque wrenches and 1/4" female bit ratchets and see if the head internals could be swapped.

 

[manwithtools]

20 in/lbs. is barely over 1.5 ft/lbs. Must me some pretty damn weak people if you can't manage 1.5 ft/lbs. I can usually easily tighten close to 20 ft/lbs or more with a screwdriver.

Have you checked Snap-on yet to see if they offer anything? I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Have you torqued 500 or more of those connections in an hour or so? I can torque to that value as well with a screwdriver as can most all of my techs. It gets a little challenging for the QC guy who checks every termination from 20 - 100 In/lbs.

I won't buy Snap-On on principal (I own a lot of their tools and it's a long story that I'm not going to recite).

 

[manwithtools]

Why not use a hex adapter on a standard 1/4" drive torque wrench?

http://store.apextoolgroup.com/hand-tools/screwdrivers-and-nutdrivers/gearwrench-890002gd-1-4-hex-shank-bit-adapter-hex-bit-adapter.html

From my post:

"I realize that I can adapt from 1/4" hex to 1/4" square, but why should we have to do that given the variety of 1/4" hex bits I / we have on hand?"

Thanks just the same....

Sorry, I'm not feeling well and my lack of empathy is showing....

 

[manwithtools]

Could possibly look into who makes both 1/4" sq. drive torque wrenches and 1/4" female bit ratchets and see if the head internals could be swapped.

Interesting thought, I'll look into that. Does it not make sense that there should be other alternatives?

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Is electric torque screwdrivers out of the question?

 

[manwithtools]

Is electric torque screwdrivers out of the question?

No, not as long as they have a calibration certificate and can be re-calibrated. I'm a UL 508A shop and have to show proof of calibration on a regular basis.

 

[pescados666]

http://www.effettomariposa.eu/en/products/giustaforza-ii-2-16-pro-deluxe/ Here's one to get the ball rolling.

 

[bob15]

These places cater to industries. You might want to swallow your anti-snappy pride and contact CDI as well.

http://www.clecotools.com/tools/pneumatic-assembly-tools

http://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/brands/stanley-assembly-technologies

 

[manwithtools]

http://www.effettomariposa.eu/en/products/giustaforza-ii-2-16-pro-deluxe/ Here's one to get the ball rolling.

Needs to be a +/- tolerance of 3% for my needs. These are close, but not close enough.

 

[manwithtools]

These places cater to industries. You might want to swallow your anti-snappy pride and contact CDI as well.

http://www.clecotools.com/tools/pneumatic-assembly-tools

http://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/brands/stanley-assembly-technologies

No anti-whatever pride here. Just know the value of my money and exercise my choice of who I share it with

I do plenty of automated torquing with feedback to PLC's and computers. That's not what I'm looking for here. No robots or automated machines are involved in this process, just good old people dealing with highly varied applications. With that explanation I emphasize "highly varied".

I know of at least 6 other companies that offer automated torque equipment that I can integrate into our automation equipment. This is different, it's strictly manual operation in electrical control cabinet construction.

 

[ryan20021982]

From my post:

"I realize that I can adapt from 1/4" hex to 1/4" square, but why should we have to do that given the variety of 1/4" hex bits I / we have on hand?"

Thanks just the same....

Sorry, I'm not feeling well and my lack of empathy is showing....

Ok so you solved the problem before you asked the question, got it.

 

[scissorman]

Have you torqued 500 or more of those connections in an hour or so? I can torque to that value as well with a screwdriver as can most all of my techs. It gets a little challenging for the QC guy who checks every termination from 20 - 100 In/lbs.

I won't buy Snap-On on principal (I own a lot of their tools and it's a long story that I'm not going to recite).

You never mentioned how many times a day or hour you would be doing this. I wouldn't want to do it that often either. I understand that Snap-on stuff isn't cheap but then again you're usually paying for quality. I did check into it though and the only option they offer is this https://store.snapon.com/Torque-Scr...40-in-lb-56-ndash-451-N-bull-cm--P641668.aspx and with your most recent requirements is out of the question for you as it's only +/- 6% between 20-100% of scale.

 

[manwithtools]

Ok so you solved the problem before you asked the question, got it.

Yes, you're correct. I was asking the question in an existential sort of way. I know there are other solutions to my question, it just makes more sense to have a singular simple solution. Think of all the other items in the tool world that solve problems we don't even realize exist?

This seems like a real issue that some tool manufacturer would have solved. I'm looking for a streamlined solution for my shop personnel.

Once again, I apologize for my short response. Flu like symptoms are kicking my ****.

 

[Vvmvbb]

Is electric torque screwdrivers out of the question?

+1
Seems unusual to do electronic assy any other way at your volumes.

 

[manwithtools]

Sorry everyone for my quick unfiltered responses - truly not feeling well. Going to bed soon. third day in a row with an expected 12 plus hours of sleep. Just feel like ****.

 

[Kirbot]

How about permanently pinning a hex adapter on a 1/4" torque wrench?

Something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DYKIH4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[ryan20021982]

Ok still not the exact thing you want but how about a screwdriver that you can insert a ratchet or t handle in the handle when needed? This is just the first one I found, there must be more with this option.

https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-CP21075-Certified-Screwdriver/dp/B00VPPJWLW

 

[toolenthusiast]

Is there anything preventing you from leaving a 6-point 1/4" socket on a 1/4" square drive torque wrench and just rolling with that?

 

[manwithtools]

+1
Seems unusual to do electronic assy any other way at your volumes.

I'll try to explain a little bit more. We build large electrical enclosures at times - think 90" high by 160- 240" wide by 24" deep. There might be upwards of 2000 individual screw clamp terminations in each one of these. By UL requirements, each termination has a torque requirement that must be met and verified, I affix a UL label certifying that we verified each individual termination to the torque required. It varies widely depending on wire gauge and termination type.

These are not assemblies built on a bench or assembly line, they are custom assemblies inside of large metal enclosures. This is what necessitates a person with a tool checking on each termination point. It's laborious and anything I can do to hasten the change over between faster types is a money saver.

I hope that helps make more sense of this post.

 

[manwithtools]

Ok still not the exact thing you want but how about a screwdriver that you can insert a ratchet or t handle in the handle when needed? This is just the first one I found, there must be more with this option.

https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-CP21075-Certified-Screwdriver/dp/B00VPPJWLW

Ryan,
That's getting towards what I'm looking for. The additional leverage is a game changer when there are hundreds of terminations to torque.

Thank you for exceeding my Google-fu....

I'll order one of those tomorrow to check out.

 

[WittHay]

Maybe I am not understanding the question, but there is a variety of screwdriver bit sockets available that you can attach to any 1/4" torque wrench. You need some hand clearance anyways

 

[manwithtools]

How about permanently pinning a hex adapter on a 1/4" torque wrench?

Something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DYKIH4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I looked at that earlier today. I ended up buying 6 of this one instead:http://www.sears.com/gedore-620-bit-adaptor-1-4inch-1-4inch-tools/p-SPM10584382920

 

[manwithtools]

Maybe I am not understanding the question, but there is a variety of screwdriver bit sockets available that you can attach to any 1/4" torque wrench. You need some hand clearance anyways

Frequently the bit's need to reach deep into the termination points of devices. We usually use driver bits that are at least 3" - 4 inches long. A tool like you reference wont work - even with a square drive extension. There is not enough room to allow their use. This is exactly why I want a hex drive that will quickly change to another hex drive bit.

 

[manwithtools]

snap-on electronic will work.

So will any number of others, they just don't directly accept hex bits. unless you know something others don't.

 

[WittHay]

There is Belknap Tools which can custom build torque wrenches

https://www.belknaptools.com/

 

[manwithtools]

I saw the Belknap yesterday while searching. It looks like it's not very friendly to adjust torques back and forth like we tend to do at the shop. Otherwise it's interesting.

 

[Dave455]

Have you considered Torquleader? They are British made so may not be well known in the USA but offer a huge range, are very high quality and specialise in torque screwdrivers.

Now, I know the one shown isn't a female hex, but they do offer those and this is all I have to hand. As you can see, you can use them as a driver, or insert a sliding T or breaker bar as you wish!

Alternatively, if they don't offer the exact style you need (they make loads of different variations) I know they will offer custom models at little extra cost!

 

[T45]

This thread is off the rails for a couple of reasons...

1)--most torque screwdrivers are +/- 6%, including snap-on, pb-swiss, wiha etc.
2)--the problems is easily solved with a standard snap-on tool off the shelf QDR1
2a) --as f80 1/4 drive can be converted from square (male) to hex (female) drive
3)--hazet and stahlwille make this tool (via modular heads), 6000 series and 730N



OP needs to stop being a special snowflake...

 

[pi_guy]

This thread is off the rails for a couple of reasons...

1)--most torque screwdrivers are +/- 6%, including snap-on, pb-swiss, wiha etc.
2)--the problems is easily solved with a standard snap-on tool off the shelf QDR1
2a) --as f80 1/4 drive can be converted from square (male) to hex (female) drive
3)--hazet and stahlwille make this tool (via modular heads), 6000 series and 730N



OP needs to stop being a special snowflake...

The OP is looking for a miracle money and time saver.
And it always makes it interesting when the OP has a personal problem with a supplier.
I would hire more QC personal and configure a torque wrench for each fastener type and depth needed changing over tooling is a time waster.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

We use a variety of these wrenches at work: http://www.mountztorque.com/products/torque-wrenches/break-over-wrenches

1/4" hex drive, but its a preset torque. Looks like this:

Call them up, they probably have something that'll work.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

or a torque screwdriver: http://www.mountztorque.com/products/torque-screwdrivers/adjustable-screwdrivers

 

[gigamel]

I have this Stahlwille 730/2 - compact and super fast to adjust torque

Together with bitsholder 736

You can get ratchet bitsholder 725b

Alternative wrenches 730N/2

Or 714R/1

 

[gigamel]

Tohnichi CL5NX8D-MH

Bitsholder HH8D

 

[manwithtools]

The OP is looking for a miracle money and time saver.
And it always makes it interesting when the OP has a personal problem with a supplier.
I would hire more QC personal and configure a torque wrench for each fastener type and depth needed changing over tooling is a time waster.

This thread is off the rails for a couple of reasons...

1)--most torque screwdrivers are +/- 6%, including snap-on, pb-swiss, wiha etc.
2)--the problems is easily solved with a standard snap-on tool off the shelf QDR1
2a) --as f80 1/4 drive can be converted from square (male) to hex (female) drive
3)--hazet and stahlwille make this tool (via modular heads), 6000 series and 730N


OP needs to stop being a special snowflake...

Thanks for the helpful suggestions - it's amazing how condescending folks can be when their opinion is the only one they think matters. As for me being a snowflake, really, over a comment about a desire for certain tool configuration?

Hire more people? That's an interesting yet fiscally impossible approach. I see you understand my entire operation and can optimize it through the wonders of the inter-web - you guy's crack me up.

I can't get over how upset people get because I mentioned I'm not going to spend my money with SO. I simply chose not to, I don't need a primer on why I should.

In case it's not clear to the reading challenged among us; I'm not looking for the impossible and I've already solved my problem by using 1/4" square to 1/4" hex adapters. I'm simply pointing out the fact that it's odd that a tool of this type is not readily available from many manufacturers commonly offered in the US.

It seems from other posts that are more helpful that a number of solutions exist in EU and UK offerings, thanks to those that posted those helpful references, I'll look into it for the future. It must be those companies see a need for such a tool configuration - without needing to order a rebuild kit for a ratchet to get what you want.

 

[gigamel]

Polar 7614