Torque Wrench

[RHT45]

FWIW I have two Halfords Professional (which I am not!) torque wrenches. The small 3/8" one is 6-45 lb/ft or 8-60 Nm and the large 1/2" one is 30-150 lb/ft or 40-200 Nm. Both came with a calibration certificate and seem very well made. I try to remember to unscrew the setting after use and mostly do. So far they have worked perfectly though I can't re-calibrate them. Wise words from jackstringer about overtightening...

The large one is mostly needed for car wheel bolts and tightens them on the Touareg to 180 Nm, but definitely without the 4' length of tube, and it does that fine, and continues to do so. But it did take a 6' tube and a wheel nut spider to undo those bolts when they'd been in place for a good 18 months.

[Andy.S]

Hi
The club spares scheme sells a torque wrench part number 900754 3 LBF FT TO 15LBF FT

[jackstringer]

Don't do the bar and weight/scale thing, it's not accurate as you might think. Unless you have a pully system setup.

Hmm
Want to expand on that Jack? - not sure what you mean.
Mine are Snap On and Proto - checked against an Acratork before use professionally and with a spring balance at home, (the spring balance is easily calibrated against a dead weight).

Regards Mick

See the link below for information about the use of weight to generate torque,
https://www.norbar.com/Portals/0/Norbar ... 4110EN.pdf

Using a spring balance has errors and readability issues.
The weights that are used to calibrate it (did you take into account local gravity?)
The error in the length of the item you pull (and the errors in the maths to convert)
Do you pull in a perfect circle?

These days torque wrenches are accurate to 4% or better, work repeatably etc.

[Victor Johnstone]

Thanks all

Splashed out on Snap On

This is a great club!

[56G80S]

"Too many times I have seen people use a torque wrench set too high and they snap a bolt."

That is exactly why I bought two (1/2" and 3/8"). I once had a tendency to strip threads and snap bolts. The overtightening avoidance advice is good and I get wary if it starts to seem too tight. I have a personal view that absolute accuracy, for example the cylinder head bolts, is less important than each bolt being fastened uniformly, to the same amount.

In my simplistic way, and welcoming feedback, I have checked one tool against the other, tightening then making a small mark and then retightening to the "same" figure with the other wrench and seeing if there's any approximate agreement. Of course, that's riddled with factors and doesn't rule out them both being wrong.

Johnny B