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Old July 14th, 2013, 03:02 PM   #1
Driddle
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Torque Wrench

I am going to Home Depot in the coming minutes to purchase myself a torque wrench since I found out that I need one today to do the work I am doing.

My question is.. how big of a wrench do i need? I know there are different torque specifications for different wrenches.

Thanks!
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Old July 14th, 2013, 03:18 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Driddle View Post
I am going to Home Depot in the coming minutes to purchase myself a torque wrench since I found out that I need one today to do the work I am doing.

My question is.. how big of a wrench do i need? I know there are different torque specifications for different wrenches.

Thanks!
Well if your a man you need the biggest one they got.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 03:25 PM   #3
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There's only two sizes your going to find and that Ft/lbs(bigger one) and inch/lbs(Smaller one)

what you need depends on the job your doing but in the end your going to need both to cover everything on a motorcycle.

Ft/lbs for wheel axles and such

Inch/Lbs for valve head cover and spark plugs
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Old July 14th, 2013, 04:03 PM   #4
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I find that a cheap(er) "click-type" wrench does just fine for my bike, and a 3/8" a fairly appropriate drive size.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 04:36 PM   #5
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http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-2455-8-...=torque+wrench

I only owned the 1/2 one so far and it works great, Im going to grab a 1/4 and 3/8 soon
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Old July 14th, 2013, 05:10 PM   #6
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Thanks guys. I ended up getting a 3/8" wrench.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 05:32 PM   #7
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http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...fQ%3D%3D%0D%0A

I bought this only because all my tools for use in the car are 1/2" and it works perfectly fine havent snapped bolts since.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 06:04 PM   #8
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Im in the market for a torque wrench as well. Does a 1/2 and 3/8 drives have different maxes? Because I was thinking I could just use my adapter and just buy one....
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Old July 14th, 2013, 07:01 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spc2125 View Post
Im in the market for a torque wrench as well. Does a 1/2 and 3/8 drives have different maxes? Because I was thinking I could just use my adapter and just buy one....
I used an adapter on a breker bar once, it broke so i think its the thickness of the metal can only go to a certain torque. for lower torques it wouldnt matter i think if your adapters are quality.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 07:30 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcruz17 View Post
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...fQ%3D%3D%0D%0A

I bought this only because all my tools for use in the car are 1/2" and it works perfectly fine havent snapped bolts since.
I bought this same one. I have a problem with the handle turning and changing the torque setting while I'm torquing bolts..
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Old July 14th, 2013, 07:38 PM   #11
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Harbour freight is hit or miss it seems!
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Old July 14th, 2013, 10:12 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spc2125 View Post
Im in the market for a torque wrench as well. Does a 1/2 and 3/8 drives have different maxes? Because I was thinking I could just use my adapter and just buy one....
I don't know the exact reason (whether it be for breakage as suggested by Runeknight or something else), but I've always heard that you should avoid extensions or adapters on torque wrenches. It's probably not really an issue, but there it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Runeknight95 View Post
Harbour freight is hit or miss it seems!
HF tools are great for figuring out what you should really spend money on. If you use it enough to break it, you can go out and buy a good one without worrying if you're spending too much money on a tool you don't use much.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 11:03 PM   #13
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My .02 on torque wrenches.

Unless you have the $$ to buy very high quality, and commit to having it calibrated regularly, stay away from "clicker" wrenches. They are complex tools that have multiple moving parts. The ONLY way to know if they are even remotely accurate is to have them calibrated which usually costs more than you spent on the tool...especially if you bought a Harbor freight model on sale. Then...the possibility of a $20, made in China, clicker torque wrench that is anything but precision made staying accurate is slim.

This is one area where you are better off going old fashioned and cheap. Go to Sears and buy a Craftsman beam (pointer) torque wrench for about $20. They have NO moving parts and are extremely accurate. Years ago I worked in a dealership and some of the guys I worked with were teasing me about my old Craftsman. We set up a bolt and nut in a vise and compared everyone's torque wrench to the very expensive Snap On that the head mechanic had JUST got back from calibration. Some guys had MAC or Matco, etc. Mine was a hand me down from my father. At rest the tool always starts out at 10 ft/lbs. I had lent it to a friend and he went way beyond the tools spec and the needle (beam) bent permanently to start at 10. Whenever I use it I have to subtract 10 ft/lbs from my reading. Even though it had been abused mine was still spot on. Most of the other ones were off by at least a few ft/lbs.

Through the years I could have bought another one. The Snap On man stops by my shop regularly. I just never had the need to replace what I know works. I did have it checked once by an electronic calibrator and it was near perfect. I have used that wrench to torque countless fasteners over the years and have never had a failure. That includes things like head bolts and other critical fasteners.

A few notes for you guys on proper use of a torque wrench.

As a general rule a torque wrench is NOT accurate in it's lower 10% or upper 10% of it's range. For example....if you had one that read from zero to 100 ft/lbs it is not considered accurate from zero to 10 and from 90 to 100.

In general a torque wrench will have the proper drive size for a socket that is appropriate to it's range. You probably won't find a 1/2" drive torque wrench that reads in inch/lbs. Buy one that has an operating range appropriate to the torque specs on your bike NOT based on which sockets you may have more of.

Always check to see if the spec listed in your manual is meant to be used WITH or WITHOUT lube on the fastener. Lubing (or not cleaning oil off of) a bolt you are torquing, that is meant to be torqued dry, can change your readings by 25%. The same goes for torquing a bolt dry that is meant to be lubed. If a fastener is meant to be lubed it will say so in the manual.

If you ever need a torque spec on a bolt, but it is NOT listed in the manual, google for a "bolt torque chart". Most all sizes of bolts have a general torque spec. A good chart will tell you the acceptable min and max torque specs for each particular size of bolt and also variations based on the grade, lubed or dry, etc.

When you torque a bolt it is EXACTLY like a rubber band. Steel is one of the most perfectly elastic materials. Torquing a bolt stretches it so it holds things together just like a rubber band. Too loose and it wont hold very well. Too tight and it can break or over stretch and loose it's elasticity.
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Old July 14th, 2013, 11:21 PM   #14
Runeknight95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vintage Smoke View Post
Unless you have the $$ to buy very high quality, and commit to having it calibrated regularly, stay away from "clicker" wrenches. They are complex tools that have multiple moving parts. The ONLY way to know if they are even remotely accurate is to have them calibrated which usually costs more than you spent on the tool...especially if you bought a Harbor freight model on sale. Then...the possibility of a $20, made in China, clicker torque wrench that is anything but precision made staying accurate is slim.

This is one area where you are better off going old fashioned and cheap. Go to Sears and buy a Craftsman beam (pointer) torque wrench for about $20. They have NO moving parts and are extremely accurate. Years ago I worked in a dealership and some of the guys I worked with were teasing me about my old Craftsman. We set up a bolt and nut in a vise and compared everyone's torque wrench to the very expensive Snap On that the head mechanic had JUST got back from calibration. Some guys had MAC or Matco, etc. Mine was a hand me down from my father. At rest the tool always starts out at 10 ft/lbs. I had lent it to a friend and he went way beyond the tools spec and the needle (beam) bent permanently to start at 10. Whenever I use it I have to subtract 10 ft/lbs from my reading. Even though it had been abused mine was still spot on. Most of the other ones were off by at least a few ft/lbs.

Through the years I could have bought another one. The Snap On man stops by my shop regularly. I just never had the need to replace what I know works. I did have it checked once by an electronic calibrator and it was near perfect. I have used that wrench to torque countless fasteners over the years and have never had a failure. That includes things like head bolts and other critical fasteners.

A few notes for you guys on proper use of a torque wrench.

As a general rule a torque wrench is NOT accurate in it's lower 10% or upper 10% of it's range. For example....if you had one that read from zero to 100 ft/lbs it is not considered accurate from zero to 10 and from 90 to 100.

In general a torque wrench will have the proper drive size for a socket that is appropriate to it's range. You probably won't find a 1/2" drive torque wrench that reads in inch/lbs. Buy one that has an operating range appropriate to the torque specs on your bike NOT based on which sockets you may have more of.

Always check to see if the spec listed in your manual is meant to be used WITH or WITHOUT lube on the fastener. Lubing (or not cleaning oil off of) a bolt you are torquing, that is meant to be torqued dry, can change your readings by 25%. The same goes for torquing a bolt dry that is meant to be lubed. If a fastener is meant to be lubed it will say so in the manual.

If you ever need a torque spec on a bolt, but it is NOT listed in the manual, google for a "bolt torque chart". Most all sizes of bolts have a general torque spec. A good chart will tell you the acceptable min and max torque specs for each particular size of bolt and also variations based on the grade, lubed or dry, etc.

When you torque a bolt it is EXACTLY like a rubber band. Steel is one of the most perfectly elastic materials. Torquing a bolt stretches it so it holds things together just like a rubber band. Too loose and it wont hold very well. Too tight and it can break or over stretch and loose it's elasticity.

What is the other type of torque wrench clicker vs ??
Can you link us a few you would suggest?
If the lower 10% is bad, this is a typical usage scenario a lot of the bolts are in the lower 10% range should we get it tested to see what it really is?
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Old July 14th, 2013, 11:51 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Runeknight95 View Post
What is the other type of torque wrench clicker vs ??
Can you link us a few you would suggest?
If the lower 10% is bad, this is a typical usage scenario a lot of the bolts are in the lower 10% range should we get it tested to see what it really is?
The other type is a beam or pointer style. As you torque the bolt the pointer points to the torque reading:
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-3...7&blockType=G7

As to the percentage question i don't really understand your question. If you have a torque wrench that reads from 0 to 100 ft/lbs and most of your bolts need to be torques to say 8 ft/lbs then yes...you are in the lower range for THAT torque wrench. You should get a smaller torque wrench. In that particular case (since you are so low on the scale) you would probably get a torque wrench that reads in inch/lbs. Remember.....12inch/lbs = 1 foot/lb
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Old July 15th, 2013, 10:12 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vintage Smoke View Post
The other type is a beam or pointer style. As you torque the bolt the pointer points to the torque reading:
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-3...7&blockType=G7

As to the percentage question i don't really understand your question. If you have a torque wrench that reads from 0 to 100 ft/lbs and most of your bolts need to be torques to say 8 ft/lbs then yes...you are in the lower range for THAT torque wrench. You should get a smaller torque wrench. In that particular case (since you are so low on the scale) you would probably get a torque wrench that reads in inch/lbs. Remember.....12inch/lbs = 1 foot/lb
That was my question if we do work in the low end range a lot, seems ill need to grab one

eh screw foot/lb , its N/M we work on Japanese bikes!
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Old July 15th, 2013, 07:35 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by dwright0723 View Post
I bought this same one. I have a problem with the handle turning and changing the torque setting while I'm torquing bolts..
thats what the smaller nut is for to lock the torque setting
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Old July 15th, 2013, 09:32 PM   #18
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Agree with everything Vintage Smoke said.

Save your money and buy the best you can afford once... I have a friend who hasn't learned that, he now owns probably a dozen cheap partial socket sets, and has spent more money than he would have if he had just bought a good quality set once!

I recall from my metrology class that even a "cheap" torque wrench may be okay if you use the middle of its range.

I have both "clicker" and deflection beam torque wrenches. Clickers are handy, but yes, deflection bar types are more accurate. I buy storages cases and use them, and am careful not to drop my torque wrenches.

I have shop instructors at the local college who would help me calibrate my clickers, but that isn't much of an option anymore (staff changes over the years, etc.) The old mechanics who have the tools either seem to not want to be bothered or want really crazy fees. I've been told that in the old days, the bigger Sears had the equipment, but those days are long gone.
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