Seeking opinion on torque wrench

[Dandyburger]

I have an older non click torque wrench, uses the fixed needle and the scale- think it’s ok to use torquing the wheels? The range is enough, but it’s old school. Was good enuff to rebuild a VW engine, but…. What’s the thinking on this old tech. Good enuff??

[wimpy]

Even if the wrench has been cradled for its lifespan, odds are it's still off a little. https://bit.ly/3okPV5J should be helpful.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Dandyburger

I have an older non click torque wrench, uses the fixed needle and the scale- think it’s ok to use torquing the wheels? The range is enough, but it’s old school. Was good enuff to rebuild a VW engine, but…. What’s the thinking on this old tech. Good enuff??

No problem, I've used both styles for years.
The non-clicker was my Dad's, probably at least 65+++yrs old.

Bob
🇺🇸

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Dandyburger

I have an older non click torque wrench, uses the fixed needle and the scale- think it’s ok to use torquing the wheels? The range is enough, but it’s old school. Was good enuff to rebuild a VW engine, but…. What’s the thinking on this old tech. Good enuff??

That's called a beam torque wrench. Nothing wrong with them, other than you need a view directly down on the scale. That can be tricky sometimes. But it is the only pound feet wrench I own. My inch pound wrench is a clicker.

[AlIslander]

I watched a youtube video testing the accuracy of that type of torque wrench and it did really well. I have one but got a clicker because I had to contort myself to be able to read the dial straight on. But, if that's all you have I would say you're way better off than people who don't have one at all.

[Mollysdad]

I bought one from Harbor Freight. It's the dial/click type, the markings are hard to see, but the price was right. I force myself to unwind it for storage. For lug nuts I don't think you need a digital. (You do need a deep thin wall 13/16" socket, at least on mine)
$23

[Silvr_Bullet]

I have been told to always zero out the pound dial on the torque wrench before storage.

[John Ware]

I had SnapOn torque wrenches when I was turning nuts and bolts for a living, but I lost them in a fire and replaced the 1/2" one with a Sears model as I don't need a 1/4" or 3/8" anymore. Works fine for me and yes you should unwind it before putting it away.

[Fungus]

Originally Posted by John Ware

I had SnapOn torque wrenches when I was turning nuts and bolts for a living, but I lost them in a fire and replaced the 1/2" one with a Sears model as I don't need a 1/4" or 3/8" anymore. Works fine for me and yes you should unwind it before putting it away.

^My wrench too. Oldish Craftsman clicker. Unwind before stowing in the case…except now it sits under the back seat of the F-250 with no case. Maxes at 150’#

My other torque wrench is a Delco attachment for a breaker bar. 250’# max. Electronic. I compared it to the craftsman. Spot on. Maybe right or maybe wrong but at least there was a consensus.

[rwnash]

Old style is just fine for what you are doing - it is not rocket science by a long shot. If the pointer is on "zero" when you start it is calibrated. I suspect that the "beam style" wrench will stay calibrated and take more abuse than more modern ones. (If you were doing something more critical where you could not see the pointer then I might have a different opinion.)

My advice: Clean the wheel and hub mating surfaces; take the torque up in several stages using a cross pattern to evenly seat the wheel. The only time you have to check the exact torque is on the final tightening. Check a few miles down the road (50 - 100?) to see that things are OK, if not tighten and check again until it stays tight. You will be fine.

If you want to start a real debate ask if you should use lubricant on the threads; a debate that has been going on for a century or so.

Whit Nash

[John Ware]

^^^ You got that right. I posted once that I lubed my lugs and started a heated conversation. I didn't mention that I never lubed them on customer's cars because the torque value changes for lubed fasteners.

[mrdes8]

Not to get too far off this post but I remember that one, what a hoot! Here's a couple questions.... how may years did you wrench before anyone came up with the torque wrench idea for wheels (and why?), for me I want to say 20 years. How many people re-torque their car wheels at 50, 100 miles etc? Should we even mention torque sticks?! For the record I DO lube my lug nuts and many but not all other fasteners. Product of choice is Wurth CU-800 spray copper anti-seize, just a little spritz every few years (and around the wheel and hub, the chloride road stuff in CO is murder on aluminum). Back to torque wrenches, my weapon of choice is my 50 year old Snap On click style. Had it tested several years back and it was right on the money. Beam style is just fine.
Stay tight, Mark D

[Doc Foster]

If you are just going to check the torque on your Airstream wheels, most find that an inexpensive torque wrench should be fine - Harbor Freight, Kobalt, Craftsman, Tekton (made in USA - which is what I use). Check to see what is the torque settings for the lug nuts on your tow vehicle. Mine needs to be 150 foot pounds, so you might need one that will go up to at least 150. Now if you are setting the torque for your hitch nuts/bolts, some of those need to be torqued to 250 foot pounds or more. For this you might want to go up to a 3/4" drive. Unless you are a mechanic and use a torque wrench frequently, I personally don't see the need to spend money or a Snap-On or Matco, etc.
As others have mentioned set back to 0 after each use. I keep an index card on my truck sun visor with notes for all of my tire pressures, torque settings for truck and Airstream and most importantly the height of my trailer and truck for quick and easy reference

[mykytiukr]

Back in the eighties Caterpillar mechanics were only allowed to use the “Beam” type torque wrenches like you have because clickers of the day weren’t all that accurate.

[John Ware]

Originally Posted by mrdes8

Not to get too far off this post but I remember that one, what a hoot! Here's a couple questions.... how may years did you wrench before anyone came up with the torque wrench idea for wheels (and why?), for me I want to say 20 years. How many people re-torque their car wheels at 50, 100 miles etc? Should we even mention torque sticks?! For the record I DO lube my lug nuts and many but not all other fasteners. Product of choice is Wurth CU-800 spray copper anti-seize, just a little spritz every few years (and around the wheel and hub, the chloride road stuff in CO is murder on aluminum). Back to torque wrenches, my weapon of choice is my 50 year old Snap On click style. Had it tested several years back and it was right on the money. Beam style is just fine.
Stay tight, Mark D

I started as a VW mechanic at a private shop in 1967 and hired on a dealership in 1971. Sometime early in the 70's a memo came out to torque the wheels because overtightening the lug bolts was warping the drums, especially the 5 bolt pattern wheels. I got a 1/2"click type torque wrench from the SnapOn dealer from which I bought 99% of my tools. I also got a 3/8" drive for engine builds and a 1/4" inch pound one for automatic transmission reassembly. The owner of the independent shop in the 60's had a beam type for engine builds and I used one of those at the Ford dealer to set the preload on the pinion bearings in a rear end.