| Author | Message | ||
     Mrsnuggles |
I should know better than to work with cheap tools, so today was a refresher course in why... Now I need a second new primary cover. Fortunately that's all the damage I was able to do. Can someone recommend a torque wrench & vendor for me? | ||
| Rwven |
Craftsman at Sears Hardware I have one of the cheaper beam type, but it works just fine. Craftsman also sells the "click" type where you set the torque value and it clicks when you reach it, more convenient but a bit more expensive. | ||
| Mrsnuggles |
I may have to order one online... the sears here in Austin didn't have any when I looked. I checked out a couple of the local tool vendors, and all they have are the cheapo kind. I'm not about to touch it again with a $20 job again. | ||
| Rwven |
If you don't mind me asking, which bolts were you tightening? | ||
| Thetable |
How much are you going to be using it? The beam types are great if you can live without the ratchet mechanism, and you are able to tighten and look at the scale at the same time, on top of that, they are cheap, with really no parts to wear out. Clicker type are somewhat easier to use, but they will come out of adjustment with time, and you also have to make sure to zero them after use. I have seen a couple tests on the clicker type showing that the crappy Chinese jobbers are as accurate as the Craftsmans from the factory. Now all that being said, the ones I always end up with in hand are the Craftsman MicroTork. And a side note, buy the lowest range that you can find that will suit your need, because the accuracy seems to be worst at the lowest settings. In other words, don't buy the one rated to 250lbft to tighten drain plugs. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
I own several torque wrenches made by Precision Instruments: http://www.torqwrench.com/home.php I have two Sears Craftsman brand wrenches. Both scales slipped inside of the little window. When I checked the Sears site, multiple users had the same problem. The simple beam type torque wrenches are worthless, unless you have a grown a third hand to hold the mirror so you can read the scale while you operate the wrench with your other two hands. | ||
| Thetable |
If you are using two hands to operate the torque wrench, then you are skewing the the torque values. For the split beam type, there are some places where the wrench does need to be upside down to operate, such as drain plugs, in those circumstances, I will take a Sharpie and mark the backside of the scale. | ||
| Snowscum |
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool= hand&item_ID=55256&group_ID=953&store=snapon-store &dir=catalog In the Aerospace industry, we only use snapon. The clickers can be inaccurate if they are not used properly but are easy to use. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
""If you are using two hands to operate the torque wrench, then you are skewing the the torque values"" WHAT? . | ||
| Thetable |
Tell me how you are using the second hand, and I will tell you how you are skewing your torque values. If you are using a second hand to hold the head in place, then most likely you are in some effect keeping the head from turning, therefor not all the torque that the torque that the wrench sees is actually applied to the fastener. Not such a big deal, on a 80lbft lug nut, but it becomes a big deal on that 10lbin fastener. On a split beam torque wrench, applying force on the torque beam should only be applied through the pivot on the handle. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
Skewing the torque value??? You boys must have some grip. Remind me not to shake your hands if we ever meet. Back on point, I use that second hand to support the torque wrench. I don't want the socket to slip off. Also, my torque wrenches get used on more than just my Buell's drain plug. They are used on my cars, truck, tractors, etc.. Not every bolt that I torque has a good access. Sometimes I am just pleased to be able to get the wrench of the bolt. The beam style is just worthless in this case. I guess I forgot myself. Some of you guys must only work on your motorcycle. You have my apologies. | ||
| Mrsnuggles |
What about a dial wrench: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/torque-wrench/dial- torque-wrench.htm | ||
| Mrsnuggles |
Rwven "If you don't mind me asking, which bolts were you tightening?" I was tightening the inspection cover bolts (9.2 Nm).} | ||
| Bluzm2 |
I've got 4 or 5 torque wrenches. Most are Craftsman. I check the calibration on them about once a year. It's REAL eazy to do. You just need some weight and a strap, I use a soft tie strap. If the distance from the center of the drive head (the 3/8" or 1/2" square part)to the center of the handle part is 18", you use a multiplier of 1.5. For instance, the wrench goes to 150 Ft lbs, the center of the range would be 75 ft lbs. If you put the drive (1/2" in this case) in a vice parallel with the floor, then hang 50 lbs from the center of the handle grip using the soft tie, the wrench should just click when you press on the end. A very slight lift on the end of the handle should "un click" the wrench. You can pop off the end cap and adjust the spring tension with a socket and allen wrench. After you do it a couple of times, you can do it in 10 minutes or less. Just out of curiosity, I had one of my 1/2"'ers checked on a digital calibrator. It was within 1 lb at mid scale. Close enough for me! Brad | ||
| Rwven |
Thetable, +1 on the Sharpie... Mrsnuggles, I don't use a torque wrench on the inspection cover bolts. I use a 1/4" driver handle with a torx bit. I tighten the bolts as hard as I can with the driver handle and then add just a (very) little more with a ratchet handle. No strip and no leaks, and I am still on my original gaskets after 15K miles of fluid changes and primary/clutch adjustments. YMMV | ||
| Dr_greg |
Speaking as a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (not trying to boast; just giving my credentials) that is TOTALLY INCORRECT! Using a second hand ANYWHERE on the wrench will have NO EFFECT on the torque reading or the tightening torque. What a second hand WILL do (and SHOULD be done, especially when using an extension) is to effectively "zero out" the moment (torque) in the perpendicular plane, which is trying to "bend" the socket off the fastener being evaluated. A course in the "statics" discipline of engineering mechanics addresses this...one can draw a "free body diagram" of the situation and analytically prove it. Don't ask me to do it now; the semester just started and I'm busy. Maybe in a few weeks... --Doc | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Dr., it hurts when I do this.... | ||
| Edgydrifter |
+1 on the Sharpie. I soiled many a shirt on the ground trying to read an upside-down beam scale before this same idea occurred to me. | ||
| Thetable |
That is basically a split beam style torque wrench with a dial indicator. Very accurate, but it requires that you look at the scale while in use. It gives no indication when you reach a torque value. if you are willing to spend the money, I would really recommend a micrometer style click wrench. Set the number, and when the handle breaks, you have your torque figure. (Message edited by thetable on August 25, 2009) | ||
| Ulyscol |
Hey Dr. Greg, Split beam torque wrenches indicate torque by deflection. Isn't length in that integral somewhere??? If you grip a split beam wrench somewhere other than centered on the pivoted handle and apply say 10 lb-in, sure the fastener will see that torque but the deflection of the beam wont be the same and your reading will be off. Now I have been out of school for a few years so let me know if I need a refresher here.  | ||
| Skinstains |
Craftsman is Chinese junk. | ||
| Thetable |
The problem with that is that we are trying to describe a dynamic process with a static model. As I have always read and learned, to make an accurate torque measurement on a fastener, the fastener must be in motion while the torque is being measured, otherwise you are simply measuring static torque. I may have painted with a bit of a broad stroke on my second hand assertion. Second hand on the body of a ball detent or other torque wrench with the torque measurement mechanism enclosed, will not affect torque values, but if the second hand is on the head of the wrench, and the wrench is turning, one cannot help but to impart some force on the head, either resistance to turning or assistance in turning. For large torque values, this would be negligible. Now for a split beam, it indicates torque based on deflection of a steel beam. The torque wrench is calibrated based on the length of that beam and the fact that it will bend across the full length of the beam. Any secondary inputs can cause a less consistent bend, therefor skewing the readings. | ||
| Kimberley |
Got both of mine (ft/lbs & inch/lbs) from Harbor Freight. | ||
| Slipknot |
If Buell made a torque wrench would it come with a fan? | ||
| Cyclonedon |
if you like Sears Craftsman tools, I suggest you go to The Home Depot and purchase Husky. It's the same company but for less money. Carries a lifetime warranty. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
>>>If Buell made a torque wrench would it come with a fan? If Buell made a torque wrench, it would be electronic, the wires would chaff and the grounds would corrode, but the mass would be concentrated in the handle. | ||
| Dr_greg |
No. The process is not dynamic. The proper term is "quasi-static." The "motion" (i.e. acceleration) involved is of utterly no consequence. The ONLY way a "second hand" can cause an alteration in the measured torque is if said hand is actually imparting a torque around the axis of the fastener between the torque wrench and the fastener (e.g. grabbing the socket extension and twisting it around its own axis). This is rather unlikely on the part of the user, and even if done would be very minor (unless you grab the socket extension with a pipe wrench  ) A torque wrench mechanism (split-beam or other) is all internal, and unaffected (I use a split-beam clicker myself). You know, you can easily verify this with some experiments as well. --Doc | ||
| Slipknot |
My Craftsman torque wrench, used for 20 years on various bikes was tested last year and is still in spec. For the hobbyist, hard to beat. | ||
| Glenn |
For storage you should always return the setting for the click type, to the lowest scale toque setting. | ||
| Court |
I've got 3 Craftsman . . . take good care of, keep in cases and use a great deal. | ||
| Kansas |
If Buell made a torque wrench, you would have to buy it from a Snap-on dealer, who only had one, that had been robbed for parts. And there wouldn't be a Buell Tools t-shirt or hat anywhere in the Snap-on truck. | ||
| Skinstains |
20 year old Craftsman is a whole lot different than the "Crapman" of today. It probably has something to do with China. |
