Awesome Tool

[lawnspecialties]

While getting my cheap valve stems replaced today, I noticed the tire shop wasn't too knowledgeable about the torque recommendations. So I intervened to make sure they weren't going too tight. I told the guy 100 lbs. and he said, no problem, and went to get an extension. He didn't make any adjustments to the compressor or the impact gun. He just threw the extension on.

He went back to get another one of my tires that was ready so while he was gone, I looked at the extension. It has written on the side "100 lb. ft". But it looked like any other extension as far as I could tell. So obviously, I had to ask when he returned. He said it was a torque stick extension. My obvious response was "huh?". He then explained what they were and how they worked.

Way smarter than I am on how they work but I don't care. I'm ordering a set today. Should work perfectly with my DeWalt Cordless Impact Wrench.

Torque Sticks

[Duck]

Being around 165 pounds and not a weight lifter I just use what strength I have and replaced the nuts. Never had one come loose and not difficult to take off. I guess God made me to be a torque wrench.
Don

[fla-gypsy]

If you insist on a shop that uses a torque wrench you will have very limited choices. Most just set the impact and go till it stops.

[Durb]

Sold torque wrenches for 30 years and have performed extensive training to industrial end users regarding the correct way to use a torque wrench. Once a wrench clicks it is now a breaker bar and can be used to over torque the lug nut. A major tire chain I know examined their installers' technique and found they were tightening the lug nuts up to 200 ft-lb over the spec. Torque sticks are ok for pre-torqueing fasteners but final torque should be done with a torque wrench. I can guarantee that almost all tires installed at a shop have over torqued fasteners due to poor technique.

When you get home, loosen each nut one at a time and re-torque. Pull slowly on the wrench (don't push) and when it clicks stop. Make sure you chock your tires, any torque used to rock your rig is coming from your lug nut which will be under torqued.

[lawnspecialties]

My torque sticks just arrived. I ordered them last night around 8:00 and paid $10 for same day delivery. The guy just delivered them about an hour ago. Wow.

I will use them for pretty much any and all tire changes I have as long as the ft./lbs. equals what the specs call for.

[dave17352]

I bet they used torque sticks on the lunar lander! and they all got back home.

[fj12ryder]

Goostoff wrote:
My method is to set my clicker torque wrench to 105 ft lb and I should be able to just budge them before it clicks. an extra 5 lbs isnt going to hurt anything. Proper torque isnt necessarily to keep the wheel from falling off. It is to keep idiots from cranking on them until they grind and to ensure that they are tightened evenly to keep from warping rotors and drums.

On a side note but still related, how many of you anti torque stick folks like to use grease and never seize on your lug nuts?

I do and I'm glad to say I've never had an issue with not being able to get a lug nut off. Used correctly anti-seize does just what it says. The warnings against using anti-seize is so you don't overtighten that lug nut using dry settings.

Like anything else it works if you are aware of how to use it properly.

[3oaks]

ensure that they are tightened evenly to keep from warping rotors and drums.

Right! The corporation which I worked for on heavy industrial machinery taught us that it was more important to have ever bolt or nut torqued evenly than to have them torqued to down to an exact foot poundage, within reason of course. 😉

It was very important that each bolt or nut carried an equal share of the load.

[Goostoff]

My method is to set my clicker torque wrench to 105 ft lb and I should be able to just budge them before it clicks. an extra 5 lbs isnt going to hurt anything. Proper torque isnt necessarily to keep the wheel from falling off. It is to keep idiots from cranking on them until they grind and to ensure that they are tightened evenly to keep from warping rotors and drums.

On a side note but still related, how many of you anti torque stick folks like to use grease and never seize on your lug nuts?

[mlts22]

Even with beam torque wrenches, I still have encountered problems. I used a beam wrench to validate how tight I had a spare tire... found out it was off by 20 foot/pounds, and I wound up the proud owner of a new rotor because it warped it that badly.

These days, I just use clickers. Torque sticks look good to get things to the right range, but I wouldn't call the job done until I use a real torque wrench.

The days of "tighten it until it strips, then back off 1/4 turn" are behind us, especially with how relatively thin various parts are and how being off by just a few pounds can cause damage.

[mabynack]

I bought some new tires and when I got home I noticed that one was leaking. Instead of towing the RV back, I decided to remove the wheel myself. I couldn't get it loose. I used an impact wrench and it couldn't budge it. I then tried a breaker bar with a 3 foot long piece of pipe and that didn't work. I'm not a small guy. I'm over 6 feet tall and weigh 290 lbs and was a diesel mechanic for many years. I ended up taking it back to the tire place and letting them deal with it and they broke a wheel stud trying to get it loose. I had them remove and torque all of the lugs to the proper rating (80 ft/lbs). I would have been really angry if I had to change a tire in the middle of nowhere.

[jfkmk]

mgirardo wrote:

jfkmk wrote:

Goostoff wrote:
My most commonly used one is the 19mm 100 ft lb and I usually test it every couple months with a torque wrench to make sure it is still doing its job.

Can you explain how you test the torque of the torque stick with a torque wrench? They need to be used with an impact wrench set to a certain torque range to work right, so unless you're beating your torque wrench to death, I don't see how you're doing this. Yeah, you might see the stick start to twist a little, but that's no indication of how much torque you might be putting on a nut or bolt while using it.

I would expect he uses the torque stick to tighten the nut to the specified torque. Then takes his torque wrench to see if it indeed tightened to that amount of torque.

-Michael

Not getting it. Using this method, say he uses a 100 ft lb stick. Then he takes his torque wrench the nut. If he can turn the nut without the wrench clicking off, then he can certainly know it was under torqued. But, if it clicks off at 100 ft lbs, how does he know the stick didn't have it up to, say, 115 ft lbs?

[Cummins12V98]

A reputable shop would use a lower stick to "SNUG" the lugs then properly torque the lugs.

NO way will anyone use a torque stick on anything I own.

[lawnspecialties]

hotbyte wrote:

mowermech wrote:
If torque sticks are so great, why don't they use them on cylinder head bolts, rod cap bolts, main bearing cap bolts, etc.
Why were we not allowed to use them on aircraft wheel tie bolts? How about aircraft engine mount bolts?
Would YOU be willing to fly on an aircraft that had been assembled using torque sticks on all the bolts?
Sorry, but if you are going to work on my tires and wheels, you WILL use a torque wrench, or I will not be back for any further services from your shop!

Good Lord...Of course the torque sticks don't have the precision for all of those items you list but for a wheel lug nut, they are fine. I bet most lug nuts tightened based on number of "bubba grunts" and have no issues.

Exactly. I take some of the posts on this thread with a grain of salt. Some people insist on torquing their lug nuts to the exact pressure with a digital torque wrench. Some insist on tightening them by hand until the nuts make that hard grinding sound.

I'm in the middle. Torque sticks sound like a fantastic tool to have and I will keep them in the truck beside my cordless impact wrench.

[hotbyte]

mowermech wrote:
If torque sticks are so great, why don't they use them on cylinder head bolts, rod cap bolts, main bearing cap bolts, etc.
Why were we not allowed to use them on aircraft wheel tie bolts? How about aircraft engine mount bolts?
Would YOU be willing to fly on an aircraft that had been assembled using torque sticks on all the bolts?
Sorry, but if you are going to work on my tires and wheels, you WILL use a torque wrench, or I will not be back for any further services from your shop!

Good Lord...Of course the torque sticks don't have the precision for all of those items you list but for a wheel lug nut, they are fine. I bet most lug nuts tightened based on number of "bubba grunts" and have no issues.

[mowermech]

If torque sticks are so great, why don't they use them on cylinder head bolts, rod cap bolts, main bearing cap bolts, etc.
Why were we not allowed to use them on aircraft wheel tie bolts? How about aircraft engine mount bolts?
Would YOU be willing to fly on an aircraft that had been assembled using torque sticks on all the bolts?
Sorry, but if you are going to work on my tires and wheels, you WILL use a torque wrench, or I will not be back for any further services from your shop!
The local Dodge/Ram/Jeep/Chrysler dealer found that out. I have not been back since, except to purchase "dealer only" parts.