Torque Wrench Needed

[RalphieAdie]

Seems like we need a torque wrench for the 5'er lug nuts on the tires. Any suggestions where to purchase a torque wrench; will Lowes or Home Depot have what we need.

[caper]

Any hardware store that sells hand tools should have a torque wrench.

[roanmountaincampers]

Got mine at Harbor Freight for $9.95.

[awwall]

Originally Posted by kb4srn

Got mine at Harbor Freight for $9.95.

X2 Harbor Freight..have had mine several years with no problems!!

[RalphieAdie]

Will head to Harbor Freight early next week. Thanks.

[jim44646]

harbor freighe torque not real accurate but close enough for lug nuts and such. I wouldn't trust one to work on a motor.

[awwall]

Originally Posted by jim44646

harbor freighe torque not real accurate but close enough for lug nuts and such. I wouldn't trust one to work on a motor.

Bought mine just for lug nuts..has not let me down.

[grayfox]

Sears....

[sail2liv]

1/2 inch probably will fit the range but check....as 3/8 may be lacking in lbs......check hub to see if steel or alum......as the torque is different...

the HF sale paper has one for 9.99.....

[jim44646]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Sears....

Junk I just threw one away. Not covered under hand tool warrenty.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by jim44646

Junk I just threw one away. Not covered under hand tool warrenty.

X2. Wouldn't wanna trust my coach to a $10 wrench, ever seen a truck wheel come off?

[TeJay]

Buying and using torque wrenches can be a concern. Cheap torque wrenches as well as expensive ones can be inaccurate. They can be as much as 20-30% off. What can you do??? Don't buy cheap. Cheap will almost guarantee that the torque won't be accurate. So what can you do?? If a TQWR has a range of 10-100#'s it will be most accurate from about 30-80#'s or in the mid-range. Actually the beam style are usually more accurate than the click style and they are cheaper. Their down side is reading them when you torque lug nuts 60-125#'s. A good engine tech will have 1/4" Drive inch LB, 3/8"-D 20#-100LB, and a 1/2"D 50#-200#. A good TQWR will cost you $200-$400. If you are only torquing lug nuts and a few other larger items a mid price range $60-$100 will work quite well. We don't need the really that good stuff. Those of you who have done well with the cheap stuff here's probably why. What's most important when torquing lug nuts is that they are all tight enough and close to the same. If your wrench is 30#'s off that's probably OK because all the lugs will be 30#'s off. That concept will not work on today's aluminum engines. Equal torque on disc brakes is critical. One lug off by 20#-30#'s will warp a rotor. Most of us don't have disc brakes on our TT's. Get a mid-priced wrench and always loosen the torque setting when finished. Make sure the threads are clean and they can be lightly oiled. Lock tight is not necessary if the bolts are the correct rating and they are torqued properly. Just remember that the bolt stretch is what holds the parts together. Under tightened and it will come apart. Over tightened and you might exceed the bolts tinsel strength. JMTCW
TeJay

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by jim44646

Junk I just threw one away. Not covered under hand tool warrenty.

Guess I'm fortunate, mines right on the money. I guess I'll see how long it lasts.

[fast murray]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Guess I'm fortunate, mines right on the money. I guess I'll see how long it lasts.

How do you know it is right on the money? A buddy of mine has a very nice Snap-on that I believe he says gets reacalibrated periodically. We had to borrow a craftsman at the racetrack once and he said he'd it was so far off that he'd be better off with a breaker bar.

[Twisty]

"...expensive ones can be inaccurate. They can be as much as 20-30% off."
I must disagree with that. Many "expensive" torque wrenches are guaranteed to be within .1% to maybe, 2% accuracy.
I got lucky when I bought one. I decided I wanted to get one and went to Baxters auto parts store. The tag on the shelf - $90. The scanned price at checkout - $60!! HaHa!!

[OldCoot]

Take your torque wrench to a shop that can check the calibration on them and you will find the cheap ones are extremely inaccurate. Wrenches within 1% are expensive. Remember, if the specs call for 100 lb/ft torque and the wrench is only accurate to within 10%, you can have one lug at 90 and another @ 110.

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by fast murray

How do you know it is right on the money? A buddy of mine has a very nice Snap-on that I believe he says gets reacalibrated periodically. We had to borrow a craftsman at the racetrack once and he said he'd it was so far off that he'd be better off with a breaker bar.

So far so good. I had my 5'vr in for some warranty work and checked it against one of the techs wrench's. That's probably as good as it gets for me. I wish I had the luxury of having a real professional check it, but I don't. That's just the way it is for me.

[bob213]

To repeat what TeJay said...store them with the pressure off the torque setting. Storing at close to "0" will help to keep them accurate.

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by bob213

To repeat what TeJay said...store them with the pressure off the torque setting. Storing at close to "0" will help to keep them accurate.

X-2... so much can happen with these things. You sometimes wonder if any of them are perfect. Take care of your stuff... handling and storage.

[grayfox]

Coot, I like your Twain quote in your sig.