Itinerant Air-Cooled

I have a dandy click torque wrench for use on the engine, but it's rated for 10 - 100 ft lbs so isn't going to work on axle nuts, or the gland nut.

Checking out what's available, I find most wrenches seem to top out at 250 ft lbs. Somehow I suspect that working a torque wrench that close to the top of it's rating isn't a real good idea.

I did find one that's rated to 300 ft lbs at Harbor Freight, very cost effective. Suspiciously cost effective, although it is 3/4 inch, so an adapter would be needed to go to 1/2 inch that my axle nut tool needs, or the correct 3/4 inch socket.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarte ... h-808.html

My mind fogs over at the thought of the math I would need to figure out the proper torque spec with the 3 inch or so offset from center of the axle nut tool, but it would be less than the spec at center.

Any thoughts on which way to go? Expensive but better quality 1/2 inch topping out at 250 ft lbs, or inexpensive 3/4 inch with adapter or proper socket.

I'm leaning to the cheap one, yet this is a replacement for the vintage needle dial Craftsman that went to 250 ft lbs, with 1/2 inch nub after I borrowed and broke it from Cheryle's Dad.


neal

Neal, figure once you get into the hundreds of pounds you just put a fat guy on x number of feet of pipe to dial in your torque...

^^^ Works for me.
(As I get older and fatter I'm running out of room to stand by the head or the wrench though.)

Yeah ya don't need to torque those rears. Breaker bar and fat guy.
I am well versed in breaking antique torque wrenches, ask me how...

Now, now, I pre-stressed the thing for you.

neal