Quote:
Originally Posted by dcj13
FT*LB.
And it depends on the length of your wrench.
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Exactly.
Ever wonder why box wrenches are different lengths? It's to make it harder to overtorque bolts.
This assumes a standard 3/8" ratchet handle, I believe. Learned that tip so long ago I don't recall the source or the details.
Quick story about "ever wonder why...."
A young guy pitted next to me earlier this year and was having trouble getting his brake calipers off. They were Allen-type and he'd mangled the hex pocket a bit. He eventually succeeded but when he went to reinstall them, I could see why he'd had a problem. He had put a piece of tubing several inches long over the hex key for extra leverage and was cranking 'em down German-style.... Gutenteit.
After dope-slapping the dude I talked him into buying a torque wrench and learning how to use it. He'd heard about torque settings but had never learned what they meant.
Watching him gave me insight into the millennial mind. Everything he did involved pulling out his phone and looking for a YouTube video, which he then followed blindly. Instant gratification, little deliberation or thought. He had no maintenance manual and no concept of how to properly use, organize or care for tools. His tool box was a plastic bin with everything just dumped into it.
Maybe it's because I'm an old curmudgeonly dinosaur, but I believe it's important to know how things work and why things are done in a certain way.