Which torque wrench?

[Glen P]

I?ve got this far with a 1/4 inch wrench that goes up to 80 in-lbs. I see the wheel nuts are 100 in-lbs. What do I need to finish the build?

Thanks

[Tdeman]

I recently picked up a Tekton from amazon and have been very impressed with the quality for the price.
10-150in*lb, a nice fine 72 tooth ratcheting head, a very crisp break/click (even at the lowest settings), and a very nice fit/finish throughout. Check the link below for the one I ordered. (Made in Taiwan, IMHO, home to some of the better import tools).

When I worked as an auto tech, I had several of the Snap On digital torque wrenches (higher torque than used on aircraft components). Fancy beepers and buzzers were great while working on boxer engines squeezed between chassis rails, (where there's little room for wrench clearance and you hear/feel about 10 "clicks" and clanks just getting the thing on the bolt.) That being said, the nice compact click types are my preferred choice on the RVs. You can spend a lot more, you could even spend less. I like this one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[RV7A Flyer]

Check the required torque on the prop bolts...you may need one that goes to 250 in-lbs, as well.

[swordtail]

I got an electronic unit from HFreight that is like an extension, I/4, 3/8,1/2 inch adaptors included for about $30. It makes your ratchet a torque wrench. Lasted three years so far.

[cderk]

Originally Posted by swordtail

I got an electronic unit from HFreight that is like an extension, I/4, 3/8,1/2 inch adaptors included for about $30. It makes your ratchet a torque wrench. Lasted three years so far.

I would be interested in knowing how accurate that thing is. have you compared it or calibrated it to a known good torque wrench?

[N941WR]

I have a large beam style torque wrench. They don't go out of calibration, unless you drop them, which is no different than any other toque wrench.

The one I have is a Vintage Craftsman from about 1983.

[GeoffP]

Originally Posted by swordtail

I got an electronic unit from HFreight that is like an extension, I/4, 3/8,1/2 inch adaptors included for about $30. It makes your ratchet a torque wrench. Lasted three years so far.

I bought something similar from ATS. 1/2" drive, and I just use adapters if I need to go to the smaller sizes. I did check it against my 1/4" torque wrench just for curiosity sake, and found both read within about 5% of each other. The other thing is the electronic unit is good at measuring the "drag torque" from nyloc on locknuts (I measure about 6in-lbs on a 1032 nyloc nut), which you just can't do with a click type wrench.

[merlin3]

Check out the quinn digital torque wrenches from harbor freight. I picked one up and love it. Watch and read reviews and most people are ditching their snap ons for these. Cheaper and just as accurate.

[rjcthree]

I?d suggest two with a decent overlap range. It?s an easy task to check calibration against the two in the overlap range.

[RV7A Flyer]

Originally Posted by rjcthree

I?d suggest two with a decent overlap range. It?s an easy task to check calibration against the two in the overlap range.

And if they're different? Which one is wrong?

I take all of mine to a local shop every few years that can certify them back to the NIST standards. Maybe it's overkill for our planes, but IMO, there's a right way to do things...