Torque Wrench Recommendations

[robertwarren]

We recently purchased a 2018 Airstream 27FB and were advised to get a good torque wrench to periodically tighten the lug nut securing the aluminum rims to the axle. Is there a torque wrench that you could recommend and what ft/lb should I tighten the lug nuts?

[rmkrum]

Check owner manual for torque.

A good torque wrench to get is the kind that has an adjustment and a lock so you can set it, and is the type that clicks when you get to the set torque. Snap-On, Craftsman, Harbor Freight, or any of the big box home improvement stores should have one. I’d suggest one with a 1/2 inch drive and 150 foot-pounds max setting for wheels.

[PKI]

We have a local discount tool store "Harbor Freight". They sell low cost tools and are a good source for some applications. There is one of their torque wrenches in our kit. Is it the best, no. Does it work, you bet.

Next is the Sears store, if you have one still open. Craftsman is not what they were, but, yes it will do the job.

If you are 20 years old, and have money to burn, Google Snap On, Professional Torque wrench, or Best Torque Wrench. Let your budget be your guide. The CDI brand is well liked. http://www.cditorque.com/

Good luck with your search. Pat

Edit - I'm just too slow - see above info in previous post.

[CRH]

The Harbor Freight torque wrenches are a bargain.

[Wconley]

I use Craftsman at home but wanted a cheaper alternative for storage in the Airstream. As mentioned above the Harbor Freight one’s are a bargain. My first one lasted three uses and about three months before it quit “clicking”. To HF credit, a store in UT replaced it no questions asked even though I bought it in WA and it’s return period had passed! Hopefully my first one was a defect and this one lasts longer.

For those new to torque wrenches, remember to store them with the torque setting backed down to <10 ft-lbs to keep the spring from getting compressed and changing the torque setting.

[Wayne&Sam]

The tolerance on lug nuts is not that tight. If that's all you're using it for, go with a cheap model.

[TG Twinkie]

Home Depot has Huskey brand for less than $100.

[Mollysdad]

I got the Harbor Freight version.
It's a rotating scale, so you turn the handle and align it with a mark.
I'd get the biggest one they sell, 1/2" drive.
Currently $19.95.
You can pay more, but you'll set the HF once and forget it. I guarantee you'll be the only person so far to torque the lug nuts on your trailer.
Most vendors just put the nuts on with a air gun. "Brrrrrrp" done!"

[ROBERT CROSS]

Yep....buy cheap tools 👍

It always works out in the end. 👎

The bar still works as new...last test 4yrs ago.



Bob
🇱🇷

[Farmer Dan]

Robert, I bought a Titan torque wrench. Model 909147 for about $60 from Northern Tool. It's a 1/2" reversible model that clicks when the set foot pound is reached. Its range is up to 150 ft. lb. It adjusts by releasing the handle and then twisting the handle to the desired setting and then locking in place. It has a decent plastic case that stores under the back seat of my truck easily. As was mentioned before - you should always release the setting back to zero before storing. I torque my 16" aluminum wheels to 100-110 ft lb. This is what most of the recommendations that I found for aluminum wheels specified.

Dan

[Bob662]

...and use a six point socket, not 12 point, for your lug nuts. You'll also likely need a fairly short extension between the socket and the torque wrench.

[A W Warn]

I use the 1/2" torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Range is 20 to 150 ftlb. For $20!
Tested against my other more expensive torque wrenches, it tightens to exactly the same setting/spec.

[Silverpuller]

Originally Posted by Farmer Dan

As was mentioned before - you should always release the setting back to zero before storing.

Dan

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO!!! I was dumb and happy, torquing my lug nuts every 3K miles, leaving the wrench handle twisted to the proper ft-lb. setting. Then last Summer, while doing torque checks, a camp neighbor (and retired auto mechanic) told me about how important it was to release the tension on the wrench spring... using his torque wrench, we checked my lug nuts, and all were about 20 lbs below what my wrench indicated. Full disclosure, it had been at least six years since I’d bought that wrench and set it.
Jim

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Farmer Dan

Robert, I bought a Titan torque wrench. Model 909147 for about $60 from Northern Tool. It's a 1/2" reversible model that clicks when the set foot pound is reached. Its range is up to 150 ft. lb. It adjusts by releasing the handle and then twisting the handle to the desired setting and then locking in place. It has a decent plastic case that stores under the back seat of my truck easily. As was mentioned before - you should always release the setting back to zero before storing. I torque my 16" aluminum wheels to 100-110 ft lb. This is what most of the recommendations that I found for aluminum wheels specified.

Dan

Originally Posted by Bob662

...and use a six point socket, not 12 point, for your lug nuts. You'll also likely need a fairly short extension between the socket and the torque wrench.

Originally Posted by A W Warn

I use the 1/2" torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Range is 20 to 150 ftlb. For $20!
Tested against my other more expensive torque wrenches, it tightens to exactly the same setting/spec.

Originally Posted by Silverpuller

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO!!! I was dumb and happy, torquing my lug nuts every 3K miles, leaving the wrench handle twisted to the proper ft-lb. setting. Then last Summer, while doing torque checks, a camp neighbor (and retired auto mechanic) told me about how important it was to release the tension on the wrench spring... using his torque wrench, we checked my lug nuts, and all were about 20 lbs below what my wrench indicated. Full disclosure, it had been at least six years since I’d bought that wrench and set it.
Jim

And what I use most often...🧀


Remember... you must loosen to re-torque properly, and most important...clean DRY threads. on a cold wheel.👍

Bob
🇱🇷

[Wgsouth]

I bought a tire changing kit from the Airstream store and it came with a torque wrench. Seems to work fine.

[hhendrix]

I've worked on everything from lawnmowers to airplanes. I used to own a repair shop and built and raced cars. I have several torque wrenches from 1/4 drive to a 4' one inch drive rated at 480 ft lbs. Some on the engines I built have very precise torque requirements and sequences. I had a bench calibrator for torque wrenches until I retired from working on other peoples vehicles. I have to say the Harbor Junk wrenches are just that, junk. Accuracy is OK, not the best, but they just don't last. The adjustment mechanisms are coarse and after a while start to grind thru adjustments. Whether you use Snapon, Proto, Craftsman, or Harbor Junk, one thing is critical to all. After use, you must return the calibration to its lowest setting. If you don't the spring mechanism will degrade over time affecting its accuracy..

[robertwarren]

My thanks to all who responded to my request for torque wrench and specification request for information. As always, y’all came through!

[Baby Zeppelin]

Although the OP's question has been answered I did want to mention that buying a 150 lb torque wrench for the Airstream is great, but what about the tow vehicle's lug nuts? My Ford F250's wheels are torqued to 165 ft. lbs, so the 150 lb wrench would not do. Nor did I want to buy two torque wrenches.
So I got a 250 lb one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-24340-...e+wrench+24340

It seems to work fine for both the Airstream and the TV.

[FCStreamer]

I just faced the same question, but I needed 300 lbs for the bolts on my hitch.

After seeing different models, I decided to get a Ryobi impact wrench. I already own several Ryobi tools so I didn’t need to but the batteries. Cost me $100.

I saw “torque limiting” extensions, which is what I plan to use for changing my wheels when the time comes.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by FCStreamer

I just faced the same question, but I needed 300 lbs for the bolts on my hitch.

I've never seen a torque wrench used to tighten anything over my life, unless you're rebuilding an engine.
I've also never had a wheel fall off. You'd have a hard time convincing me that the air gun at "Joe's Tire Palace" is calibrated to 100 ft/pounds.
If you think about torque, let's say the bolt on the hitch recommends 300 ft/pounds. That's equivalent to a force of 100# with a lever arm of 3'. So take your Harbor Freight breaker bar and apply that force using a section of pipe so your lever is 3' long. Push down on your bathroom scale so you know what 100# feels like.
I know this forum often goes off into the weeds with minutia, but if the specs call for 300 ft/pounds and you apply 320 ft/pounds, the hitch is not going to explode!
How do you think the hitch designer decided 300 ft/pounds was correct? He guessed. Or he spec'd the bolts and thought that torque would be safe.

As a mechanic once told me, "Just tighten it up until it strips, then back it off half a turn."