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150ft pounds back killer

Kaizen

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Continuing my lift install. Have to torque the 3/4 inch anchors. Thought it would be like rowing and use lats but it’s so low my lower back was doing most of the work and I’m sure I will be hurting tomorrow. Only got four done. Any tips? Use legs to push seems one option but can’t stop sliding. Is a pipe ok on torque wrench? If it’s only on the handle where I hold it should not change torque right? This would not be too bad if it were chest high and I cold brace both feet


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rburke65

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I had to slide a piece of 1 1/2” pvc pipe over the handle of my torque wrench. It’s all leverage. Good luck.
 

PoorOwner

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You would think 120 vs 150 for this wouldn't make too much of a difference.

Legs will be easiest (even with 1 leg) brace yourself next to the car bumper or something.

Assuming around 2 feet for the torque wrench you just need to push 75 lbs
 

cvairwerks

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Body position is the problem you are having. Add a couple of extensions and a reaction brace to get the torqure wrench up higher and your body in a more upright position.
We used to have some torques in the several hundred lb/ft range and if you were out of position, all you did was move your body and not the wrench.
 

nh_yota

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How much do you need to torque them? The front axle nuts on my Tacoma need 173 ft/lbs and I have no problem tightening them down with my 1/2" Husky torque wrench. Maybe you should kneel on a rubber mat and push the wrench rather than pulling it.
 
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Kaizen

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How much do you need to torque them? The front axle nuts on my Tacoma need 173 ft/lbs and I have no problem tightening them down with my 1/2" Husky torque wrench. Maybe you should kneel on a rubber mat and push the wrench rather than pulling it.



In your case you can push down using gravity and body weight. My issue is the wrench is traveling six inches from the floor so hard to get under it so to speak. Need 150 pounds. Not hard till that last 30. Even if it was chest high my back could do it. I will probably use all the suggestions listed. Just got that torque wrench. Like the lifetime warranty.


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LXCam

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How far is it to the nearest wall. Go buy a length of 2x4 that you can position against something solid then you can prop your foot against it.
 

cadunkle

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So basically we're tightening big block head bolts that are at ground level... Use an extension to get it a bit off the floor. I wouldn't expect this to be a big deal.
 

Catch_22

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I had to slide a piece of 1 1/2” pvc pipe over the handle of my torque wrench. It’s all leverage. Good luck.

My understanding about torque wrenches is this will not give an accurate reading as the wrench is calibrated to (typically) the center of the grip.

However (despite what my ASE cert buddies say) you can use extensions and this wont alter the reading as long as you keep the angles at 90 (no wobbles).

If I'm wrong, Id love to hear the counter argument.
 

Catch_22

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If im envisioning what you are doing right, what about parking a car off the side ratchet strap off the wheel, frame, etc or something low and pull it that way? Just ensure the strap is centered on the handle.
You could also use this to "hold" the wrench at say 100fp so you can rest before giving it the final tug.

but can’t stop sliding

Or just park the car and put your back on the wheel to make a "wall"
 

cvairwerks

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Extension along the axis of rotation does not change the torque value until you get into enough length that windup has to be taken into account. Displacement from the axis of rotation, once you exceed a certain distance, does change the torque value enough that you have to compensate.
 

rlitman

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My understanding about torque wrenches is this will not give an accurate reading as the wrench is calibrated to (typically) the center of the grip.

However (despite what my ASE cert buddies say) you can use extensions and this wont alter the reading as long as you keep the angles at 90 (no wobbles).

If I'm wrong, Id love to hear the counter argument.

That depends on the construction of the torque wrench.

It sounds to me like either the OP's using a torque wrench near the upper end of the range where things can indeed get hard to pull, or he's just got to find a better position for leverage. In my case, I'd just reach for a bigger torque wrench.
 

SickSpeedMonte

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Extension along the axis of rotation does not change the torque value until you get into enough length that windup has to be taken into account. Displacement from the axis of rotation, once you exceed a certain distance, does change the torque value enough that you have to compensate.

Even with a bunch of wind-up, torque at the top is the same as torque at the bottom.
 
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Kaizen

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If im envisioning what you are doing right, what about parking a car off the side ratchet strap off the wheel, frame, etc or something low and pull it that way? Just ensure the strap is centered on the handle.
You could also use this to "hold" the wrench at say 100fp so you can rest before giving it the final tug.



Or just park the car and put your back on the wheel to make a "wall"


Yea I think I will bring the truck in so I can use the tires as leverage. Was avoiding it as I moved everything out of the way in case I dropped one of these towers (installed solo). And of course it’s in front of the door.


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Kaizen

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My understanding about torque wrenches is this will not give an accurate reading as the wrench is calibrated to (typically) the center of the grip.



However (despite what my ASE cert buddies say) you can use extensions and this wont alter the reading as long as you keep the angles at 90 (no wobbles).



If I'm wrong, Id love to hear the counter argument.[/

That is my understanding as well. Of course I thought of using extensions to get it up off the ground but I’m pulling with both hands so no way to balance the socket end that I can think of.


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Kaizen

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So basically we're tightening big block head bolts that are at ground level... Use an extension to get it a bit off the floor. I wouldn't expect this to be a big deal.



Guess I’m a *****. I’m using two hands to move the wrench. How do I hold the extensions on or keep them from tilting?
Also I’m up at 150 while heads are what 65? Much harder with this size and torque.


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Kaizen

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How far is it to the nearest wall. Go buy a length of 2x4 that you can position against something solid then you can prop your foot against it.



Excellent idea. I’m 12 feet from anything but that will brace my feet if I don’t get the truck in


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tomtomgt356

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Assuming you are using a clicker type torque wrench, put a pipe over the handle. You need 150 ftlb of torque on the bolt. If you hold the wrench 1' from the head, you would need 150 lbs of force. If you hold the wrench 2' from the head, you would need 75 lbs of force. If you hold the wrench 4' from the head (via a pipe over the handle), you would need 37.5 lbs of force. The torque at the bolt will be the same in each scenario and the wrench will still click when it reaches 150 ftlbs. You could do the same with a beam wrench, but it might be harder to read.
 

sreeb

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Yes but didn’t think you were supposed to use an impact on concrete anchors?

And you are right. Don't do anything that may damage the holes and prevent the anchors from seating correctly.
 

RKA

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It's more difficult if you're doing this solo. I steadied the head of the wrench to keep it directly over the bolt head while my buddy applied torque to the other end of the 3ft steel pipe. If you're working solo, put one hand over the ratchet head and the other applying force. You can generate a lot more pulling or pushing force if that elbow is close to your body. So the max distance you'll realistically be able to apply the force is 3 ft from the wrench head. You should be able to do it as long as your body or legs are braced against something.
 

farmall400

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I did this about a month and a half ago. If I remember correctly I sat on floor and held the column of lift with one hand and pulled the torque wrench with the other. It was no walk in the park. I weigh about 165. This was with a click type snap on torque wrench.
 

audioworks04

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I do large scale commercial concrete and use 1/2 and 3/4in impacts and have installed thousands of 3/4in anchors that hold braces and pick points on 50tn concrete panels. You are likely using expansion style anchors, so if they fail due to the impact your hole or concrete is the fail point. Rattle it down and check it if you feel necessary with a large breaker bar with a pvc cheater like was recommended by others.


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bad_idea

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https://www.workshopaddict.com/tools/torque-wrench-extension-increase-measurable-torque/

I had to torque some nuts on my jeep to 225 ft-lbs. My torque wrench only goes to 150. I did the math, found an extension 12" long dropped the torque value my wrench reads into the range of the wrench. Take a 1/2" drive extension and a piece of heavy flat bar and make you an extension. You can drop the torque you apply down around 50 ft-lbs if you make the extension long enough.

In the video they punched square holes in the flat bar. I just cut an extension in half and welded each half to the ends of the flat bar. Mine is only good for that % of increase. I'll cut the thing apart and weld in an extension (or shorten it) if I need to for another project.
 
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sreeb

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I do large scale commercial concrete and use 1/2 and 3/4in impacts and have installed thousands of 3/4in anchors that hold braces and pick points on 50tn concrete panels. You are likely using expansion style anchors, so if they fail due to the impact your hole or concrete is the fail point. Rattle it down and check it if you feel necessary with a large breaker bar with a pvc cheater like was recommended by others.l

Concrete and QA on those panels may be a lot better than OPs garage floor.
 

bad_idea

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BTW.... PVC?! No one has a chunk of steel pipe for a cheater bar? I sourced a piece of steel pipe 3' long that slides over my breaker bar JUST for that. It leans in the corner waiting for me to break sh!t loose. Wouldn't put a cheater bar on a torque wrench. Seems sacrilege.
 

sreeb

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How long is your torque wrench? Some are longer than others.

I remember putting my feet on the column/carriage and using both hands on the wrench. My lift was only looking for 130.
 
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Kaizen

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I do large scale commercial concrete and use 1/2 and 3/4in impacts and have installed thousands of 3/4in anchors that hold braces and pick points on 50tn concrete panels. You are likely using expansion style anchors, so if they fail due to the impact your hole or concrete is the fail point. Rattle it down and check it if you feel necessary with a large breaker bar with a pvc cheater like was recommended by others.


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At this point I’d rather not take the chance. Breaking one of these will **** and cause a lot of extra work. Can’t imagine to torque you have to get up to for something that big


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audioworks04

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At this point I’d rather not take the chance. Breaking one of these will **** and cause a lot of extra work. Can’t imagine to torque you have to get up to for something that big


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It’s not really about torque as these styles of threaded anchors are locking in that they will not back themselves back out of the hole, unlike an expansion anchor where the nut can loosen over time.


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audioworks04

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BTW.... PVC?! No one has a chunk of steel pipe for a cheater bar? I sourced a piece of steel pipe 3' long that slides over my breaker bar JUST for that. It leans in the corner waiting for me to break sh!t loose. Wouldn't put a cheater bar on a torque wrench. Seems sacrilege.



Bust most people don’t want to throw a steel pipe over their torque wrench where typically the bottom of the handle is your adjustment and has plastic parts.


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greg13

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If im envisioning what you are doing right, what about parking a car off the side ratchet strap off the wheel, frame, etc or something low and pull it that way? Just ensure the strap is centered on the handle.
You could also use this to "hold" the wrench at say 100fp so you can rest before giving it the final tug.



Or just park the car and put your back on the wheel to make a "wall"

Have you ever used a torque stick? They are designed to twist at a desired torque rather than continue torquing the socket. A regular extension will do the same thing you just have no idea what the Max. torque is before it starts twisting.
 
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