Which torque wrench?

[Paul1984]

Stupid question guys but I have been looking at buying a torque wrench so I can start learning some basic maintenance and it is a must have by the looks of things.

All torque wrenches don't come with sockets so my question is is that do you just use a normal socket that you find in tool kits,do these fit a torque wrench and are all torque wrenches heads the same fitting.

I know nothing about this stuff,thanks

[timwilky]

Torque wrenches come in the standard square drive used by sockets so 1/4", 3/8",1/2", 3/4" ,1" etc.

However of more importance is the toque range they cover, for a bike I would suggest you need two, a 1/4" drive for those little sensitive fasteners and a 1/2" for back wheel axle.

don't use a torque wrench as a breaker bar, always unwind it after use.

Never trust it even when calibrated.

I tend to use impact sockets with mine rather than ones out the set, don't know why, probably because they are that bit beefier and drive off the fastener wall

[barwel1992]

most will fit but they come in different sizes like 1/2, 3/8 just make sure you get the right size sockets for the torque wrench or a set of adapters

i prefer to use 1/2 stuf but have adapters so i can use my 3/8 sockets on my 1/2 torque wrench and visa versa as i havea 3/8 wrench but want to use 1/2 sockets on them

id go for chrome vanadium sockets as well, halfords pro stuf is quite good and you can get the adapters from them for about £2

EDIT TIM beat me to it

[Steve]

yes. my wrench has a half intch drive and a 3/8 addaptor

[Paul1984]

So does that mean i shouldnt go for 3/8 drive

[timwilky]

The issue is what will you be doing with it, I don't know what bike you have but my gixxer requires 120Nm on the rear axle though a 36mm socket, you are not going to do that with a 3/8 drive

[fastdruid]

I'd actually say you want 3, one small (1/4) for fiddly, one medium ( 3/8 ) for all round and one BFO (1/2) for beefy.

If you only get one though get something like a 8-60Nm 3/8, covers most of the fasteners you'll need on the bike. I've got one of these: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_17 8843_langId_-1_categoryId_165469

Which has seen a *lot* of use.

Then I have the bigger 60-300Nm one which hasn't seen half as much use http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_17 8621_langId_-1_categoryId_165469

Druid

[Paul1984]

Dunno when I will need it but at the mo I need to fit some crash bungs,could I do that with a normal socket spanner does it need to be torqued,I have an sv so what range torque wrench is a must so I can get looking

[barwel1992]

get a 1/2 drive to start and then a 3/8th later on, my 1/2 cost £19 (draper) you can get the smaller one for £17 worth getting in my opinion

PS 1/2 mine does 30nm - 200nm the 3/8th is 10nm to 80nm

EDIT you will need a torque wrench for the crash bungs

[fastdruid]

Dunno when I will need it but at the mo I need to fit some crash bungs,could I do that with a normal socket spanner does it need to be torqued,I have an sv so what range torque wrench is a must so I can get looking

8-60Nm for most things. Sure you'll need bigger (eg for the front sprocket nut) but should do everything else.

Druid

[Paul1984]

so what about this then http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=15135 as a start,I know its cheap but surely it would be up for the job.

Thanks all for your help,will be doing a maintenance course in september so untill then I know nothing

[fastdruid]

Not worth it IMO, draper (non-pro) is cheap and nasty, go with a decent make.

One of the reasons I went with the Halfords Pro one is that it was tested by RiDE and given a good score at a decent price.

I can't find it now but it also got "best buy" from autoexpress.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/233472/torque_wrenches_tested.html

Druid

[Paul1984]

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_18 0255_langId_-1_categoryId_165469 this one has a big range so should be good? sorry for all the stupid questions,dont want to waste my money

[fastdruid]

No, the *vast* majority of bolts of commonly removed bolts on the SV are under 40Nm, go for 8-60Nm.

For example every single bolt in the frontend, all engine bolts, all subframe bolts, in fact I think everything except the front axle (65Nm), rear axle nut (65Nm) and front sprocket nut (140Nm IIRC) fall within the 8-60Nm range (Sprocket nuts are right on the limit at 60Nm). EDIT rear suspension linkage bolts 78Nm, swingarm lock nut 90Nm and Swingarm nut 100Nm.

The vast majority seem to be 23Nm, front caliper bolts are 39Nm, rear are 26Nm etc etc.

Druid

[Paul1984]

oh wow I didnt know that will have a look thanks for your help

[barwel1992]

thats the draper one i have and to be honest its very good quality ;) better than some of the halfords pro stuff i have

[instigator]

I also have the 40-200Nm Halford Pro job and whilst it's an absolutely fantastic torque wrench, the range is at the high end of the scale and I only tend to use it for the rear axle not on my bike. I should have got the 8-60 one as well.:(

[fastdruid]

thats the draper one i have and to be honest its very good quality ;) better than some of the halfords pro stuff i have

Not about 'quality' its about accuracy!

Druid

[Spanner Man]

Good morning all.


Ditto the Druid. It's best to start with a 3/8 drive Torque wrench that covers the lower ranges. As, you're more likely to strip one of those fasteners than say a wheel spindle!
Halfords pro stuff seems to be pretty decent quality. I personally wouldn't trust any of the really cheap ones on the market. Laser tools used to do a good 3/8 Torque wrench, that went from 10-80nm if my memory serves me correctly. When I had my shop I sold a fair few of them, & never had a complaint.
Teng tools make some decent Torque wrenches. My mate Neil at Cornerspeed Ducati swears by them. They are a touch more pricey than Halfords though.

I have 4 Snap-On Torque wrenches that cover everything from 4-350nm. They would set you back somewhere over £1000 today methinks. OUCH!
Just for a price comparison, I've just spent over £70 having my 1/2 inch drive one re-calibrated.


Cheers.

[embee]

Basically what the others say.

As a rule with tools, buy the best quality you can afford and look after it. Good quality tools last a lifetime (and then some, I have spanners dating back to 1920's and I still use some secateurs which I think are around 100yrs old). They are nicer to use than cheap stuff too usually.

I have checked a couple of the "cheap" wrenches (Sealey/Draper) against my Britool 3% one, and they haven't been all that bad to be honest, all within 10% at the very worst. That might sound bad but in reality it usually matters little if you do a fastener to 27Nm or 23Nm instead of 25Nm.
Personally I wouldn't use them on con-rod, main bearings or cylinder heads though.

If it's really all you can afford then a £20 3/8" 10-60Nm one is probably an OK investment and better than nothing, but try to go the extra bit if you can. The Halfords Pro one seems to be favoured.

When using a torque wrench, always work up to the set figure in a couple of steps and feel what it's like, sometimes you can sense something yielding and that's the time to stop. Also knock typically 10% off the specified value if you're using oil/grease, they don't usually allow for this sort of lubrication.