Good value torque wrenches without breaking the bank?

[Air4Dave]

I haven't of any that goes to 240. But here is good brand to buy.

Amazon.com

Also any torque should be stored unloaded. plus for above 120 convert ft-lbs (120in/lbs / 12 = 10 ft/lbs and use a 3/8 drive version reduced to 1/4 drive.

This looks like a fairly good one, for the price point. Most folks don’t use these but maybe once, so, as you stated, it’s important that it stored oiled and clean, with a small amount of tension.

 

[StarTech]

I have been using the 1/2" version for two years now. Just got to not being tossing it around as the painted numbers will come off if dinged. Other than that it came with 1/2% of spec'd settings and still there.

 

[biggertv]

The question of "What should I do if it doesn't meet spec?" needs to be considered, too. That's the main thing preventing me buying a used torque wrench- repairing isn't cheap.

 

[biggertv]

Perfect calibration is not needed for lawn equipment. the key is Consistency. As long as All head or sump Bolts are Torqued to the Same Value, a couple of inch-pounds off won't hurt.

 

[Robert II]

The one I have, is an OEM bought from AutoZone . It is 20-200 in/lbs. it came with a certificate of accuracy, instructions for use, go above desired setting and adjust down, and for storage one full turn below lowest setting, other than the locking screw unscrewing when removing load, it is a great Wrench, I test it regularly using an 8point socket attached to my Matco TW, and the OEM, and test above the setting on the Matco , and unload to below the setting of the Matco. The price in 7/2015 was $52.65 including sales tax. WORTH EVERY PENNY ! The C.O.A. and the receipt (lifetime warranty)are stored folded up neatly in the storage case.

 

[Gym123]

Perfect calibration is not needed for lawn equipment. the key is Consistency. As long as All head or sump Bolts are Torqued to the Same Value, a couple of inch-pounds off won't hurt.

Perfect, no, but with Aluminum parts, it's not a bad idea to be more precise. With cast iron, it's not as critical in most cases but in a case like the Briggs that really should have had a bolt where the gasket fails so frequently, undershooting the torque will just make it fail sooner and overshooting will just strip the holes. I used a small 1/4" ratchet when I tightened the bolts the first time, before buying the torque adapter, because a long 3/8" wrench would have made stripping far too easy.

 

[rickfischer51]

I had been rebuilding a Trek road bike and don't have a torque wrench that can read inch-lb, so I used the 'good and snug' method but last week, I got an Ariens riding mower with a bad head gasket and the torque is more important for reinstalling the head. I had bought a Pittsburgh wrench from Harbor freight but since the bike went on the back burner, never used it until Friday and when I was tightening the first bolt, it never clicked. I have seen a lot of videos showing people using that wrench and they received good reviews, but I don't think customers should have to do Quality Control testing for any manufacturer unless they pay us in some way. I also don't like the need to turn the handle three times through its range from low to high and turning the sleeve felt like I was scraping the thread into a new piece of metal- the first replacement had grease coming out and it was very hard to turn. I tested the first one by putting a 1/4"-3/8" adapter and clamping it in my vise to check it at the lowest torque setting and it never clicked. It actually broke the adapter that I had used for decades- I had ground off some material so it could be used once and it never failed until I was testing the wrench.

I was pretty PO'd- neither of the HF stores is close enough for me to call them 'convenient', but I need to finish the work, so I drove out and exchanged it without any problem from them, even though I had never registered it (can't even see that it was needed until it's opened), but I wasn't going to leave without testing it and since I bought a set of adapters, I was able to use a vise again. The replacement never clicked, the 2nd and 3rd replacements didn't click. I was talking to the store manager after the first exchange and he tried a couple of them, even went to the back room to grab one in a fresh case- none of them worked.

To be honest, I have had very few problems with their tools and have a lot of SnapOn, some Craftsman and other brands but this was ridiculous.

Anyway, I still need a torque wrench that will work between 20-240 inch-pounds. What do you fine people use? I don't expect to need it often.

I would prefer Taiwanese if it's going to come from Asia.

Beam wrenches are great. My father worked for Sturtevant and taught me how to torque a bolt when I was 12. I have several Sturtevant beam wrenches from 1/4 drive 80 inch-gram to a 3/4 drive 300 foot-pounder. Also have Cleco ratchet clicker wrenches. I check the Clecos on a beam wrench with a 8-point socket, and also with a digital tester I picked up on ebay. Everything calibrates well to the beam wrenches, at least so far. They say clickers need to have the torque setting backed off after use to stay accurate, and dont use them to loosen tight bolts. If I'm doing something critical, like head bolts, I use a clicker in ten ft-lb increments, but use a beam wrench for the final torque increment. Beam wrenches are cheap, reliable and fool proof. But the clicker ratchet wenches are so convenient. Had a Sturtevant beam wrench with a ratchet on the end once, but it grew legs.

Also, just as critical to accuracy as the wrench is thread condition. Clean the bolts and what ever they screw into. That means threads, bearing surfaces, washers and nuts. If a thread compound or lube is recommended, use it. I spent 6 months in a fastener lab doing torque-tension testing, and thread prep can make a huge difference. Remember, the torque is irrelevant. Its the tension in the body of the bolt produced by the torque. We measure torque because its convenient.

 

[Gym123]

Beam wrenches are great. My father worked for Sturtevant and taught me how to torque a bolt when I was 12. I have several Sturtevant beam wrenches from 1/4 drive 80 inch-gram to a 3/4 drive 300 foot-pounder. Also have Cleco ratchet clicker wrenches. I check the Clecos on a beam wrench with a 8-point socket, and also with a digital tester I picked up on ebay. Everything calibrates well to the beam wrenches, at least so far. They say clickers need to have the torque setting backed off after use to stay accurate, and dont use them to loosen tight bolts. If I'm doing something critical, like head bolts, I use a clicker in ten ft-lb increments, but use a beam wrench for the final torque increment. Beam wrenches are cheap, reliable and fool proof. But the clicker ratchet wenches are so convenient. Had a Sturtevant beam wrench with a ratchet on the end once, but it grew legs.

Also, just as critical to accuracy as the wrench is thread condition. Clean the bolts and what ever they screw into. That means threads, bearing surfaces, washers and nuts. If a thread compound or lube is recommended, use it. I spent 6 months in a fastener lab doing torque-tension testing, and thread prep can make a huge difference. Remember, the torque is irrelevant. Its the tension in the body of the bolt produced by the torque. We measure torque because its convenient.

Those are the double beam that click, right? The beam wrenches are good unless you can't fit behind something to see the fastener and scale.

 

[hlw49]

Have a Tekton I like checked today against our digital it is spot on.

 

[rickfischer51]

My torque wrenches. The flat beams are heavy and clumsy but are supposed to be very accurate. The thickness of the beam tapers and this is supposed to account for large beam deflection variation from the Euler beam formula, but as a degreed mechanical engineer that specialized in solid mechanics, I cant see the value. There are enough other variables that you arent really gaining anything. I would have made the correction on the dial plate. The round beam wrenches are easier to use, lighter and less clumsy, and the swivel drive square is nice. The ratchet version I mentioned above had a ratchet head mounted on a wrench like this. What I call a clicker are the micrometer ratchet wrenches on the bottom. These are Cleco wrenches after Cleco and Sturtevant were acquired by SK-Wayne/Dresser Industries in the late 60's early 70's.