Torque wrench
Torque wrench
(OP)
I plan to rebuild my transmission and transfer case and obviously need a good torque wrench. I've scoured the Internet and the Big MSC book. At engineeringtalk.com the Slimline Nobar was voted best for the buck and in MSC the Utica, Armstrong, and PROTO seem to be the best. I've only used a generic brand torque wrench from Autozone to replace the ball-joints in my truck.
Thank you,
Carl Harris
Thank you,
Carl Harris
RE: Torque wrench
RE: Torque wrench
Don't:
- Drop the torque wrench repeatedly on a concrete floor.
- Use it as a breaker bar to loosen stuck fasteners.
- Take it for a ride with all your other wrenches in a
toolbox in the back of your pickup down a back road.
- Use a 75 lb-ft wrench to torque your lug nuts or 200
lb-ft wrench to rebuild your transmission.
- If you're doing a DIY project occasionally, use the
homeowner quality, if your paycheck depends on the tool
and you use it every day by the Snap-On, etc.
I have always had good luck with Craftsman, by following the above rules.
Blacksmith
RE: Torque wrench
I was looking at a craftsman but the closest Sears to me is 60 miles away and it doesn't come with a case. It also seemed to have a little too much plastic for my taste (but what do I know, I've never owned one.) I had planned to pamper this tool, so I abandoned craftsman when I saw it didn't come with a case.
Thanks,
Carl Harris
RE: Torque wrench
Blacksmith
RE: Torque wrench
Rod
RE: Torque wrench
i assume the beam type is the two long, parallel rods where the skinny rod is a long cantilever that stays straight, and has a pointer on its free end near the handle that indicates the torque on a scale attached to the deflecting thick rod. the skinny rod appears to swing back or forth over the wide scale. and the handle cover pivots about the cover's centerpoint. i have this type, but have been unable to read it in many situations. i never knew it was the best because it's so hard to read.
but what are the "dial" and "click" types? which one is the one with the handle that torsionally rotates to set the desired torque? if this is the dial type, i thought it clicks, too (?). i saw one like this with a ruined, tiny set screw, rendering the whole wrench rather useless, so total loss of investment.
once we can distinguish the three types by type name, we would love to hear more opinions on which brand and especially which type experienced engineers such as evelrod and Blacksmith have found to be best, most accurate, etc. especially opinions on which type is typically most accurate (especially from people who've calibrated and compared some), which type is most durable, which brand/type is overall best investment, mainly with emphasis on accuracy, then durability, then ease of use, in that order. we're hearing something here about brands so far but not much about types; we need to know brand plus type to get a picture of what the engineer is referring to so we can identify it in stores or catalogs and buy it. and so, evelrod prefers the beam type. which type does Blacksmith and others think is best? (and i trust that you engineers will please discern if any post is made by a salesperson and heavily red flag it, because i only want info. from private individuals.) thanks for any help.
RE: Torque wrench
Click type - set your desired reading and apply torque - wrench lets off/vibrates when set level is reached. I agree with Rod - never got used to the feel - always felt like the fastner was breaking off. However, a good choice for those times you can't eyeball the scale easily. About $50 and up.
Dial type - has internal mechanism and a dial face, pointer rotates to indicate torque. Excellent for seting preloads on tapered rolling bearings, since we had to read these while rotating the shaft and wrench at 60 rpm by hand. Downside, ensure unit doesn't have excessive torque - try by hand first - if you overload, it breaks and repair costs over half the purchase price. About $200 and up - but when you're setting up $1500+ outdrives, you don't have to not ruin too many before you pay for the tool.
Again, I'll state, all major brands will work, its the skill of the operator - buy what you ahve the most access to, best deal and feels right to you.
Blacksmith