Torque wrench

450 ft-lbs on the rear axle nut for this tractor, I use a 3/4 drive socket and a 4 foot cheater, bar then jump on it with my 225 lbs.:D
 

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I use torque wrenches a lot in my business. Proto (and their Blackhawk brand), KD tool, Mack Tool, Sweeny, some no name varieties, and Snap On have all been used by various employees in my shop over the years. Since it is an FAA certified repair station, we have to check calibration every year unless a particular wrench is in need of adjustment. When they fall outside 4% of accuracy, I have to decrease the check interval by 1/2 or 6-months of our yearly interval. I've had more than a few wenches that could not even be calibrated and had to be scrapped. Many of the lesser price click types have failed but the Snap On ones are still working. I've had ratchet heads replaced in a lot of ratchet handles but not in a torque wrench yet. I just don't use a torque wrench all that much to snug the fasteners up. I never use one to loosen a fastener. Torque wrenches are expensive but it is costing me 75 bucks every year to get each one checked. Try pricing a good quality torque wrench testing tool. They are well over 1000 bucks plus they have to be calibrated every year too. If it takes a dump then your out a bunch of money. Times they are a changing. One day it may be cheaper to buy a new torque wrench every year than to get one calibrated.

The longest lasting and least expensive type are the deflecting beam type but you may notice that very few if any are even available anymore. They were too good. The dial types are also a form of deflecting beam but I don't see many of those available anymore either. I had one cheap dial type crater out once but my Snap On ones still pass calibration after 35+ years in service.
 
I know I am going to start a "s**t storm" here, but DO NOT buy the Harbor Freight torque wrench. Just for the heck of it one night we compared the HF to a calibrated Snap On and the HF was WAY off, 15 to 20 lbs. under and not repeatable. Not worth the aggravation.
 
Hence the selective use of the beam type by the NASCAR guru; you could have your pet gorilla install the heads with an open end wrench and the engine will probably run fine, but a few pounds off on a little rod fastener will end your career.
 
woodiewagon46 said:
I know I am going to start a "s**t storm" here, but DO NOT buy the Harbor Freight torque wrench. Just for the heck of it one night we compared the HF to a calibrated Snap On and the HF was WAY off, 15 to 20 lbs. under and not repeatable. Not worth the aggravation.
Click to expand...

I won't buy one from H.F., but on Ryan's sister site (Garage Journal), there are guys on there that had the exact opposite results as you did.

They compared a HF to a SO and the HF was right on with the SO, so maybe they happened on a good one?
 
All My Snap On ones are old and made back when stuff didn't have electronics added. They may not make good ones like they used to. Some of the newer ones are LCD type readout and beep at you when you reach the prescribed torque. Since my old ones still work, I haven't yet had a need to find out if they're worth a crap or not. I hope I don't have to.
 
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