Edumacate me about Torque Wrenches
 

If I am going to be a shade tree mechanic, I've got to have a torque wrench right?

If I am only going to buy one, what should it be?

It depends on what you are working on. I suspect you will really want more than one. One for the lower range and one for higher ranges.

I had to buy a new one to get to the higher ranges recently for my rear suspension work.

Buy the best. http://www.torqwrench.com

I prefer a Split-beam Click Wrench.....

Whichever one you end up with, BE SURE TO RESET IT TO ZERO (0) after each use.

I have the split beam wrench shown in the link. I would not advise buying it. While the wrench is probably accurate, the dial to set the torque lacks granularity. It's akin to having a sniper rifle without any sights...

Josh - As mentioned above, you do not have to reset a split beam type.

Rob - I have a few of the Precision Instruments split beam type torque wrenches. My 1/2" drive, which has a range of 50-250 lbft, is adjustable in 2.5lb increments. That's only 1% of total capacity, and I haven't encountered any tech documents that call for greater precision at that torque. But your needs may be different. If you need more precision, I suggest the dial type torque wrenches. They also have greater accuracy.



Some other considerations:

Choose the right torque wrench for the job. A torque wrench has a sweet spot - an area in the range where the device is most accurate. Usually, it is around the middle of the range. So if you want to torque to 100lbft, don't choose a TW that has a capacity of 20-100. Choose one that has a capacity of 50-150 (or similar).

The higher the capacity, usually the worse the scale resolution.
For example, my 800nm Snap On dial TW reads in 20nm increments. That means that I could be off by as much as 10nm on any given reading.

Finally, DRO torque wrenches exist for those who cannot properly read a scale, or who want the ease and convenience of reading numbers directly.

i use a $20 Harbor Freight for my 911 wheel nuts

Snap-On. Nuf said.

I only use a torque wrench once every 3 or 4 years so I didn't want one that needed calibrating every yearr or two. And I didn't want to pay too much for something I almost never use. So I bought one of those bendy ones. An engineer said they use a bendy one to calibrate the fancy ones.

Snap On TechAngle.
The best.

These are mine... All I'll ever need (except the rear axle nut on a 911)

Go with quality and you won't regret it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289365423.jpg

We have several different ones in the shop including a snapon with about 6ft of handle. I consistently grab for the armstrong though. The size is right, it adjusts properly, and I've never had problems with it not getting the torque right. I want to say dad picked it up for around $70.

Not a craftsman. They work well, but their handles / locks always break. No lifetime warranty on those.

G

For what it's worth, Precision Instruments has been making Snap On torque wrenches since 1938. Snap On also gets some of it's torque wrenches from their subsidiary, CDI Torque Products.

thanks for the info!:)

interesting viewpoint here:

Keeping It All Together, Part 3

I saw that, but I'm a creature of habit and would zero it just because it'd bother me if it wasn't at zero. That's what happens when you probably have ADD and OCD at the same time SmileWavy

That did happen to me. I did the repair and recalibrated it. I will buy another better brand if I ever do anther motor. In the meantime HF is good enough for lug nuts and my beam plus the fixed up Craftsman will get me by fixing lawnmowers. ;)