Tools

Its funny the lengths a guy will go to to avoid asking for help.

Yup. I like the jack & jill thingy. What a great idea!

I learned the never seez trick after not using it one year.

FWIW, sometimes it can get expensive to buy another brand of battery powered tool when one already has batteries on hand.

Don’t get too caught up on the incumbent battery criteria; manufacturers are constantly changing pack shapes to the point one contemplates whether planned obsolescence was a design brief....

Whats wrong with the click type torque wrench and how do you check it for accuracy?   I have a fairly decent quality one that I've had for years and no wheel has unexpectedly departed any vehicle.  So far.

Hi:

When the kids left the house I gave up trying to convince folks to do things my way.  And a whole lot longer before that I stopped listening to those that did.  Frank Zappa, one of our nations best and most intelligent poets had this to say, "I resent it when other people try to inflict their ideas of betterness on me. I don’t think they know."

So having problems over thinking and over designing just about everything I do, thought I'd share with tool folk an utterly simple, effective solution to torque. I wouldn't waste a single letter telling you there is anything wrong with your micrometer/clicker.  How the heck would I know? Ford or Chevy or Mopar, pick one... 

I know I used a simple Craftsman beam for decades of DIY use and had confidence it was good.  I never got that warm and fuzzy from the plastic handle Craftsman clickers that replaced it.  And I ain't buying Snap-On, partly because I don't want to and partly because everyone says so and mostly becaue I don't want a micrometer spring clicker.  That's on me.  

Regarding testing: Saw on youtube a method if you have a torque wrench you trust.  So yeah, this fella is using a beam to test his clicker.

youtube

Hahahahahahahaha  THAT was funny!  Thanks for the laugh; really needed that!  First belly laugh I have had since this whole pandemic imbroglio.  Going to bookmark that for use with customers. 

Once had a good ole boy that had come into money so started tracking high performance cars.  He came up for a cornerweight and suspension set-up at a local track.  Once into the car mechanicals, noticed every fastener was either stripped or near stripped, stretched to hell.  So asked him who was doing his work to which he responded he was.  Followed up asking if he used torque wrenches and was aware of the torque specs for critical fasteners throughout the vehicle to which he responded affirmatively.  Being a good guy, didn't want to insult him so suggested he needed get his torque wrenches certified and calibrated to which he responded it was done annually.  Completely flummoxed I came out and stated that every fastener was thoroughly comprehensively overtorqued to which he responded and I quote: " I believe in overtorquing at least 50% because I want to be sure it is really tight and safe", seriously!  A friend, who is the singular best mechanic ever known and know guys wrenched LeMans winners, overheard this and literally doubled over laughing out loud. 

This video was almost that funny.  The guy actually delivered it completely deadpan.  It had to have taken multiple shoots to get this just right!

I’m looking to pick up a beam style torque wrench now.  So I can calibrate my clicker    

Do you have any views on torque sticks DanLaw ?  A mechanic buddy didn’t recommend them but never said why. I’m always looking for a better way to do something but my priority is that it be correct.

Allow me to clarify, torque sticks are NOT precision instruments BUT they will get you within 10% based on extensive experience using them. For 8x1,25 fastener that would be disastrous especially over time but for a 14x1,5 not a big deal, if less than optimal. However, considering the convenience of using an impact gun over 5+ lug studs/nuts/wheel, that is a variance worth inducing.

Especially if going the torque stick route, strongly suggest buying the best one can afford. In any event they are inexpensive - remember that they are limiting the 400+NM output of your gun down to what? 120NM or whatever torque limited stick you choose to purchase. Skimping here is most decidedly foolish and not your friend. Looking at $50/per for SnapOn sticks so nobody accuses me of trying to push sales in this thread. If anybody wants Stahlwille, send a PM and will sell at cost but definitely not cheap. Markups are not what one would think in the industry; money made in labour and consulting

Allow me to clarify, torque sticks are NOT precision instruments BUT they will get you within 10% based on extensive experience using them. For 8x1,25 fastener that would be disastrous especially over time but for a 14x1,5 not a big deal, if less than optimal. However, considering the convenience of using an impact gun over 5+ lug studs/nuts/wheel, that is a variance worth inducing.

Especially if going the torque stick route, strongly suggest buying the best one can afford. In any event they are inexpensive - remember that they are limiting the 400+NM output of your gun down to what? 120NM or whatever torque limited stick you choose to purchase. Skimping here is most decidedly foolish and not your friend. Looking at $50/per for SnapOn sticks so nobody accuses me of trying to push sales in this thread. If anybody wants Stahlwille, send a PM and will sell at cost but definitely not cheap. Markups are not what one would think in the industry; money made in labour and consulting

I appreciate the information/advice - I can see where a torque stick can make sense in a shop where a lot of nuts are torqued and time is a consideration but in my situation where I'm doing 4 vehicles twice a year not such a big deal.  I figure when of those beam wrenches should do the trick.  Any tips on brands to look for/avoid?  I'm also looking forward to trying out that Jack and Jill gizmo but the damn snow just won't stop falling

I would strongly suggest going to the CDI site and finding a model that appeals to you. Remember it is critical to avoid using the lower 20% and upper 20% of any but the best DOD electronic wrenches as variability is high.  Further, I would avoid the external beam wrenches and go with a mechanical split beam as well as ratcheting head. Ratcheting heads in quality tools are quite robust.  Once you identify an appropriate range and style torque wrench from CDI, look it up by part number on internet for best price or support your local dealer.  Finally, there is nothing inherently bad about a clicker and it suffers from the same 20/20 variability as my favoured split beams; its sole weaknesses are one MUST store it at ZERO if not using for more than say an hour and it MUST be kept in a case in a dry environment for storage.

However, IF you already have impact driver(s), and only needing to hit torque specs for wheels (shudder to suggest this because virtually every fastener is antiseized, torqued, painted and safety wired or my guys likely to get killed), why not pop for high quality torque stick and wheel socket as it the cheapest route to quality torque for least expendature and requires hardly any physical effort

Here is a specific example of a wide range cdi split beam. I have zero financial nor personal interest in this cite:

https://aboloxtools.com/CDI-Torque-2503T...gJT4fD_BwE

why not pop for high quality torque stick and wheel socket as it the cheapest route to quality torque for least expendature and requires hardly any physical effort

Yeah, that, dittos.

Marko, I think after not much experience with a beam type you'll just go out and buy a torque extension, so why not save the $ on the beam type and go right to what you'll wind up with anyway (BTDT)? I find the cheap ones I have to be much closer than 10% off as checked with my click type and beam type torque wrenches (not more than a few ft/lbs off). I was actually amazed at how close they were. They're definitely much closer than the tire places that don't check torque at all but just stop with the impact wrench when they guess that the lug nut won't come off with less than a breaker bar and a 4' pipe. We're just changing tires for the family car and not getting ready for a rocket launch. We just need to be at least as good or better than the corner garage and that's easy to do and doesn't need to cost a great deal. Just don't use the torque extensions with a constant force should you go that route. They are a torsion rod, a type of spring, and when the impact stops they spring back. On the next impact they only pass what they're rated for and again spring back and on and on. They must be used with an impact wrench or they will work as a standard extension and pass all the torque applied through to the thread since a constant applied torque doesn't allow it to spring back. No matter how many ft/lbs the impact wrench is good for over the rating of the torque limiting extension the extension will limit it within reason. Of course if the impact wrench is only good for 40 ft/lbs it won't increase it to 80 ft/lbs.

I haven't used mine yet with pneumatic, but with the Makita I don't push the torque because I don't need to. I just give it a few raps at the lowest torque setting and that has proven to be all I need. After I install all of the tires I go back again to double check, and after 25 miles or so I check again. Checking takes less than a handful of minutes for all of the lug nuts and that's no exaggeration. If I want to check them again in a bit it's no big deal and that happens. When I was using a beam type it was such a PITA that I'd check them twice and that was it.