Recommend a torque wrench

[SlowRide]

I'm coming to realise it'd be damned handy to have a torque wrench in the tool kit. What can be recommended for a backyard tinkerer such as myself? I don't want to buy junk, but my pockets aren't deep enough to afford Snap-On gear either.

Any suggestions?

[AndyG]

These got a big wrap in an earlier post, you can probably search it out

Torque Wrenches - Warren & Brown Precision Tools (http://www.warrenandbrown.com.au/precisiontools/products/204/Torque%20Wrenches)

[TK_Co]

Warren and brown are a very good manufacture of torque wrenches. As a trade mechanic that used torque wrenches daily, (CAT/Snap-on) I would have a repo or kingcrome torque wrench in my tool kit at home. They are well made and will work perfectly well for what you want.


Just catching the perentie bug.

? 1990 Perentie 6x6 Air Defence GS
?2013 Range Rover Sport

[Ranga]

I recently bought a Kinchrome job from Bunnings for ~$80. Nothing flash, but will suit my needs. Could have got a CAT unit at cost +GST through work, but found ti hard to justify the higher cost.

[p38arover]

I have a Warren & Brown deflecting beam. I think I bought it in the late Sixties.

[Bigbjorn]

I bought a Craftsman Model 13919 1/2" drive digital torque wrench in the US last year. The brand is available here. I paid under AU$100 for it. Very good tool. I also have a Seekonk 1/4" drive dial type that reads in both directions. This is an inspection grade precision tool. Seekonk stuff is top shelf and expensive.

I had a W&B 1/2" drive click type for thirty years but the sliding block broke in half. Cost of a new part was then $58 plus cost of getting it recalibrated. No thanks.

[Outback 1]

I have a Warren & Brown deflecting beam. I think I bought it in the late Sixties.

yep reckon I bought mine in the early nineties

[Baggy]

Repco have torgue wrench on sale in there current catalogue for $38.00c reduced from $99.00c

My brother brought one at full price.
I've borrowed it and have torgued up my rocker shafts last weekend.

Works fine and seems to be of a reasonable quality ......

Cheers

Baggy

[timax]

Im like you. Like to buy quality but not silly money.

"Norbar" is what i have and i love it.

[d2dave]

Warren & Brown deflecting beam for me. Have an inch pound and foot pound.

[pannawonica]

Warren and Brown for me, however its been rebranded as Sidchrome. Atleast it was made here!

[Will Wallace]

The biggest question is what size. I agree that Warren Brown are great.
However you don't just have one.
Depending on the application, you may need 2 or 3 sizes.

Rocker cover on a Td5, 9nm, barely finger tight or 737 main landing gear trunion 800nm.

Will

[damienb]

Digital balance on the end of a spanner.

Or Norbar.

[d2dave]

The biggest question is what size. I agree that Warren Brown are great.
However you don't just have one.
Depending on the application, you may need 2 or 3 sizes.

Rocker cover on a Td5, 9nm, barely finger tight or 737 main landing gear trunion 800nm.

Will

You don't need a tension wrench for rocker cover bolts.

In 40 odd years I have only ever used one for head bolts, big ends an main bearings and there might have been the odd other thing that I can't remember.

[Kev the Fridgy]

I have a Warren & Brown deflecting beam. I think I bought it in the late Sixties.

Yep, the one in my tool box was purchased new in the mid sixties by dad

[DanDisco2]

warren and brown for me as well. Aussie built aren't they?

[Will Wallace]

Thanks Dave.

Will.

[d2dave]

warren and brown for me as well. Aussie built aren't they?

They were and still could be but don't know. It would be nice if they still are.

[BathurstTom]

I have two Ritch tension wrenches - one that is rarely used. I try to keep it as a check. I also have a cheap aldi one and an old inch/lb tension wrench that is of unknown vintage.

The two ritch seem to still be in calibration with each other even though one has been used much more than the other


Tom.

[Shortyesquire]

Park tool make cheap deflecting beam ones for 1/4 and 3/8 drive useful for carbon and plastic. Kingchrome 1/2 drive clicker from bunnings is great value at $90 from memory.

[VladTepes]

Repco have torgue wrench on sale in there current catalogue for $38.00c reduced from $99.00c

My brother brought one at full price.
I've borrowed it and have torgued up my rocker shafts last weekend.

Works fine and seems to be of a reasonable quality ......

Cheers

Baggy

How would you know? At that price it doesn't strike me as likely it would be properly calibrated from the factory.....

[Toxic_Avenger]

So all you blokes with Warren and Browns from the dark ages...
Are the deflecting beam units still accurate after all these years?

There are always a few floating around on ebay for modest coin... if they are as strong as a brick ****house, then it may make sense to stick with a battle proven (albeit old) unit rather than a new cheap innacurate model out of the people's republic

[Busted Syncro]

G'day All,

Been doing some research on torque wrenches and in particular ratchet adapters.
Have a look at Warren & Brown website for tips on using the two types of wrenches.

Torque wrench safety and usage - Warren and Brown Precision Tools (http://wbtools.com.au/torque-wrench-safety-and-usage/)

Beam & coil spring wrenches should be re-calibrated after 2,500 pulls or 1 year.
Coil spring wrenches when not in use should be left on the lowest setting for storage.
Also note that only to be used from 20% to 100% of full scale.

Interesting reading
Chris

[d2dave]

My W&B is probably 45 years old. Has never been re calibrated and I have never had a job fail due to incorrect bolt tension.

If I was working with space shuttles or F1 cars I probably would get it done,
but I don't think it necessary for basic motor cars.

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'm thinking I might get a used one online and get someone to have a look at it.
I agree- I don't need accuracy down to the Nm, but knowing if I'm out by +-2%, or 30% would be nice to know so I can adjust accordingly.
I think I read that ideally they should be calibrated every 2500 uses. But it would only take one apprentice to use it like a breaker bar or use it to tighten a left hand thread for it to go out of whack.

[Busted Syncro]

But it would only take one apprentice to use it like a breaker bar or use it to tighten a left hand thread for it to go out of whack.


That's why you don't lend your Torque wrench or your tools. Remember the saying "Don't lend your wife or tools because they both come back......" or never come back!!!!!!

[Toxic_Avenger]

Great saying!
And credit where credit is due... I read a few posts up and the 2500 pulls figure I 'read somewhere' came from you!

I don't think my usage will warrant a new torque wrench... but I'm a big believer that quality is worth it... only issue is the used wrenches could be way out from poor maintenance and improper use. I'd mainly be using for maintainence tasks, not engine building.

Maybe when Nasa offers me a job I can go all out ;)

[Busted Syncro]

G'day All,

Found this interesting article on how to repair and re-calibrate those "El Cheapo" clickey torque wrenches.
The re-cal method is rough but better than nothing if you don't want to spend the $50 to have a NATA re-calibration report.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Fixing-and-Calibrating-a-Clicky-style-Torque-Wrenc/?ALLSTEPS

Bit of reading but interesting with nice pic's.

Chris

[Disco-tastic]

I have two Ritch tension wrenches - one that is rarely used. I try to keep it as a check. I also have a cheap aldi one and an old inch/lb tension wrench that is of unknown vintage.

The two ritch seem to still be in calibration with each other even though one has been used much more than the other


Tom.

I have an aldi one too. Have you checked it against your more expensive wrenches? I'm keen to see how close it comes calibration wise.

So far I've only used it on my mower, but if its reasonable i will use it on the car.

Cheers


Dan

[crawal]

We sell Norbar at work , great value , and importantly can be re calibrated
Alos have other brands but sell 3-1 norbar :D

[d2dave]

So all you blokes with Warren and Browns from the dark ages...
Are the deflecting beam units still accurate after all these years?

There are always a few floating around on ebay for modest coin... if they are as strong as a brick ****house, then it may make sense to stick with a battle proven (albeit old) unit rather than a new cheap innacurate model out of the people's republic

I just had a look at W&B's website. I would hardly suggest the dark ages.
They still make the same deflecting beam, due to it standing the test of time.

It has the equal highest accuracy of all their wrenches and as a bonus is still made in Oz.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Might have been poor choice of wording.
Main question was who has had one in regular service for years, and if so what's its accuracy like now?
Trying to work out how inaccurate these things become when they see many years of service without the level of maintenance the manufacturer may stipulate... as I'd more likely than not be looking at a higher qualitiy, used wrench.

[Surrufus]

Might have been poor choice of wording.
Main question was who has had one in regular service for years, and if so what's its accuracy like now?
Trying to work out how inaccurate these things become when they see many years of service without the level of maintenance the manufacturer may stipulate... as I'd more likely than not be looking at a higher qualitiy, used wrench.

There is a 1/2" W&B deflecting beam torque wrench that I use at work almost weekly. Unfortunately the workshop won't pay for a recalibration so I have no idea how accurate it is.

[d2dave]

There is a 1/2" W&B deflecting beam torque wrench that I use at work almost weekly. Unfortunately the workshop won't pay for a recalibration so I have no idea how accurate it is.

So if you are using it on a daily basis and have had no failures due to incorrect torquing, tells me that it is accurate enough, even if it might not be 100%.

[steane]

My father has a W&B deflection beam TW that has to be 30+ years old, is used regularly and has never been recalibrated. I recently purchased a brand new one. They appear, as far as I can tell, to give identical results when tested back to back.

When I researched a TW everyone was saying get one of the ratchet jobs. My first mistake was buying a Kingchrome, which might be a good wrench but I find the setting values impossible to use. Partly because my eyesight is a bit poor but even with glasses the damn thing is hard to see and complicated to set. It sits in the cupboard now, having made me bust an injector stud.

I went with the W&B deflection beam as it was my understanding from research at the time that it is the only type that remains accurate without the need for periodic recalibration. I could never be bothered getting a TW recalibrated so it was the jigger for me. Helps that the settings are easy to read and easy to set.