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View Full Version : Torque wrenches....advice needed


Guru
13-11-06, 13:16
Couldn't under the wheel nuts this weekend just gone so am looking at torque wrenches as I only have a Halfrauds drive socket wrench at the moment.

Now Halfrauds have a 40-200Nm one for £50 but I have found a Sealey 20-150lb one for only £20. I have never had one before so am looking for a reccomendation please :)

JohnA
13-11-06, 13:21
Get a couple of good-quality ones, and be careful not to abuse them (and always rewind them after use)
One for the lower torque range, one for the higher.

Bob
13-11-06, 16:49
Couldn't under the wheel nuts this weekend just gone so am looking at torque wrenches as I only have a Halfrauds drive socket wrench at the moment.

What, you want a torque wrench to undo your wheel bolts?!

Thorin
13-11-06, 16:51
What, you want a torque wrench to undo your wheel bolts?!

:yeahthat: :conf:

Max Headroom
13-11-06, 17:05
Think you need a breaker bar rather than a torque wrench

merckx
13-11-06, 17:12
Think you need a breaker bar rather than a torque wrench

These are handy

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product.asp?p=040212625


Only buy and use the torque wrench for tightening them up.

JohnA
13-11-06, 17:19
What, you want a torque wrench to undo your wheel bolts?!

No, but it's a good idea to use one when putting them back on.

Bob
13-11-06, 17:22
No, but it's a good idea to use one when putting them back on.

True, but he did say he couldn't under [undo?] them. In which case a torque wrench is about as much use to him as a large slice of edam. :p


Guru, if you want to get wheel nuts off easily, get one of the extending wheel brace things - extend up to about 2' long, and come with changeable heads for 4 different sizes of nuts. You can pick them up from places like Halfords for <£10. Torque wrenches are for tightening bolts to a specific torque.

JohnA
13-11-06, 17:24
I've seen people actually using a torque wrench to undo tight bolts.
People who should have known better.

There is no quicker way to muck up the calibration of a torque wrench.:blink:

Pete
13-11-06, 19:56
Common misconception. I know people that think that the torque wrench helps increase torque to the nut. Funny eh?

Kranz
13-11-06, 20:32
Britool are the best. Lovely feel to them & the windy uppy bit pulls out of the base and twiddles round really lovely... a bit like a nipple bar !!

A bit like this one. Britool Classic £103
25 to 135 Nm

http://www.tooled-up.com/artwork/ProdImage/TB16463.jpg

Phwwwooorrrrrr !

dangerous brain
13-11-06, 20:43
Britool?? What about say Norbar?? http://www.norbar.com/products_category.php&category_multid=1

They are good enough for the entire armed forces (thats why I have a few in my tool box :) ). Britool are OK but I much prefer the norbar stuff. You are paying for accuracy btw. Also I'm not sure what you mean by not undoing nuts with torque wrenches as most I have ever used come in reversible formats and get calibration checked every 3 months without losing their calibration over years. The winding the spring off is a good pointer though.


OOOO torque wrenches I think I just got a stiffy :)

merckx
13-11-06, 20:48
Don't forget Snap-on . :)

Ewen
13-11-06, 21:09
King Dick...a tool you can be proud of
Most of our guys buy Snap-on, but King Dick is popular too.

Pete
13-11-06, 21:18
Strap ons? King Dicks? You're all obsessed!

paul mac
13-11-06, 22:18
as with anything in life mate you pay for what you get and my experience of Sealy is its cheap and the quality is not to good, it all depends what you want to do with it, if its just wheel nuts and the odd job then its fine, even if the Sealy is not very accurate it should be repeatable, if you set it to 90nm then everything should be between 85-95nm but more importantly all the same, so even if its not accurate all your wheel nuts will be done up the same ie 92nm, i would get one mate even if its just for wheel nuts swinging on a breaker bar is not the correct way to tighten them

Bob
13-11-06, 22:28
I got one of the Halfords Professional torque wrenches, which should be good enough for most diy mecanics; quite a nice bit of kit as well.

Guru
14-11-06, 09:14
What, you want a torque wrench to undo your wheel bolts?!

Sorry didn't explain well enough. I am having trouble undoing them. Getting a 60cm breaker bar for that and will get a torque wrench to do them up again properly insetad of just guessing ( which probably caused the problem) :)

dangerous brain
14-11-06, 15:56
I've found the most usefull item for removing wheel nuts is the extendable tyre wrench. Halfrauds do one. You can keep that in the car a bit easier than a buggering great breaker bar and the shnick sound it makes when you throw it into full extension can be very intimidating if you catch my drift :)

Guru
15-11-06, 07:57
That sounds interesting Brain. I can't find it online but will have a look instore. How much did you pay for yours?

~Rob~
15-11-06, 10:27
Mate, they seel Draper wheel brace's (the extenable ones with a couple of heads) for a fiver at Asda up at Middlebrook. i keep meaning to get one as theyre spot on, just not got round to it yet.

Guru
15-11-06, 12:40
Ooo that sounds good if it extends to a decent length. Thanks Rob will see what they have on the way back tonight :)

Guru
15-11-06, 17:32
Just been Rob and couldn't find.....

dangerous brain
15-11-06, 18:50
http://www.tool-catalogue.co.uk/tools.php/cPath/222_61/products_id/1009

Heres one online but most motor factors should stock it. As mentioned halfrauds do their own one as well.