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[Norm Keller]

>Not long ago, someone posted some info >on use of torque wrench range. >Something >about not using the full range of the wrench >or it will not be >accurate.

As a general rule torque wrenches should not be used in the lower 20% of their range as accuracy will be less predictable. This relates to quality wrenches and all bets are off for lower quality ones. The problem with a lower quality wrench is that accuracy will vary as will repeatability. By accuracy I mean how close to the indicated torque. Cheap wrenches can be fairly accurate at one setting but far off at others. By repeatability I mean how close to the same torque the wrench is able to stay from application to application. Many cheap wrenches will vary wildly between applications which can be very bad news. It is foolish to save money on a low quality torque wrench. Some other thought on torque wrenches: 1) Most common torque wrenches are the "click" type which indicate that the set torque has been achieved by making a loud click sound. Note that these do not slip, hold value or in any other way limit the amount of torque being applied. If you continue to pull past the click the torque will continue to increase. 2) It is possible not to hear or feel the "click". This can be a sad discovery. For this reason, always test the torque wrench before using to torque a small value. I recommend using a large socket on a big fastener which will not be affected by the torque to make sure that the wrench clicks and that you have a feel for how much pull is required. The amount of pull should be your back-up indication so that you don't blindly continue on to destruction. 3) There is a difference between inch pounds and foot pounds. These values should not be used interchangeably. Camshaft bearing cap bolts will not be happy at 100 foot pounds and you will not be happy either. Tighten the swing arm nut to only 72 inch pounds at your peril. 4) You can likely get by nicely with a zero to 100 foot pound 3/8" drive torque wrench and a zero to 100 (or 150) inch pound torque wrench. 5) I enjoy taking cash from people who don't need to use a torque wrench because they have been "doing it for so long that they have a feel for how tight it should be". Developing a feel for how tight to make various fasteners is a very worth while home work project but should not be used in place of a torque wrench. I tis very useful to develop a feel for how tight to make things and this can be learned by comparing how hard you need to pull against a torque wrench. It is simple to jig up a hex bit to a torque wrench so that a wrench or ratchet and socket can be used to apply torque until the wrench clicks. This is a huge subject area but a search of past posts should reveal additional information on lubrication effects regarding tightening, reuse of nuts, etc. HIH Norm

[JRC]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Ron Moorhouse wrote:

> > Not long ago, someone posted some info on use of torque wrench

range. Something about not using the full range of the wrench or it will not be accurate. I cannot locate that info, so here is my question: With a wrench with range of 10ft-lbs to 75 ft-lbs, what would the min. and max. accurate torque values be? Ron, a good rule of thumb is that the most accurate readings are in the middle 80% (this applies to most gauges). So, for your torque wrench, 10% of the range is 6.5 ft.lbs. The wrench's best accuracy is in the 16- 69 ft.lbs. Jim C. '01 LC1500 A13

[Norm Keller]

Click type are the most convenient torque wrenches for most use. Dial type which indicate the torque being applied (as opposed to click type which indicate that a set torque has been reached) are useful for setting bearing preloads and other rolling torque applications but are more expensive and less convenient because they must be carefully viewed while applying torque. Beam type wrenches can be good value however very cheap ones are common on the market. I recommend click type for most use as they are most convenient to use and are by far the most prevalent in the mechanical repair trades.

>Is craftman brand cheap or good?

I can't comment in a useful manner regarding Craftsman tools as they are not typically used by trades people. I have a few for use at the cottage but my personal tools from my years as a mechanic are professional level such as Mac, Snappy, etc. I have been given to understand that there may be differences between US and Canadian Craftsman. While this is not intended to promote any brand, SK are good value in my experience as are similar (torque) wrenches by KD and others.

>So if I have 10-75 ft lb wrench then is >it correct that I should only use for 15 and >above ft lbs?

That fits the common practice. A 25 - 250 inch pound torque wrench overlaps well with a 10 - 75 or 10 to 100 foot pound. Hope that is helpful, Norm

[fasteddiecopeman]

Ron, It MIGHT be good from 10 to 75, but CLOSE to each end it probably isn't (unless it's a Snap-On or like). If I HAVE to use near the end even on my Snap-Ons, I work up to it gradually. IE- torque to 50, then, 60, 70 and then 75, and be REALLY gentle. You want to JUST get to 75, not snap past by using excess force. Hope this helps. My .02$ Ed

[Trail-Snail]

This just goes to show how quickly and easily it can all be over for us mere mc riders. Video: http://www.supercars.de/html/related_link/related.html?link=1787 Dave Oregon KLR - Less

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Fri, Jun 02, 2006 at 04:36:11PM -0700, Norm Keller wrote:

> > 4) You can likely get by nicely with a zero to 100 foot pound 3/8" drive > torque wrench and a zero to 100 (or 150) inch pound torque wrench.

If you are buying a low-torque wrench specifically for working on the KLR, it's worth considering a calibrated torque _driver_ instead. Stanley/Proto makes some really nice ones, and I think the ones at the high end of the inch-pounds range top out almost exactly where you need for the smaller fasteners on the KLR. These are somewhat expensive if compared to cheap, OK-quality tools (like the Sears 1/4" inch-pounds wrench I use since someone stole my Proto torque driver) but they are usually very high quality and they make some of the inconvenient jobs like the headcover or cam cap bolts really easy, because there is no horizontal part of the wrench to get in the way and hit things -- just a screwdriver shaft.