OT torque wrench

[hubops]

I lost the original thread from last year <?> .. but regardless and irregardless .. I bought a new torque wrench today - after returning my second Princess Auto $ 50. unit - both fell apart in my hands - just doing snow tires in the driveway 2 times per year. The new $ 120. DeWalt is almost a foot longer ooh ; has a very fancy plastic case ; Whoo-ooh ! But one point that was made in the original thread - using it to loosen the lug nuts - the DeWalt has several warnings to NOT use it to loosen ! The packaging says " limited 1 year warranty " the web site says " lifetime replacement warranty" Canadian Tire and Home Depot.

They are just today offering it in a combo with a breaker bar ... $ 150.

.. the jury is out .. I won't hold my breath ...

John T.

[trader_4]

I Knowing what their purpose is and what they are used for, I hope you didn't need that warning. About the only time I could see using one to loosen a bolt would be if you wanted to see if it was excessively torqued. Even then, not sure if you torqued it to 30 that means it will unscrew at 30, might take more, but there should be a correlation.

A friend of mine was complaining that a tire shop had way over torqued his lugs. He went back and the manager took a torque wrench, put it on a lug, showed him that it clicked at the correct value and said that proved they torqued it correctly......

[hubops]

I used my cheapo to loosen the wheel nuts - but I'm pretty sure that was not the failure cause - they both had screws loosen off - in different spots . I suspect that homeowner torque wrenches do not measure the loosening torque . . < professional tools - perhaps ? >

Re-torquing click does not prove that it wasn't originally over-torqued ... duh. John T.

[Clare Snyder]

Lifetime of the wrench is when id dies (or falls apart)

[Clare Snyder]

Torque wrench reads both directions - has to, otherwize you could not torque left hand nuts. The "prohibition" against using it for loosening is the fact that the force released when a bolt snaps loose is extreme and WILL throw the calibration off in time. If the bolt/nut is not semi-seized, and comes off easily with no "snap" it will NOT hurt the wrench - but you don't know how it will come off untill you try it. That's why the "kits" come with a "breaker bar" - break the nuts loose with the breaker bar, then run them off with the torque wrench with the ratchet set to the "off" position. Why else would they but a reversible ratchet head on a torque wrench????

[hubops]

Ask DeWalt or all the other wrench companies .. John T.

[Terry Coombs]

  You should both realize that breakaway torque is almost always significantly higher than tightening torque ... Now I'm not a scientist nor do I play one on TV , but I have done some "empirical studies" . In my experience in several cases (yes , I actually did this) it "usually" takes from 1.5 to 1.7 times the tightening torque to break the bolt loose . I NEVER use my torque wrenches to loosen a bolt , that ain't what they were designed for . I use Craftsman clickers for under 100 ft/lbs , I have Dad's beam/pointer wrench for stuff like the Harley comp sprocket and final drive pulley nuts that need up to 150 ft/lbs .

[Terry Coombs]

  Bite the bullet John , Clare nailed it . Torque wrenches are NOT designed to loosen fasteners . Why do you think they call them "BREAKER" bars ?

[hubops]

Princess Auto was very good with both returns - I didn't need to show proof of purchase or anything. .. but the product was still very poor - I suspect that they had a lot of returns .. I got a store credit for the $ amount so they will get about 50 % back ...

As for CTC I copied the web site lifetime warranty - to use when this one fails... as opposed to the packaging 1 year warranty. John T.

[hubops]

I'm not arguing with Clare or DeWalt ... except - .. why do they put a reverse option ? on the cheap homeowner torque wrench that is not meant for that task ? .. and then print strict warnings to never use it to loosen a lug nut ... John T.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Two reasons. It is cheap to do. You may also want to measure torque on lef hand thread.

I don't us chisels as screwdrivers even if they fit the slots or gefty wrenches as hammers. But, this is America, you can if you want to.

[Terry Coombs]

  The clutch basket nut on my (RIP Bag Lady) now deceased 1976 Shovelhead Harley was a left hand thread that required a 45-55 LB/ft torques . Is that a good enough example ? You certainly didn't want to overtorque , it would crack  the clutch hub - taper fit with a key to locate .

[Dean Hoffman]

Didn't the older Chrysler products have left hand threaded lug bolts on the driver's side?

[Clare Snyder]

because, like I said, you sometimes need to torque a LEFT HAND THREADED FASTENER. My 1/2 inch drive Snap-On micro-adjusting click torque wrench is now ell over 40 years old - they don't have the jigs for recalibrating it any more - and it has been used "in reverse" fairly often - but NOT as a "breaker bar"

[Clare Snyder]

So did some oldsmobiles and cadillacs and hudsons and some British cars as well - just for starters,

[Clare Snyder]

Keep the receipt - the "lifetime warranty" is with CTC - not Stanley/ Black and Decker Corp (the owner of DeWalt brand).

CTC is pretty good with their warranty - but not as simple as Princess Auto (we are not satisfied until you are)

[rbowman]

My 1/2" drive beam torque wrench is getting old too. It still works.

[Terry Coombs]

  I'm still using Dad's beam , it's gotta be at least 50 years old . I check it against my Craftsman clicker occasionally .

[micky]

Do they say what they will replace it with?

Perhaps a kitten.

[Clare Snyder]

My beam wrench is likely older than me - not much to go wrong on them