Torque wrenches

[kjjz28]

I'm in the market for a torque wrench and am curious what our fellow ATM'ers are using and how much you roughly spent? I don't want to spend a lot of money but I'm not going to buy anything cheap. Also, I've noticed some are ft. lbs and other are in. lbs. My manual lists ft. lbs and Newton Meters. Thanks in advance!

[pjg351]

Iam sure mine has foot and newton meters, as we work mainly NM over here. Just make sure you get one than can cover most of the torque range on a bike, as they start quite low and go up fairly high on some bolts. (eg) 6-110nm

[char393]

I love Harbor Freight... we have this one

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and this one
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[yz250guy]

Originally Posted by char393

I love Harbor Freight... we have this one


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and this one
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Hey, that's where I got mine too!

[pragmatic393]

I've been using my Craftsman "clicker" for about 17 years ....still going strong

[YZalltheway]

Snap On makes one of the nicest ones I've ever seen.

You type in how many ft lbs or NM you want and then use it till it beeps. My cannondale mechanic has 3 of them.

The only drawback is that they are over $200.

I personally have a 3/8 drive craftsman and a 1/2 craftsman. I also have a 3/8 to 1/4 inch converter for the smaller bolts.

[Big Maico 393]

Originally Posted by pragmatic393

I've been using my Craftsman "clicker" for about 17 years ....still going strong

I've had my Craftsman for about twice that long & it's still working just find, it's a wonder as I can be ham fisted sometimes

[ossagp]

I have a batch of them. I am a tool junky. I have snap-on and some craftsman. the craftsman pro is plenty good enough for most pro's. heck I even have a torque meter though. consider an inch pound one in the future, if you look all through your manual it will call for it in a few places.

[dhighlan]

I just have a few Craftsman's both in Ft/lbs and in/lbs. I have never had a problem and had them calibrated couple times never off.

[Mainjet2001]

There are some pretty decent deals on EBay.

[2fun]

Just an FYI....

1 ft lb = 12 inch lbs and vice versa.

So you can use either one, but I believe the ranges are different, meaning the inch lb torque wrench probably doesn't go as high as the ft lb torque wrench will go, and vice versa. Plus the inch lb torque wrench will probably be more accurate for the smaller torque #s.

[2fun]

Oh yeah, the cheap ones are usually not as accurate as the more expensive ones, but on the other hand, a cheap one is probably better than none!

[The Baron]

I got a free Snap-On electronic torque wrench when I bought my YZ450. It sure was a nice piece and would vibrate and beep when you hit your torque spec and was super easy to use. But i didn't need it so I sold it for $250.

[pragmatic393]

Originally Posted by The Baron

I got a free Snap-On electronic torque wrench when I bought my YZ450. It sure was a nice piece and would vibrate and beep when you hit your torque spec and was suer easy to use. But i didn't need it so I sold it for $250.

Wow, that's a nice throw in for a bike purchase

With all the cast Al and the money invested, a torque wrench is a must. I use it for just about every bolt on the bike

[dhighlan]

I am with you there, everything but the Plastic. Learned a few tricks from a couple Drag teams around here on where to hold the handle on 3/8 and 1/4 and it is suprising accurate (not Perfect but in a pinch nice to know)

[chabat]

I have a craftsman inch pound clicker one. It was a little expensive. But for the small bolts it works great. I have a craftsman beam type... for large bolts. It will get you in the range, but not as accurately as a clicker.

Two more things.

1) The manual on the clicker one says it must be calibrated every so often. I never have on mine, but FYI, you are supposed to (if it says to).

2) I borrowed one before I had one, a clicker. I was working on a car and I broke a fuel line bolt (hollow bolt) and OH what a pain that was to get it extricated and goto Porsche for a new bolt. The torque wrench never did click! Point I am making is this. They can let you down, like anything else, they can fail to do what they were designed to do... So be very careful when tightening ... that if it does not "feel" right, stop tightening! before you break a bolt or strip something. This is especially true on smaller bolts.

[The Baron]

FYI - ALWAYS turn the clicker type wrenches to zero after each use otherwise the calibration will be garbage.

[VET393]

I have a MAC clicker style in/lbs. I also have a vintage Craftsman beam style I use at the track for my axles and such.
When I got my '07 YamYZ250f last year, I got the 3/8" electric impact driver. It is a SnapOn and I use it all the time. Free with the bike!!

[cabraloca]

I bought this morning a torque wrench. It costed me 34 euros (50 dollars). Thats very cheap. It goes from 10 to 210 Nm. Not a high quality wrench, but it is good enough for non professional users.

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[char393]

I have the same one JohnJon... we use ours quite a bit..me likey

They did offer us the torque wrench too, but the impact made more sense for us.

Just out of curiosity, where does one have a torque wrench calibrated?