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Torque Wrench

Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Messages
185
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1
Location
Haslet, TX
First Name
Greg
Last Name
Napoleone
I have been wanting to get a torque wrench to do some work on my bikes but I am not sure what type I should be looking at. I know some are pounds and some are inches, some have the bar meter and some click. Any input ????
 
Depends on what you're working on as to what measurement you want. I believe my Honda FSM lists both metric and SAE numbers.

I personally prefer the "click" type as thats something you can feel rather than have to watch. Sometimes you have to pull pretty hard on it and thats a challenge to do while you're watching the meter/gauge.
 
There are some that have multiple measurements. Just check the range of torque settings on your bike so you can buy one that will cover the entire range (or most of it).
 
I would suggest getting two, a big one and a small one. The smaller one allows for precision at lower torque setting for items like fork pinch bolts, while the big one is better for high torque applications such as sprockets or axle nuts.

I have and like the click style Nathan mentioned for my small one, and have an ancient bending bar wrench for the big stuff. I would not use the big one for 16 inch pound bolts in the fork, and would not want to try the small one on the 75 foot-pound sprocket nut. For torque wrenches and motorcycles finding one size that works for all is a tough fit.
 
For torque wrenches and motorcycles finding one size that works for all is a tough fit.

I actually found a Craftsman one that covers pretty much my entire bike based on the torque specs on the Suzuki Service Manual. I believe there is only one or two in the upper range that I can't hit, but it is something I wouldn't do myself anyway. I think it's the Generator Rotor Bolt at 115 lb-ft.

I'll look for the model online and post a link later.
 
For bolts that are smaller than your little finger (or nail if yo got fat fingers).....INCH / POUNDS.
Bigger than that FOOT / POUNDS.

To compare them.....Five foot pounds (not very much) is equal to 60 inch pounds. Thats alot when you are tightening down engine case bolts.
If I remember correctly, the avarage man can put torque on a phillips screwdriver at about 15 inch pounds. That is about 20% less than a foot pound wrench will usually adjust down to.

For years we just used the snug and a bit more rule but tightened in a pattern. Never had an inch / pound wrench.

Not to scare you , but the little one will cost you ALOT more. I looked at one for $400 last week. Never used, but still considered used. It had a dial indicator. That is the precision you are talking about.
I once saw a site that had a revolving small wrench. just because it cost so much but that specific site had members that needed to do internal work and there was always the possibility of stripping out a bolt.

The bigger ones, get a clicker, it should be close enough.

Just decide if you are doing precision work, general work or both.

Just my opinion
 
For most of my life I've used the "tighten it til it snaps then back it off a bit" school of thought.:giveup:
 
I have a 10-120 in-lb Craftsman which was about $40 at the pawn shop, a 15-150 ft-lb, um, don't remember the (American) brand that was $5 because the adjuster was stuck, and a 20-250 ft-lb Kobalt from Lowe's which is a few years old and ran me $100 maybe 5 yrs ago. In-lb for case bolts, water pump, pretty much anything with a head less than 1/2" or 12 mm; ft-lb for the rest. Good luck!
 
I found the Craftsman Microtorque to be one of the better models out there. If you can find them on sale they can be had for around $50.

Wayne
 
I always reset my torque wrenches to "0" when storing them away to remove tension from the internals.
 
So does anyone worry about calibration of their torq wrenches?

Its a good idea to have them calibrated every couple of years or sooner if they get dropped.

Also, always store them on zero.

The best ones I have ever used are Snap-on and Craftsman. Keep your eye out at garage sales / pawn shops. You can get some good deals but if you go this route get them calibrated.
 
if ya watch the sear's ads, you can get them for 39.99 coming soon... i got mine 2 weeks before christmas last year.
 
And to answer the question on calibration...yes ...some do and some dont.
Some built It twice..........I wont!!!!!
need the name, maybe that would be an inspiration for this forum to have a technical library...list skills and names and maybe some pics.
 
I have a harbor freight click type - goes from 20-150ft/lbs. I think it was 20 bucks. I've heard most people are happy with them. Mine seems to work well but I've never had it tested or calibrated. I do always store it at 0. Where do you get them calibrated?
 
You always need to put a click type torque wrench back to 0. If not, it messes up the insides and can lead to the oil leaking out which will mess up the torque accuracy.


I bought an LCD click type wrench from Harbor Freight (batteries kept dieing) and ended using their regular click type to rebuild the engine I stuck in my vehicle. Thousands of miles later and no problems. I used both ft/lbs and in/lbs click type wrenches.



I wonder if storing them in a certain temp affects them?
 
Just beware of the cheap junk they sell at Harbor Freight and such places.

Torque wrenches should be calibrated to be accurate. Look for the seal on the tool. Snap on and craftsmen are pretty good. There are places that do this.
Get a good one and it will last forever.
All depends on what you are using the tool for. Engines and such need to be spot on where as a other bolts and such can be close and probable be OK.No one torque wrench is accurate for all applications as they have springs and can stretch over time. You really need at least two to be on the safe side. And yes you should always return it to 0 when you are done.
Just like helmets- ya get what ya pay for.

Just my 2 cents only.


Ron
 
For most of my life I've used the "tighten it til it snaps then back it off a bit" school of thought.:giveup:

I know you are joking, but the best way to learn how much a bolt can take is to get an old piece of hardware and tighten different sized bolts until they break. If you are observant, you will notice that you can tighten a bolt so far, then the force required to turn it becomes nonlinear, then it breaks. The goal is to learn to discern the beginning of that nonlinear portion.

Also, never use a clicker type torque-wrench at its lowest settings. Sometimes they won't make an audible click in such cases (being too lightly loaded), and since you will be using a wrench that is much too large it will be easy to break a bolt. Been there, done that. Better to have on hand a smaller wrench where the torque will fall in its midrange.
 
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