torque wrench reccomendation

[JHZR2]

Hi,

Ive always been a bit skeptical of torque wrenches that have a range of 15 or 20 to 90+ ft-lbs. being good for a torque of 16 or 18, or even 22 or 25.

The most important items, like oil drain plugs may not be torqued right, since at the low end of the scale it can be quite a bit off.

Id really like to get a small torque wrench, capable of doing, say 10-25 ft-lbs., preferably in 3/8" drive.

Most of the smaller ones Ive found on harbor freight are like 20-200 in-lbs, which only correlates to some quite low amount like 16 ft-lbs, I believe.

Does anyone know of a good, inexpensive torque wrench for those everyday jobs, that does 10-25 or 10-50 even?

Thanks very much,

JMH

 

[Bret Chase]

go to sears and pick up a 3/8 drive beam type torque wrench. they're only like 20 bucks and are very accurate ( esp in the lower end of their range) and don't need periodic adjustment. most clickers are accuracy rated at 85% of their capacity. if you go below 50%, there may not even be enough of a click to tell you to stop. I know my 3/8" drive clicker is that way.

hth,
Bret

 

[1sttruck]

I'll second the Sears 3/8 beam type. As I recall the one that I have goes up to something like 600in/lbs, which is 50 ft/lbs. The only problem is it can be hard to read the scale in some situations, so you might need someone to help out.

 

[ChrisW]

http://www.norbar.com/twnch.htm

http://www.tohnichi.com/index.htm

http://www.srtorque.com/

S-K (Facom) makes nice torque wrenches.

Harborfreight digital torque wrench

Theres lots of choices out there, depends on how much you are willing to spend.

 

[Ugly3]

First off, on a beam torque wrench use electric tape to mark the target torque - easy to see that way.

I have had one for 30 years and used it maybe 4 times. Not a very good return on investment.

Just use a 1/4" drive ratchet and sung it down pretty good, it will be tight enough and you don't have to mess with a torque wrench. I didn't even use it when I replaced the head gasket on the old Kohler engine - just snugged 'em down and all ran well.

Don't get me started on torquing an oil drain plug.

 

[Chris142]

Personally I would stay away from the imported ones. Their readings change with the weather!

I've got a Snap-on one I've had for about 10 years and had it checked last year and it's only off 3 ft lbs at the most.

I have 2 others that were cheaper but still American made and they are only a couple of lbs off.

For what I use them for 1-3 lbs is close enough.

 

[tom slick]

USAF manuals state to never use the lower 20% of the scale on any torque wrench, that should confirm your thought. if you ever drop your torque wrench it needs to be recalibrated.
my craftsman wrench is decent. snap-on makes really nice units. SK/facom makes nice wrenchs. i don't trust harbor freight wrenches.

 

[Seth_TJ]

The Snap on torque wrenches are pretty interesting. They have one at work that is brand new and I used it... So cool... take two AA batteries. It converts automatically for you from ft/lb to in/lb and newton meters or any combination of the three. It shows the max torque you went to and as you approach the set mark it shows the % of it you are putting on it at that moment.

best part is when you hit your set mark the wrench vibrates and beeps... was 150 dollars I think goes from 5 to 150 ft lb I think

 

[dkcase]

quote:

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Originally posted by Seth_TJ:
The Snap on torque wrenches are pretty interesting. They have one at work that is brand new and I used it... So cool... take two AA batteries. It converts automatically for you from ft/lb to in/lb and newton meters or any combination of the three. It shows the max torque you went to and as you approach the set mark it shows the % of it you are putting on it at that moment.

best part is when you hit your set mark the wrench vibrates and beeps... was 150 dollars I think goes from 5 to 150 ft lb I think

---

Whoa. Sounds like a lot to get from Snap-On for $150. If that's right, it's a bargain.

 

[crossbow]

I think snap-ons have lifetime warranty on parts as well don't they?

They're definitely the ferrari of auto tools.

 

[mikep]

quote:

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Originally posted by dkcase:
best part is when you hit your set mark the wrench vibrates and beeps...

---

Hmmmm, that could explain the wife's sudden interest in auto care.

 

[1 FMF]

quote:

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Originally posted by JHZR2:

The most important items, like oil drain plugs may not be torqued right, since at the low end of the scale it can be quite a bit off.

---

sorry if off topic, but why do you think you need to torque something like an oil drain plug? Only thing I can think of off top of my head that you would need a tq wrench for in the 5-20 lb-ft range (not that there aren't others) are head bolts on small lawn mower engine. And that's so all the bolts are tightened evenly, and so there's a specific clamping force applied between the parts. For something like a drain plug, you don't need to torque it to a certain value for either of those reasons, only tight enough so it doesn't leak. And not over tighten it to strip the threads of course, which you should just have a feel for by hand.
Reason I'm asking is because a lot of guys on various car sites love to say torque this to that, like rear differential cover bolts, bracket bolts for various things or radiator petcocks, along with drain plugs, and it drives me nuts. In my opinion these are all things that don't need to be torqued to a certain value. It doesn't gain you anything.


But to get back on topic, mscdirect.com has some very good equipment and you should be able to find something there. However you asked for something good and inexpensive, which rarely go hand in hand.

 

[Bret Chase]

quote:

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Originally posted by JHZR2:
[qb]
Reason I'm asking is because a lot of guys on various car sites love to say torque this to that, like rear differential cover bolts, bracket bolts for various things or radiator petcocks, along with drain plugs, and it drives me nuts. In my opinion these are all things that don't need to be torqued to a certain value. It doesn't gain you anything.

---

it's good to use a torque wrench on things like diff covers and such to get a uniform clamping force and to not warp the sheetmetal cover too much. I agree w/ you on drain plugs and the like.

-Bret

 

[shortyb]

quote:

---

Originally posted by dkcase:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Seth_TJ:
The Snap on torque wrenches are pretty interesting. They have one at work that is brand new and I used it... So cool... take two AA batteries. It converts automatically for you from ft/lb to in/lb and newton meters or any combination of the three. It shows the max torque you went to and as you approach the set mark it shows the % of it you are putting on it at that moment.

best part is when you hit your set mark the wrench vibrates and beeps... was 150 dollars I think goes from 5 to 150 ft lb I think

---

Whoa. Sounds like a lot to get from Snap-On for $150. If that's right, it's a bargain.

---

That IS a bargain. My Techwrench (5-100lb-ft) went for $300 retail. My Snap-On guy sold it to me for $260. I used to like it but think that was due to the novelty. I haven't picked it up for awhile now, relying more on my old trusty click-types. The vibe/beep just didn't give me the same feel for accuracy especially when I was using it fast. The click-type has a more positive point when reaching the set torque IMHO. Both of mine were calibrated last year and were within 2% max. clockwise, full range.

 

[drive it forever]

I think craftsman makes the best when it comes down to quality and price, you also see them on sale occasionally. Just a tip, do not use a 1/2" torque wrench say with a scale between 20-150 ft, to put sparks plugs in that torque at 21 ft lb's. The clicker type are eaisier to use and you need 3/8" and 1/2" to have a wide useable range.

 

[drive it forever]

I just clicked on the link to harborfreight, is that pittsburgh torque wrench price a joke? Who would pay harborfreight $499.99 for a 3/8" torque wrench made in ? . Click on the link on chrisw's reply for a good laugh.