Can someone recommend a basic torque wrench for me. I have a lot of tools but never owned a TW. Will not be building engines or that sort of thing so something basic that actually works, without breaking the bank, would be nice. Basically getting it to torque the lug nuts on my TT. I have 1/2 inch socket drives if there is one that works with that. I am ordering all new lug nuts and figure I may as well torque them per specs versus the old method I have been using. BTW due to an issue with my break away switch I am going to get my breaks checked, maybe lube bearings. Just curious if shops such as CW or RV dealers actually torque these wheel lugs or do they just use an impact wrench, or do impact wrenches have torque adjustments on them? Thinking of taking mine to my local tire shop but need to check and see if they can handle the electric brake check / repair if necessary.

riven1950 wrote:Can someone recommend a basic torque wrench for me. I have a lot of tools but never owned a TW. Will not be building engines or that sort of thing so something basic that actually works, without breaking the bank, would be nice. Basically getting it to torque the lug nuts on my TT. I have 1/2 inch socket drives if there is one that works with that. I am ordering all new lug nuts and figure I may as well torque them per specs versus the old method I have been using. BTW due to an issue with my break away switch I am going to get my breaks checked, maybe lube bearings. Just curious if shops such as CW or RV dealers actually torque these wheel lugs or do they just use an impact wrench, or do impact wrenches have torque adjustments on them? Thinking of taking mine to my local tire shop but need to check and see if they can handle the electric brake check / repair if necessary.Look on your local Craigslist - I just got one for $15 - just to have in the RV.BOL,

Check Harbor Freight. They often sell pretty good torque wrenches for $10 on sale. I spent $30 for 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drives. They actually tested well against TW's costing 30 times as much.

Harbor freight sells several 1/2 inch torque wrenches that work well for the occasional wheel lug.

Riven, Most reputable places have "Torque Bars" that they use with the air wrench to set lugnuts. These control the final torque. I can't answer for CW. You can probably get one on Craig's list or at Hazard Fright on sale. But, if it is a click type, it will out of calibration. If you can find a bending beam type, they have less resolution (you don't really need much) but they cannot loose calibration. Matt - the automotive lab refugee

torque wrench | Good Sam Community

Durb
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
fj12ryder wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
"I have never seen a normal tire shop use bar type, click type, or any type of torque wrenches to put on tire lug nuts"

Well Sir you are going to all the wrong half AZZ places!

Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!

NO way would I let anyone use Torque Sticks!!!

As far as torque wrenches go, I would no way use an inferior torque wrench. Look on CL and Ebay. I bought two Proto torque wrenches that a guy bought for one Jeep project. I paid $100 each. I could not tell they had been used.
You need to tell most of the shops around here, apparently they haven't gotten the memo. :) I don't know how many tires I've personally removed, or heard about from friends and relatives, that are tightened way above the torque settings. I've loosened more lug nuts that are too tight than ones that are too loose or just right.

Just because you think it doesn't happen doesn't make it so. There are many more half-azz shops than there are good ones.

That Proto wrench may look perfect but looks and function sometimes can be worlds apart. All it would take is a couple times of using it for a breaker bar to loosen nuts/bolts for it to be out of whack. But it still looks great. Price doesn't necessarily indicate quality, sometimes it just indicates price.

A Proto 1/2" drive torque wrench will easily go 30,000 cycles without calibration drift. I have tested them to over 90,000 cycles. The teeth on their ratchet wheel will break at 438 ft-lbs and the wheel can be replaced without the wrench needing calibration. There will be no damage to a 1/2" Proto wrench internals should you overload it and break a tooth.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Oct 30, 2016
Dual post.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Oct 30, 2016
How about if the wrench is set at 30 lb.ft. and it's used to loosen a 150 lb.ft. bolt? Or if it's set to it's highest torque setting and just left there for a couple months? It will look just fine, but will it function just fine?

My point was that you can't judge everything by how they look. Sometimes the underpinnings may not necessarily be as good as the exterior.
dave54
Nomad
Oct 30, 2016
Cummins12V98 wrote:
...
Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!
...

My owners manual specifically says to three step the lug nut torque. So I make the shop do it to 35. Reset the wrench to 70 and tighten again. Then the final tightening to 105. Each in the cross pattern. It is a real PITA and the shop people do not like it, but tough! My rig, my money, and follow the specs. No running them up to snug in a circle.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Oct 30, 2016
dave54 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
...
Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!
...

My owners manual specifically says to three step the lug nut torque. So I make the shop do it to 35. Reset the wrench to 70 and tighten again. Then the final tightening to 105. Each in the cross pattern. It is a real PITA and the shop people do not like it, but tough! My rig, my money, and follow the specs. No running them up to snug in a circle.

Basically the method I described is a 3 step one with snugging, cross torquing and then circle torque.
Horizon170
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
westend wrote:
It ain't rocket science folks.

Nope, for that, NASA emails the design for your 3D printer:
NASA printed torque wrench

Cool, I love Classy answers.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Oct 31, 2016
westend wrote:
coolbreeze01 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:

Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!

The above method has been used by reputable tire shops for over 50 years.
You may wish to think that was the case but few shops even had a pneumatic impact in their shop more than 50 years ago. If the year 1966 is used as the limit of your reference, think of what style of rim and tire were in use during that period. At that time, truck and heavy equipment shops may have started with pneumatic tools but the rest of us wrench benders were relegated to hand tools and a cheater bar.

For grins, History of Discount Tire

If you didn't have an air wrench 50 years ago, you may have done it correctly :B
westend
Explorer
Oct 31, 2016
coolbreeze01 wrote:
westend wrote:
coolbreeze01 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:

Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!

The above method has been used by reputable tire shops for over 50 years.
You may wish to think that was the case but few shops even had a pneumatic impact in their shop more than 50 years ago. If the year 1966 is used as the limit of your reference, think of what style of rim and tire were in use during that period. At that time, truck and heavy equipment shops may have started with pneumatic tools but the rest of us wrench benders were relegated to hand tools and a cheater bar.

For grins, History of Discount Tire

If you didn't have an air wrench 50 years ago, you may have done it correctly :B
I'd bet it was correct enough to keep customer's cars on the road. :)

Folks, here, are fairly obsessive about the accuracy of things RV. No harm, no foul on that but I've been installing steel rims on vehicles and trailers for many years and the torque wrench stays in the drawer.

If I'm installing lugs on a BMW or any other vehicle where the aluminum rims are worth more than some cars I've owned or there may be an apparent safety issue, then yes, the torque wrench is used. I can't recall one instance of using a torque wrench on trailer lugs. Of course, with my favorite long ratchet and using my favorite arm, I have an acceptable torque finder without breaking out the clicker. :B

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