Time to Upgrade

[Higgins]

Well, its time to upgrade my torque wrenches.

It looks like i'll need to get least two as I need to cover the torque range of ~ 10 lbs to 120Lbs for newer cars.

Any comments or lessons learned would be appreciated!

AL

 

[vjquan]

What do you have now? I started with Cman clickers, then upgraded to CDI. Not real happy with the low tooth count and the stupid middle lock position, I jumped on over to Snappy.

 

[tarmy]

CDI

 

[Higgins]

What do you have now? I started with Cman clickers, then upgraded to CDI. Not real happy with the low tooth count and the stupid middle lock position, I jumped on over to Snappy.

Thanks!
I don't have any digital torque wrenches... The ones i have cross over 60 yrs.. or more.
My gut feelings I can get by only getting a 3/8 "and a 1/2" wrench!

Will look into CDI!

AL

 

[vjquan]

Mine are all micrometer style, no split beam or electronic. The CDI is a good value if you can get over their shortcomings. Here's a recent thread griping about CDI.

Problems with CDI torque wrenches

Is there a line of click style torque wrenches with a high tooth count and a decent working FWD/REV lever that won’t inadvertently flip from FWD to REV on me every time I slightly brush it up against almost anything? If you breathe on this thing the lever loosely flops over and it always happens...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[bigfunwmu]

Do you also need angle? Seems like more newer stuff is torque to some value plus turn another number of degrees.

 

[littlebean]

watching for tips

 

[Schurkey]

Look at the price lists at Angle Repair (West Virginia) or Team Torque (multiple locations) for testing/recalibrating click-type torque wrenches.

The electronic torque wrenches cost 2x the mechanical ones, or at least they did the last time I checked. I looked just now, Angle Repair has changed their pricing.

Torque Tool Repair & Calibration Prices | Angle Repair & Calibration

See our pricing for torque wrench repair, calibration, and certification. Transparent pricing and reliable service backed by over 47 years of experience.

anglerepair.com

I don't see the price list on the Team Torque web site. Used to be posted. Not now, unless I'm blind.

Team Torque Inc.

Team Torque provides repair and calibration services for torque wrenches, multipliers, testers, and more. Use our professional-quality services today!

www.teamtorque.com

I'm currently using decades-old Jo-Line (1975) and Mac Tools (mid-1990s) in 3/8" and 1/2" drive. All have tested good by Team Torque. When I need an angle-measurement, I just pop on the Lisle 28100 protractor. (I don't do a lot of torque-angle. Perhaps that's a factor.)

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-28100-Torque-Angle-Meter/dp/B0002STSW6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

If you buy from a long-established manufacturer, there's likely to be parts support years from now. Buying a cheap import means that if/when something goes wrong, you now own scrap-metal.

 

[Steve_P]

Most of mine are CDI clickers. I'm not a huge HF fan, but if I was buying today, I'd go with Icon - they have 90T flex heads, and I also have two of those. My CDIs are totally fine, but the ~30T heads can sometimes be an issue. If you're not in a rush, wait for a sale or coupon on the Icon.

 

[drmarkr]

Our most recent addition was a Quinn 20-100 digital. This thing is pretty damn nice, although I went in to buy the Icon (on sale) and it was out of stock. No regrets on buying this thing at this point (about 3 months of use).

We also have an Icon 100-250 click model, used it for several years and it's very nice.

 

[Notgrownup]

Icon for the win.

 

[AC-WC]

Tekton-hard to beat at $40 from my local Rural King. 1/2" 10-150 lbs. The 3/8" is same price.
If your budget is really tight the HF Pittsburgh is unbeatable. Yes they get a lot of hate but they work and especially for the price reasonably accurate. I almost bought it when my 35 yr old Craftsman broke its ratchet but found the Tekton.
I have the 1/4" 0-200 in lb and 3/8" 0-80 ft lb Pittsburgh, 1/2" Tekton 10-150 ft lb and a Neiko 1/2" 10-250 ft lb.
The most used is the Tekton because of it's range.

Edit
Because of this thread I decided to take all my torque wrenches to our calibration lab at work. Both the HF were OFF. the 3/8 over torqued by 5-12 lbs in 3 ranges 20, 60, 80. I was able to calibrate for 20, 60 but the 80 would continue to show 92lbs. It was replaced last night with the Tekton 3/8 version. the 1/4 drive would undertorque at 80 in/lb (actual at 70) but the rest of the readings were within tolerance +/- 4%. The Tekton and Neiko were almost perfect within 1 ft/lb each or <1/2% when rated for +/-4% (all the wrenches were rated +/-4%). Monday I will take in the new Tekton and confirm accuracy. I'm just not willing to spend $20 on the HF 1/2 wrench to test it since so many others have tested the 1/2 version and I really don't need another torque wrench. All my ranges are covered with these 4.

 

[BurtEggley]

I bought a bunch of Proto ones from Zoro with a 20% off coupon last year. Sent them to TeamTorque for calibration with an old one sent for repair, and they were all very close to specified torque and sheet they came with. Price was right. Below are some video ratings. From what I understand, if one can tolerate a 5 - 10% error in value, the inexpensive ones like HF sells work too. For the record, someone slathering on the silver anti-seize stuff can almost double the torque on fastener threads even though the wrench will read correctly, so torquing is more than just the wrench. Also, the wrench I had repaired was an old Taiwan Craftsman wrench I had grown accustomed to. Proto sold a case that would fit it so I tried to order one to match the proto ones I bought, but they no longer sell the case alone. I asked their customer service if they knew where I could get one - they said no longer sold but sent me one for free. They are owned by Black and Decker Stanley, and I would give their customer service a 10/10. Wrenches are well made too and a lot less than Snapon.

 

[AEAdam]

I can't think of a reason why high ratchet tooth count matters on a torque wrench. When space is so restricted that one needs a fine toothed head, the accuracy of the torque will be in jeopardy anyway.

The reason to spend more for a torque wrench, in my opinion, is to get an angle measuring wrench. Secondarily would be to get actuals, third, fastener counts.

 

[BurtEggley]

lots of wrenches available new and used but used ones would need some sort of calibration check. Grease in the clickers can harden to where they no longer work, need disassembly, clean, re-grease and a calibration re-check. I suspect that torque wrenches are personal. I had a Utica 30-250 ft lb one that served me well for over 40 years. It was wearing out and needed another servicing so I donated it to Goodwill and replaced it with a new Proto one. The inexpensive Craftsman one I have had the plastic lockring wear out, and the part was not available anymore. It was good otherwise and accurate. Fortunately, TeamTorque had a new old stock handle and lockring for one so they fixed it and checked the calibration with the others I sent. They gave me a heck of a deal on all the service. They had serviced the Utica one perfectly when other companies just walked away from it. All it needed was a re-grease. They use a silicone based grease and it lasts a long time between services. In the end, I am willing to bet most people here, regardless where they got them, would not trade their torque wrenches although they might acquire a new one to them, new or used.

 

[Callelle]

I can't think of a reason why high ratchet tooth count matters on a torque wrench. When space is so restricted that one needs a fine toothed head, the accuracy of the torque will be in jeopardy anyway.

You've never replaced the flywheel on a cummins X15 in frame on a plow truck. I'm currently on a job for one and the torque sequence is 80 > 160 > 160 > +90*. I should take a picture in there of how little space there is to swing a torque wrench, much less a breaker bar. I was originally using my Mac split beam that I bought because I hadn't tried it out yet, The 80 I could get, but I couldn't get the swing / leverage I needed for the first 160. I got my Icon digital and was able to get 2-3 clicks of rotation on a 4 of the 10 bolts.

That all being said, where do you get this idea that a fine tooth head is less accurate than a coarse tooth based on that fact alone? It makes no sense, if the tooth is engaged, and you're putting pressure on it, the reading is gonna be the same.

 

[bigfunwmu]

You've never replaced the flywheel on a cummins X15 in frame on a plow truck. I'm currently on a job for one and the torque sequence is 80 > 160 > 160 > +90*. I should take a picture in there of how little space there is to swing a torque wrench, much less a breaker bar. I was originally using my Mac split beam that I bought because I hadn't tried it out yet, The 80 I could get, but I couldn't get the swing / leverage I needed for the first 160. I got my Icon digital and was able to get 2-3 clicks of rotation on a 4 of the 10 bolts.

That all being said, where do you get this idea that a fine tooth head is less accurate than a coarse tooth based on that fact alone? It makes no sense, if the tooth is engaged, and you're putting pressure on it, the reading is gonna be the same.

The idea of less accuracy is you are supposed to have the fastener in motion and hit the torque value while moving. Hitting from static gives a false high torque value.

However, I really like fine tooth torque wrenches. A 4 foot long 48 tooth CDI torque wrench ***** to run torqueing bolts on the wide open build bench compared to finer tooth tools that let you use more of the backswing each time. As a matter of fact, you can argue that the finer tooth torque wrench is more accurate because you can apply torque for more of the swing arc as you grab the finer teeth so it's easier to hit value while moving since you get more of the swing under load each time you ratchet back.

 

[AEAdam]

You've never replaced the flywheel on a cummins X15 in frame on a plow truck. I'm currently on a job for one and the torque sequence is 80 > 160 > 160 > +90*. I should take a picture in there of how little space there is to swing a torque wrench, much less a breaker bar. I was originally using my Mac split beam that I bought because I hadn't tried it out yet, The 80 I could get, but I couldn't get the swing / leverage I needed for the first 160. I got my Icon digital and was able to get 2-3 clicks of rotation on a 4 of the 10 bolts.

That all being said, where do you get this idea that a fine tooth head is less accurate than a coarse tooth based on that fact alone? It makes no sense, if the tooth is engaged, and you're putting pressure on it, the reading is gonna be the same.

We’re having problems at work with guys, maybe like you, who think they understand how torque wrenches work and why we use them. These guys could hurt someone.

My advice, be more curious. I’ll give you a hint: the reading on the torque wrench means nothing to me. You could torque a dozen fasteners and every one could click at or read the exact same torque, yet you may have F’ed that up royally. Why is that? Answer that question and you’ll know a lot more about which torque wrench is the right one and what you probably got wrong on that flywheel.

 

[Callelle]

We’re having problems at work with guys, maybe like you, who think they understand how torque wrenches work and why we use them. These guys could hurt someone.

My advice, be more curious. I’ll give you a hint: the reading on the torque wrench means nothing to me. You could torque a dozen fasteners and every one could click at or read the exact same torque, yet you may have F’ed that up royally. Why is that? Answer that question and you’ll know a lot more about which torque wrench is the right one and what you probably got wrong on that flywheel.

So in other words, there is no reason. I'm sure you're sitting there thinking I'm bouncing on that few clicks just to get it to click, sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't do anything wrong on that flywheel.

 

[AEAdam]

So in other words, there is no reason. I'm sure you're sitting there thinking I'm bouncing on that few clicks just to get it to click, sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't do anything wrong on that flywheel.

You got me. Yep, there is no reason. Glad we have people with your razor intellect maintaining heavy equipment.

For anyone else, I’ve written out std aerospace torque procedures and explained it before. If you are interested, do a search with my user name. For flywheels, you're gonna want to understand how raybestos‘ brake disk study applies.

 

[littlebean]

Bored trying to work out if there's a reason or not - if there is just say it and I can decide it's worth from there

 

[KnurledNut]

So in other words, there is no reason. I'm sure you're sitting there thinking I'm bouncing on that few clicks just to get it to click, sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't do anything wrong on that flywheel.

I trust your judgment and real world experience as a mechanic.
Too many factors affect the final torque to make it relevant. By design, the majority of torque wrenches have more error in the mechanisms and calibration. (i.e. +/- 2-5%) Not to mention variances in reusing bolts: compromised bolt stretch tension, lubrication residue, dirty or damaged threads, affected clamp load, etc.
More than that, most torque specifications are median. Sometimes that allowable range is stated, i.e. 28-32ftb with the target on 30, but even when its not, its factored in due to the above.
Don’t waste brainpower feeding the cryptic nonsense.

 

[Rinspeed]

CDI.

 

[Callelle]

You got me. Yep, there is no reason. Glad we have people with your razor intellect maintaining heavy equipment.

For anyone else, I’ve written out std aerospace torque procedures and explained it before. If you are interested, do a search with my user name. For flywheels, you're gonna want to understand how raybestos‘ brake disk study applies.

Dude, I asked you the reason and you basically replied with "Riddle me this, and you'll figure out where YOU fucked up". You could have just said something simple, like how it takes more torque to get the fastener moving than what it's "actual" reading is. Instead you had to stroke your epeen about it and pull out the titles, for what purpose?

 

[AEAdam]

Dude, I asked you the reason and you basically replied with "Riddle me this, and you'll figure out where YOU fucked up". You could have just said something simple, like how it takes more torque to get the fastener moving than what it's "actual" reading is. Instead you had to stroke your epeen about it and pull out the titles, for what purpose?

Did you ask? I must have missed that post. Here’s the only question you‘ve asked here:

That all being said, where do you get this idea that a fine tooth head is less accurate than a coarse tooth based on that fact alone? It makes no sense, if the tooth is engaged, and you're putting pressure on it, the reading is gonna be the same.

Why would I respond to someone who thinks they already know the answer? So you can argue with a senior aerospace engineer? No thanks. I’m the torque expert in my company (among other things). And don’t call me dude.

This is a big subject. Had you responded respectfully, I would have helped. Now I’m one post away from setting you to ignore.

Good luck.

 

[Callelle]

Why would I respond to someone who thinks they already know the answer? So you can argue with a senior aerospace engineer? No thanks. I’m the torque expert in my company (among other things). And don’t call me dude.

This is a big subject. Had you responded respectfully, I would have helped. Now I’m one post away from setting you to ignore.

Good luck.

You've never had a conversation where someone asked something and explained their point of view on the matter? With the way you act all high and all knowing, I'm guessing you don't actually converse with many people, more talk at them (typical engineer).

But by all means, ignore me, you say it as if I'll be bothered by it.

 

[AEAdam]

You've never had a conversation where someone asked something and explained their point of view on the matter? With the way you act all high and all knowing, I'm guessing you don't actually converse with many people, more talk at them (typical engineer).

But by all means, ignore me, you say it as if I'll be bothered by it.

Done. What did you learn on the Internet today? Answer: nothing

 

[pbon]

Did you ask? I must have missed that post. Here’s the only question you‘ve asked here:


Why would I respond to someone who thinks they already know the answer? So you can argue with a senior aerospace engineer? No thanks. I’m the torque expert in my company (among other things). And don’t call me dude.

This is a big subject. Had you responded respectfully, I would have helped. Now I’m one post away from setting you to ignore.

Good luck.

My guess is this arrogant jerk not have many friends.