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Two_seasons
Posted on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 08:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Well guys, it's time to toss out the old pointer style torque wrenches I own.

And in with the new! Specifically, I'd like to get two new ones, one in inch/lbs and one in foot/lbs. Both will be used on my Buell's.

Can I get both for under $500?

Looking forward to your suggestions
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Jramsey
Posted on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 08:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Anything wrong with your pointer"beam" style?
They are very accurate and for the most part never need recalibrating unless over pegged.



(Message edited by Jramsey on September 17, 2013)
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Bluzm2
Posted on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 10:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The Sears Craftsman wrenches are plenty good for the non professional wrench spinner.
I have 3 of them and use them all the time. I check the calibration about once a year and they stay pretty much spot on. Just me sure to back of the tension after every use like you should with any torque wrench.
Yes you can calibrate your own wrenches. There is an adjusting screw on the bottom under a cap. Just set the wrench to mid range, clamp the drive in a vise with the handle horizontal. If your handle is 1 foot away from the drive and your mid range is 25 ft lbs, hang a 25lb weight from the center of the grip. The wrench should "click" by applying a finger to the end.

I've done this for years and checked it with a calibration machine. Dead on each time. Well within a couple ft lbs anyway. Usually less than 3% error.

You should be able to get three wrenches for less than $200. I have the 3/8" drive in lbs, the 3/8" ft lbs and the 1/2" ft lbs wrenches.
I think Sears has them on sale now.

Damn just checked, they ARE on sale!!

1/2" drive 20-150 ft lbs
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-1-2inch-drive/p-00931425000P?prdNo=1

3/8" drive 25-250 in lbs
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-3-8inch-drive/p-00931423000P?prdNo=2

3/8" drive 10-75 ft lbs
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-3-8inch-drive/p-00931424000P?prdNo=4

All for $47.99 each! That's about $30 off each.


(Message edited by bluzm2 on September 16, 2013)
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Two_seasons
Posted on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 10:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Nothing is wrong with them as far as I can tell. Do you just stick alot of locktite on everything? Because that is what I've been doing all these years up until this point. But now that I'm starting to get some new motorcycle specific tools, I'd like to be accurate with them. At the higher ranges, it's hard to do that with the pointer.

I've become lazy in my old age. We use a lot of torque wrenches at work, the specific clicker type, in NM, ranging from 0.45 to 160.

By the way, both that I currently have are 1970's Sears brand. Both only measure in foot/lbs.
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Loki
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 02:11 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My Craftsman clickers have served me well. Even have a trained professional that does the cals on them.

ME
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Fahren
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 07:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Good review of different types:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/torque-wrench/
The Precision wrenches are awesome.
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Buellistic
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 08:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

This is what "SEPARATES" the CLICK TYPE from from the BAR TYPE !!!

WHERE AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET THEM RE-CALERBRATED ???
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Loki
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 12:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Buellistic,

I did those cals for almost ten years in the AF. The next ten, I would either hand them to another friend who would do them or do it myself in the avionics shop. Even had those official PMEL labels with dates. Now I just take them to work with me in the locomotive shop. We have several test stands in the shop.

Now its more of a "take them in and" when I know I am going to be using them.

Our schedule was every 30 days in use or 90 in storage.
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Two_seasons
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 01:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Loki:
Colorado Springs is where Lowery is and if memory serves me, that is where we used to send our instruments from the USN to be cal'd. Sounds like that is where you were TDY.

I'm just at a point in my life where the old "feel for it" doesn't work any more. If you saw the S2T I now own, you'd probably understand.

I'm at work right now and our cal's on the torque wrenches I use are every 6 months.

I've got to weigh whether or not I want to pass these on to my son. It would be a shame to spend the money if after I'm gone they were to be pushed to the curb on trash day. My philosophy has always been to save for the better tools instead of just "anything will do". Probably wind up with the better ones. Just for fun, I looked up Snap-on's offerings...WOW, that knocked my socks off. A little over $5K for what I want.
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Mcelhaney14
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 03:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I personally use the beam type more. Especially they always work for left or right hand thread. If you get a click type, make sure it goes both ways.
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Loki
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 04:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Two,

My AFSC(Analog Instruments/Avionics) at the time had us trained to certify them at the local level. Our local PMEL(same squadron) could not handle the extra workload. It was a sight to see fifty of them on the shelf waiting. At that time not one of them left Little Rock to get cal'd/certified. Spend eight hours in the shop, on the bench, doing nothing but. That was a long time ago though, when you still had local level repair of boxes.

Even my reserve outfit did them in-house. So it was real easy to do this stuff on the side as a government side job.

We had a couple that we did... needed to put some extra bodies on the end of the bench or it would lift before the wrench would break over. Then we got the new fangled tester that did everything automatically and printed out the cert paperwork.

Even my Loco shop(UPRR) used to do it in-house, not anymore. They would rather send them out.


Mc,

Most click types will go either way. Just have to be certified/cal'd for it. We had to physically mark the TQ Wrench and the PMEl label to show it. It was not unheard of to cal one CW and not even be close CCW.
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Preybird1
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 05:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I have 3 of them my self in foot lb, inch pound and newton meters. I also have a mini torque wrench for tight places. Good to have tools i say. I bought some racing seats for my truck and they came with no mounting brackets. They wanted $200.00 for brackets and were 8 weeks out. So i got a sawsall and a welder and some metal angle iron stock. I made my own brackets and and now i have tools for later to do more work with.
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Steeleagle
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 05:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My input is to remember that the accuracy of a typical torque wrench is usually expressed as a % of full range. So you want a wrench with an upper end of the range close to the torque you'll usually be applying. This is also why you would need multiple wrenches if you need reasonable accuracy.
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Jolly
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 06:04 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

funny but expected twist to the thread...many, many life times ago when I first joined the military as a young enlisted kid I was in PMEL, went to Lowry AFB for the training, and have calibrated more torque wrenches than I care to remember...
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Two_seasons
Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 09:45 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Everything we torque at work gets marked with permanent paint to indicate same.

BTW, I like choo=choo's. It must be fun to work on them.

Prey, yup, was thinking three is what I need.

Steel, understand.
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X1bueller
Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 10:08 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The Craftsman wrenches listed do not suck. I bought them 10 months ago and they are working great. They are on sale, so its a good time to jump on them. I bought them on Black Friday last year and they were $30 each. I suppose you can take your chances and wait, but you never know....
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