Torque wrench?

Photomom

Apparently I need to acquire a torque wrench for my lug nuts. As I have no experience whatsoever with this, would someone please recommend a specific one that is appropriate and not too costly?

Nomad

Hmmmm - Never owned one. Why not just stop by your favorite...auto mech, gas station, tire shop ... and have the torque checked once in awhile? Inbetween stops, just check that lugs feel tight.

Verna

I bought one from Harbor Freight. It comes in a plastic case to protect it.

Nomad

Verna - Do you carry it with you?
Curious - How many that do own one do carry it on the road.
Now, it's a fact that I'm a minimalist and carry as little as possible but I still carry way to much and need to cut back. Still trying to get to that stage of carrying only stuff I use on a regular basis.

Verna

PXLated said:

Verna - Do you carry it with you?
Curious - How many that do own one do carry it on the road.
Now, it's a fact that I'm a minimalist and carry as little as possible but I still carry way to much and need to cut back. Still trying to get to that stage of carrying only stuff I use on a regular basis.

Yes, it fits on the floorboard behind my driver's seat. It takes up little room.  I did use it last year when I had to change a tire. 

Ramrod

Eye ball it on the road and check your torque at home. Harbor Freight torque wrench works perfectly fine 

Nomad

Takes up little room + takes up little room + takes up little room + takes up little room ends up (in my case) taking up a lot of room :-)

Verna

Ramrod said:

Eye ball it on the road and check your torque at home. Harbor Freight torque wrench works perfectly fine 

PXLated is a full-timer. I spent 3+ months in AZ in the winter plus normally 4-6 weeks somewhere in the summer. It's best if I keep mine with me. 

Verna

PXLated said:

Takes up little room + takes up little room + takes up little room + takes up little room ends up (in my case) taking up a lot of room :-)

Take your middle finger tip, touch your thumb tip to make a circle. That's about how big around it is in the package. 14" to 18" long. Put it in the passenger seat tucked between the seat and the back of the seat. Then you have to remember where it is!

Nomad

Doesn't matter the individual size...It's the accumulated volume :-)

My decision is... First, is it absolutely necessary. Otherwise, will I use this on a regular basis enough to justify the added volume. And/or is there an alternative. And/or, can I get it on the road if it turns out to be essential. And/or, can I get it as a service.

For instance, I'm going to get my tires rotated on a regular basis - The tire shop will have a tourque wrench. On the other hand, a tire iron is essential.

Mouseketab

Yes, I have one, in a hard plastic case. It rides behind my back seat in the truck along with a socket/tool set also in a hard plastic case. Does not affect what I'm hauling or carrying at all.

Nomad

Carol - Have seen your setup, you don't exactly travel light - I swear some of you have uHaul stepvans for your TVs :-)

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@PXLated, would love to see your "must have" list, and "like to have" list. We all know that coffee and camera equip are on the first list.

ScottG

Photomom said:

Apparently I need to acquire a torque wrench for my lug nuts. As I have no experience whatsoever with this, would someone please recommend a specific one that is appropriate and not too costly?

Note that torque wrenches come in different ranges, so if you do get one, make sure it covers the value specified for your lug nuts.

Do you need it? I don't know. I have two torque wrenches I use for delicate or critical fasteners on my motorcycles. Lug nuts I just tighten by feel, which comes with experience. FWIW, I don't have great faith that tire places always torque to spec--I've had lug nuts that were near impossible to loosen by hand, and even broken lugs. Torquing fasteners to proper spec ensures a snug fit without risking damage from over-tightening. 

Photomom

How do I find the correct range for my T@B lug nuts? I vaguely recall reading it somewhere but cannot find it. 

ScottG

Beats me. If you find it again please let me know!

Verna

http://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/17247/#Comment_17247

90 lbs is what I was told

TerryV6

Well,  this certainly old for most of you,  but I just saw it.   You come down with Gas,  or,  Gear Aquisition Syndrome.. While I've only been out a few times so far,  I can see better what I really need and what can stay home.   There is plenty of space,  but it is precious and not to be wasted. 

Photomom

Not being a car person, I've no idea how necessary this is.  But I do want to maintain my trailer properly. I know when we buy new car tires the tire place tells us to make sure to return to get the nuts checked and torqued. 

Verna

TerryV6 said:

Well,  this certainly old for most of you,  but I just saw it.   You come down with Gas,  or,  Gear Aquisition Syndrome.. While I've only been out a few times so far,  I can see better what I really need and what can stay home.   There is plenty of space,  but it is precious and not to be wasted. 

Try planning for 3 months in AZ for the winter.  Three seasons of clothes, but only a few fall/winter items, mostly summer shorts and t-shirts. And then, the "what-if" syndrome comes in and you throw that in, too. Oops--no more room!  I take less each trip, but I still have to tell myself there are stores in AZ that sell stuff if I need it!  The same goes for food....AZ does have food and bottled water!

Mouseketab

PXLated said:

Carol - Have seen your setup, you don't exactly travel light - I swear some of you have uHaul stepvans for your TVs :-)

True, there are some trips I do travel very full, some I don't. But my truck can handle it and more. Honestly, if I were full timing and traveling, I'd have much less. Most of my trips are to single destinations for an extended amount of time, so I like to be comfy. 

ScottG

Verna said:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/17247/#Comment_17247

90 lbs is what I was told

That sounds about right for torquing a lug nut. If you are in the market for a wrench, though, note that this is 90 foot-lbs. Some wrenches are rated in inch-lbs.

90 inch-pounds would probably leave your tires a little wobbly!

Getting back to the original question...  A properly-sized beam-type torque wrench (see photo) will probably be the most economical option. They're not as convenient to use as a ratcheting clicker-type, but should work just fine for getting your lug nuts close to spec.

source3

T@b manual states 85-90 ft/lb.

I bought a used high quality torque wrench then had it calibrated.  Note:  I wrench on my own cars so having a good one was critical.  I have the kind that clicks when the proper torque is achieved.  I did not go with digital as I did not want to worry about batteries - especially after it sits for a while.

Whatever you do, protect it by keeping it in its case.  If you drop it the calibration can go out of range.  

As ScottG stated, after a while you will get a feel for how much torque you are applying.  However, I always torque my lug nuts to proper specs.

ChanW

That's the nice thing about the 'beam' type, that ScottG pictures there. It's simple, really durable, and no moving parts. Calibrating it involves bending the pointer rod so it points to zero.

You'll need an extension to go with it, to reach in, to the hub.

Tommy

Buy one and learn what it does then leave it at home. By learn what it does I mean - loosen a lug nut then re-tighten it using the normal lug wrench - tighten as far as it will go with one finger of pressure then put the torque wrench on and watch how far tighter it turns before the wrench clicks off. You now have the formula (finger pressure tight plus 1 full turn etc.) to reach "close enough" in the unfortunate event that you have to change a tire on the road.

ericnliz

Harbor Freight,
 Really good place to buy all your needs. They also make a folding lug wrench which [YEAH I KNOW PXL!] takes up very little room!

John_and_Kris

We leave ours in the back of the TV

irvingj

I'm with ScottG and source3 on this. I've been too many times in a situation where I could not, using the often rather poor lug wrench that comes with vehicles, get the $#@ lug nuts off. I've also experienced broken studs on wheels -- definitely NOT fun.

Tire places and auto repair shops, in the never-ending effort to speed things up, most often use a "torque stick"; the idea is that the "stick," rather like a ratchet extension, will flex when it reaches the proper torque rather than apply the torque to the bolt head or nut… but then, since everyone likes to avoid lawsuits, techs will sit there and let the impact wrench hammer on for several seconds after the stick ceases to turn and "twists" (having reached its value), just to "make sure" the nut or bolt is tight.

Couple that with the --and I've seen this-- up to 20% deviation from specified torque value that torque sticks are designed for, and you have the result that if you have a flat and need to change that tire you could be in a real pickle.

As a result, ANY time anyone else touches my wheels, the first thing I do when I get home is break the lug nuts loose and re-torque them correctly using my torque wrench. Without exception.

The original owner of our T@B bought a torque wrench and it resides under the rear bench seat with the spare (older Dutchmen model), but I can't say that I've ever used it. I leave it there "just in case," however. Do you NEED it? Probably not, if you can verify that the lug nuts were properly torqued to begin with. I just never trust anyone else on this, but then again, I can get pretty anal about "my machines," from 40+ year-old motorcycles to brand-new vehicles, to a 60-year-old airplane.

So if you always have AAA or something like that available, and never are in a "far-off-the-beaten-path in the middle of nowhere" place, no problem. Personally, I will never take a long trip without my toolbox, and I would still recommend to anyone that they verify that lug nuts are/were properly torqued.

Photomom

That's a good discussion. It seems to me that there are only a couple of things in the T@B that can ruin a trip, i.e. tires and wheel bearings, so it makes sense to really pay attention to those. If anything else breaks you can still get where you're going and camp.

Ratkity

I've been keeping my torque wrench lovingly in my toolbox (snuggled in its home) because I use it so much on the motorcycle, but I may either move it or buy a new one just for the truck/camper. The lugs are different on the truck and trailer and I have a general multi-lug wrench set (not a torque set). 

I have watched auto techs do exactly what @ScottGdescribed. Matter of fact, one used only a compressor impact wrench and it wasn't set to turn. As a result, the wheel almost fell off (I was a teenager and wasn't paying attention to the fact the wrench wasn't turning). A good citizen told me to pull over after a mile. Didn't lose lugs or bolts, but was a bit shook up. 

I've had to stand on a crossbar lug wrench because the lugs were on so tight. Thanks @ScottG!  Changing a tire is hard enough on the road. Fighting with lug nuts that are over tightened just adds insult to injury in a frustrating situation. It never occurred to me to re-torque all wheel lugs and keep a wrench in the vehicle. Simple solution! Thanks again

JohnDanielsCPA

Before every trip, I recheck my torque on my lug nuts and check my tire pressures.  I carry a torque wrench (the click kind from Sears), a breaker bar and an air compressor.  Automobiles tend to hold their torques, but for some reason, trailers don't.  And the lug nuts seem to loosen on their own for whatever reason at anytime.  If something goes out above the frame, you can still get home.  But if a tire or wheel bearing goes out, you're stuck.  I have a AAA membership, but because we tend to boondock a lot, it's best to be prepared if you have to deal with a flat tire or bad wheel bearing on your own.