Torque wrench.

[The Pastor]

With a torque wrench, must you wind it back to a low reading if you are storing it?

also what can break a torque wrench? I lent mine to a mate and now it dosent go click when it reaches the setting, and as a result i snapped a bolt.

[Motu]

I hate clickers,just too many things to go wrong.Get a Warren & Brown - the most rugged torque wrench ever made,there are many over 30 years old in everyday use...mine is 35 years old.They are a beam type with a button clicker.Bullet proof.

[The Pastor]

Thanks motu, i'll look into it. Not really helpful atm tho.

[Ixion]

I'll second the endorsement for W&B. And so easy to use, you don't have to watch it, just listen. Mine is not as old as Mr Motu's some bastard stole my first one and I had to by another a quarter century or so ago.I'm not so keen on the break back type.


I assume that is the sort you are having problems with. If the wrench is used as a power bar, ie for tightening high torque nuts with the torque setting set low, you can bend or break the internal gizmo thing (technical term). Ditto if used for loosening , when it doesn't have a 'reverse' mode .Impossible on a W&B , but not too hard on the breakbacks.


It's good practice with any thing of that nature to lossen any settings. But not doing so wouldn't bust a torque wrench, maybe just affect the accuracy.

Bear in mind that a torque wrench is a precision device, it's not for gorilla work.

[glice]

yea store it at the lowest you can and when you go to use it again after it has been sitting for a while put it on a really low setting and get it to click and do its thing to make sure the internal gizmo thing is going.

[TLDV8]

With a torque wrench, must you wind it back to a low reading if you are storing it?

also what can break a torque wrench? I lent mine to a mate and now it dosent go click when it reaches the setting, and as a result i snapped a bolt.

I have two Falcom torque wrenchs which have the clicking head. (You would need a minimum of two for working on motorcycles)(i have four in total)
You need to wind them off after use (imo) to preserve the internal spring.
I also have a Warren and Brown (mentioned in this thread) 20 to 200 ft/lb which i have also had for a long time.
If i am not mistaken the W&B type wench will not do left hand threads unlike the Falcoms which also have a rachet head.

[Madness]

Warren & Brown (http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/national.torquetools/WarrenBrown/WB.html) are the best. Even brands like Norbar & KD are surpassed in terms of accuracy & reliability.

Save up, they're not cheap.

[Ixion]

Correct. The W&B is one way only. OTOH , how often in reality d' y' encounter a left hand thread.

I have a 1/2" drive W&B and a 1/2 drive summut else (dunno unless I go look which I can't be bothered, quite a good one though ) and a Teng tools 1/4". Usually use the W&B , and it's been around for 25 odd years, still as good as. Compare the three every so often just to check.

The other thing I liek about the W&B is you can see how near you are to the correct setting by watching the angle bit approaching the clicker.

[Madness]

Teng are probably one of the better "budget" options. I'd buy one if I needed one. They have a huge range of models and are pretty good quality for the price. Cream of the Taiwanese crop, so to speak.

[TLDV8]

... how often in reality d' y' encounter a left hand thread.


Fwiw
The first two that spring to mind are TL1000 primary drive nut and Ducati camshaft upper bevel gear retaining nut. :niceone:

[Subike]

I hate clickers,just too many things to go wrong.Get a Warren & Brown - the most rugged torque wrench ever made,there are many over 30 years old in everyday use...mine is 35 years old.They are a beam type with a button clicker.Bullet proof.

agree %100 cant go past them for best of the best

[Ixion]

Teng are probably one of the better "budget" options. I'd buy one if I needed one. They have a huge range of models and are pretty good quality for the price. Cream of the Taiwanese crop, so to speak.

Yeah, I wanted a 1/4" because so many bike bolts and nuts are small/low torque, and trying to dial up 7lb/ft on the W&B was a hit and miss business. The Temg seems to be OK for what it is.

[The Pastor]

I dunno wtf my mate did to it, but it dont go click no more.

As a result i overtightend a bolt, and it sheared off.

and track day is on friday :O

[Ixion]

So, replace the bolt? Bolts break tis a fact of life, even with torque wrenches
(or indeed torque wenchs, but then who cares)

[riffer]

I'll endorse the Warren and Brown that Motu and Ixion were saying. I inherited my dad's W&B (c. 1970s) and it's still fine.

Having said that, I also have a Facom that's just lovely too. I don't appear to be able to break them, and I'm rough as on tools.

Use a pry bar or a drift if you want to bend stuff. And don't lend your tools out. Let people use them at your gargre is the best idea.

[The Pastor]

it snapped off in the wheel hub.

I'll take it to an engineering shop on thursday, but its a purpose made bolt, i dont think i'll be able to get anything to replace it.

unless you have some ideas?

[Ixion]

Drill it out and see your friendly local parts department for a replacement?

[The Pastor]

yeah i know, but it will be a 2-3 month wait and its $15 a bolt >_<

i'll try the wreckers tomorrow... Im not holding my breath.

[Ixion]

Fuck, its a ZXR250. There must have been thousands of them wrecked. PM Skidmark hes bound to ahve one.

[Ixion]

Alternatively, how many bloody bolts do you need to hold a hub on?

[The Pastor]

Fuck, its a ZXR250. There must have been thousands of them wrecked. PM Skidmark hes bound to ahve one.

cbr250RR. If it makes a lick of differance. And i think mark sold his bike, or at least most of it.


Alternatively, how many bloody bolts do you need to hold a hub on?

6 per disc.

[Motu]

As a result i overtightend a bolt, and it sheared off.


As a result of over reliance on a torque wrench.I don't use a torque wrench much,only on really specific fasteners.You need to develop a ''feel'' for tightening various nut and bolts,then you can tighten everything perfectly without relying on a crutch.As an apprentice I was ''taught'' how to tighten bolts - my boss would watch and then check how tight they were....then he'd give me the go ahead to do the rest.He did this for a few weeks - then I was set for life.

[glice]

unless you have some ideas?

where abouts do you live, theres a good bolt shop on archers rd in the shore and I'm always surprized what they have.

supercheap auto have a sale on at the moment with a torque rench in it. its a superworks one which is just sidcrome with a different name on it, so its good stuff, with a life time warrenty.

[Edbear]

So, replace the bolt? Bolts break tis a fact of life, even with torque wrenches
(or indeed torque wenchs, but then who cares)

Sounds rather painfull...:innocent:


As a result of over reliance on a torque wrench.I don't use a torque wrench much,only on really specific fasteners.You need to develop a ''feel'' for tightening various nut and bolts,then you can tighten everything perfectly without relying on a crutch.As an apprentice I was ''taught'' how to tighten bolts - my boss would watch and then check how tight they were....then he'd give me the go ahead to do the rest.He did this for a few weeks - then I was set for life.

Yup! Learned that way, too... I'd tighten until it just snapped, then back it off a fraction...:done:

[vifferman]

If the wrench is used as a power bar, ie for tightening high torque nuts with the torque setting set low, you can bend or break the internal gizmo thing (technical term). Ditto if used for loosening ...
True dat... :o

[The Stranger]

i have four in total


WTF?
How did you get away with that.
General consensus on KB is that even one is totally superfluous and can lead to a general haranguing.
Go immediately, dump the lot of them and in future stick to threads about how to remove snapped bolts, how to install helicoils and how to locate lost brake calipers, sump plugs etc.

[imdying]

how often in reality d' y' encounter a left hand thread.Heh, my clutch master cylinder reservoir... took a whole lot of heaving before I found it undid easily the other way :lol: Apparently the ones sent to customers were marked, except mine... :whistle:

[pritch]

I've got an old Norbar. When I bought it it was proudly emblazoned with the claim that it was the standard torquewrench throughout the British car industry.

That still worries me...

[Edbear]

I've got an old Norbar. When I bought it it was proudly emblazoned with the claim that it was the standard torquewrench throughout the British car industry.

That still worries me...


Say what you like about the British car industry, but their nuts and bolts were always done up perfectly...:yes:

[Motu]

Say what you like about the British car industry, but their nuts and bolts were always done up perfectly...:yes:

True - after more than 2 decades working on British vehicles (until they disappeared overnight) I can't remember one wheel stud stripping or shearing off,bolts you torqued up,came undone at the same torque,not 10 times what they were tightened to,and every bolt tightened stayed that way,not coming undone a week later.Something has gone awry in the metallurgy department I think.

[Squiggles]

Got me a teng torque wrench fer $75 from the tool shop today, we'll see how well it goes (tis a 3/8th 5-25nm one)

[vagrant]

The fastest way to stuff a torque wrench is to use it in the reverse direction (or as a hammer:angry2:).
Even those with the ratchet head produce a different torque when operating in reverse. The tool cabinets I look after at work have 30 odd torque wrenches between them, ranging from screwdriver types to 600ftlb monsters. Brands include Snapon, Norbar and W & B.
We have an electronic torque testing setup with assorted load cells that we use to test each one on a monthly basis.
If you want your torque wrench checked out and possibly re-caled, send me a PM.

[The Stranger]

Got me a teng torque wrench fer $75 from the tool shop today, we'll see how well it goes (tis a 3/8th 5-25nm one)

They are one of the few brands that I could find that are actually calibrated and certified, come in appropriate size ranges and are affordable.

[NOMIS]

Never had a problem with my "snap on" digi rrp $300 untill i lowered a car on to it. :bye: that was the end of that, Sucked being a apprentice