Torque wrench hunt

[Genie47]

I prefer Fatherland (German), King's Tools (UK) or Ace (American).

[Gadgeter]

  Quote

i lost my whole tool box...cannot find it

now have to wait for snap on tool offer

the one at Tagore lane?

[Gearoil]

If you are using the torque wrench for rougher jobs and only tighten certain not so critcal bolts then Britool or Japan wrenches like Kanon will do.

 

Also you might not need the smaller wrench and buying a bigger sized wrench up to 150 ft.lbf will do nicely.

 

But if you were to do some engine work then it is best to buy some good and appropriate ranged wrenches.

 

But one thing is for sure, for poorer quality wrench you should have it calibrated as they tend to give a higher torque than the dialed-in torque ( this is partly due to the wrench construction besides others like the skill of the operator).

 

For Snap-On wrench or others like CDI, PROTO, ELORA you can very well trust the manufacturer's calibration cert ( I verified it...reading was swee..swee)and be rest assured the even with long term usage, the wrench will always give you the required torque...a truly worthwhile investment.

 

Cheers.

[Genie47]

Seems like this Draper fits the bill:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...7962648761&rd=1

 

22-154ft-lbs.

 

20GBP for it. Strange that the seller says available to the UK only but willing to ship worldwide .

[Maded]

heh heh... maybe i'll go down and kaypoh

[Yeobh]

All professional torque wrenches should have factory test certificates. Third party cetificate issued by testing lab is very expensive.

For torquing crankshaft bearings, cylinder head bolts ,flywheel bolts and alloy rim lug nuts, a precision and properly calibrated torque wrench is much- nothing less!!

[King]

ya

[Saaber]

seems like a good deal...

[Megalord]

I don't mind buying form overseas, but how about recaliberation? Every now and then got to do it if used frequently, which i dun see the point in getting 1 if not used frequently. Army ones is dunno 3 or 6 months must caliberate once, that time wasted, didn't check where they send for caliberation, else now dun need to think so hard liao.

[Genie47]

Actually no need to calibrate if you don't knock it. If used for work like spark plugs or wheel nuts, should be OK. Just keep it safely hidden away until needed. BTW, I would tighten by hand the nut first then whip out the torque wrench to get it properly torqued. If use torque wrench all the way, confirm the wrench off calibration.

[Megalord]

Of course tighten until hand tight then use tools mah, rule of the thumb. Hmm... No lah, frequent usuage sure need to recaliberate one, cos army same case also. THose 3/4 inch ones... Look @ the number of vehicles coming in per day, then 1 tyre got 8 or more nuts(yah, 3/4 one don't use for small vehicles), and 1 vehicle min 4 tyres... Ever time go caliberate always off line one. Didn't drop cos here was 1 period i was the only person holding it. So i was thinking must be abit safe mah, so need caliberation lor. Cos if i get 1 i will be doing alot of repairs myself to cover up the cost, so stuff like brake calipers etc etc need good torque. wanna join up for a MO? Then maybe we get get something like armstrong @ a cheaper rate?

Edited March 29, 2005 by Megalord

[Genie47]

I was thinking, I don't do tire changes but brake bleeds need tire removal, so I would need to torque the wheel nuts. Was thinking of a general purpose rough job one. The one by Draper looks good. 22-154ft-lbs. Good for spark plugs, drain sump and wheel nuts. I'm quite skeptical of some of the others selling in eBay. Dunno if they mean scale from 10-150ft-lbs or useful torque range from 10-150ft-lbs. Anyway, I've been looking very hard, the Draper one has a narrower range which also means a bit more accurate compared to one with a 10-150 range.

 

I can call for MO. This is a tool that is important and if you are the simplest of all MSCP mechanics, the spark plug change will require it.

[Megalord]

Agreed, one of the more required precision tools needed. Tyres are okie lah, i can judge from 15-300nm with a fair bit of accuracy, but nowadays don't get to tighten bolts and nuts, doubt it will be that close anymore, so maybe need a torque wrench. I mean, a fair bit of overtightening in the tyre nuts or bolts is okie, but i wun wanna go wrong with those hardened small bolts meant to take on heavy torque. And they can be found on your brake caliper etc etc, better be safe lah. If you call for a MO, i am definately in, but hopefully those i used b4 like armstrong, elora or snap-on? Haven't used draper b4 mah, so abit scared.

[Genie47]

Wheel lug nuts cannot overtighten lah. Must have equal torque for all or else your brake rotors will warp. This is critical because these cars are ours now not SAF.

 

You scared of Draper. I scared because of all the unknown brands like MPP (Minnesota Pneumatic Products). The Draper quite ex compared to the MPP or any of the 10-150ft-lbs range in eBay. Most expensive is around USD19.90 whereas the Draper is 20GBP which is around USD37.

[Megalord]

True, but you can' really over-tighten a particular bolt/nut by much using the cross tightening method, esp if trained properly and of course taking care of it.. Still, a good precision tool can do some help. USD 37 excluding shipping is okie though. My last snap-on replacement set cost... Yah, someone broke open my tool box and stole it away... Damn him... Any group buys? I looking @ those 1/2 or 3/8 inches type. Those you saw are usually of what size?

OT: In saf got people tighten above 1000nm on a 400nm rating one. Took us bull and cow effort to remove that 1 nut...

Edited March 30, 2005 by Megalord

[Genie47]

The Draper I'm looking at is a 3/8". I think the Pittsburg or MPP ones are 1/2" with 3/8" adaptors.

[Mkl22]

am using a suekage Pro-auto torque wrench. bought for about 160 or slightly more. 10-100lb-ft. Made in Japan. Works great. Bought the the tekka hardware shop on the second floor. He also sells good oil filter wrenches. the type that fits exactly over the filter.

 

About the over tightening of wheel nuts. you can never over tighten if you use a cross wrench and just use your hands, no stepping or whatever. Torque will be about right too. Trust me. I have removed and put back my wheels over 50times over the last 3 months when i was fixing my brake problem. Each time set the torque wrench and then test with the hand tighten method works out to be quite close.

[Yeobh]

Draper products are mainly for DIYs in Uk. Why not purchase a professional torque wrench and start a side-line renting business. You already a group of weekend mech, and I sure they will support you.

Edited April 1, 2005 by Yeobh