Torque Wrench

[shiben]

Anyone know where to get a decent Torque wrench for setting crosby clips? I have found plenty on Ebay that would work, but I want a click wrench that is adjustable in the 0-10 range, up to about 150 at most (I doubt I will ever set larger than a 3/4" crosby...). Anyhow, one costing less than 200 bucks would be swell. Thanks!

 

[techieman33]

So you want to be able to set 1-10lbs and 150lbs? If that's the case you'll need at least 2 wrenches. As a general rule you shouldn't use the lower 20% of the range on a torque wrench because they aren't very accurate in that part of their range. I would look into getting a smaller 3/8" wrench that does in/lbs. and another one that does ft/lbs.

edit: I removed the links I posted to the craftsman wrenches. I have some that I bought a few years ago that have treated me well. I was reading the reviews for the new version and it sounds to be a pretty cheaply made wrench failing after only a few uses. And they don't fall under the lifetime warranty.

 

[shiben]

Good to know. I guess I should also ask, do people have a preferred device they use for doing crosby clips?

 

[MPowers]

not really that hard. From 0-100 lbs most any tool will do. For 75 to 200 get a tool that lists those spec's. beyond that, get an engineer!

 

[shiben]

The Issue I seem to have been having is most units are graduated from 5-150 Foot pounds or whatever they happen to be, and a 1/8" crosby clip is listed for 4 1/2 foot pounds of torque (the CM ones I have at least). At work we have a machine that does it, as well as some super nice torque wrenches, and I was looking to get one for my own use. It ends up 54 inch pounds of force is what I was looking for so the one I found on ebay for like 30 bucks will be perfect. I didnt want to spend a ton because I wont use it loads, but when I do use them, I have always felt like I should be checking that sort of stuff.

 

[dmx]

Try looking for something in the 40-200 inch pound range. In the aviation community, we use mostly Snap-On and CDI, with CDI being the cheaper brand. At home, I have some el-cheapos from Harbor Freight, but they never leave the garage. I would recommend CDI if you are going to be dragging it around with you. For the record, you will not likely get an accurate torque if you are within 20 percent of the minimum torque, or 10 percent of the maximum torque of a given wrench (ie. 40-200inch pounds is really only accurate between 48-180inch pounds.) Also, most torque wrenches are only calibrated for use in a clockwise direction. Hope this helps. --Matt