I bought myself a torque wrench. It was on clearance, and the price was impossible to resist. I also picked up some chrome vanadium deep sockets that are colour coded. Now I can finally change my own wheels without fear of snapping lugs or wheels flying off. It's 1/2" drive, and goes from 10-150 ft lbs. Perfect for seasonal changeovers. In a few weeks, I'll try it out. What has been an essential tool for you that you now can't live without?
When you back it off, only back it off to the lowest indicated torque (10). If you go further, you risk mucking up the calibration. Ask me how I know.
what brand is that wrench? it would be interesting to see how accurate it is..
as for my most essential tool that i can't live without: my 3.5 ton Craftsman jack and my assortment of jackstands ranging from cute little tiny 3 ton models to much bigger 6 ton models get used every time i have to raise a vehicle off the ground for some reason.. my 2 ton cherry picker and Mac HD engine stand with crank operated head have been pretty useful and have more than paid for themselves over and over in the decade or so that i've had them, but my single most used tool is my Craftsman Professional swivel head 3/8" ratchet. it has a 12" handle to break stuff loose, then you can pivot the head and use it as a spinner..
iadr wrote: Remember to back the tension off at the end of each use. That style is also very prone to internal rusting, so if it's a damp garage, or kept in a vehicle, or there are large swings in temp in the garage (condensation), it may only have a 30-36 month lifespan.
It's funny - I've always known these processes, but have usually forgotten to do them on my 8-year old craftsman torque wrench, which lives in the garage tool chest and/or race toolbox. It's gotten covered with mud and dust, tossed onto concrete, and more. But a while back I grabbed the Snap-On guy at a local shop and had him test it for me - he had it showing about 5% off at most, which kind of surprised me.
Maybe I should get a new one soon, lol.
On a related note, I should really get an impact gun.
That's better than my solution of buying one from Lowes, using it in the parking lot. Then immediately returning.
I keep my wrench in my garage. I always back it off all the way. Is that bad?
Fitzauto wrote: I keep my wrench in my garage. I always back it off all the way. Is that bad?
You want to set it to the lowest setting on the wrench. This prevents putting too much continuous strain on the torque spring. I leave the tools for the aircraft in the hangars which are air conditioned.... ish so they're exposed to humidity and huge temperature swings on a regular basis. Never had a serious problem with them being out of cal or too crudded up.
On a related note: Make sure you test it on a few different settings before you use it the first time. I had a defective one bust a bolt off in my HPFP housing recently when it didn't click.
Yeah test it out, I had one a few years ago that didn't click.
I bought a 12 ton press during the HF parking lot sale, why'd I wait so long...
G_Body_Man wrote: On a related note, I should really get an impact gun.
Get a cordless. I have a cordless, a plug-in one and an air one. Guess which one gets used most and guess which one NEVER comes out.
This should go without saying but also with torque wrenches it's best to use them gently/slowly, i.e. Don't man up on it like you would a normal wrench.
Also yes cordless impact, get a brand name you want to use for all your tools or if say you already have a ryobi drill and sawzall get a ryobi impact. So much nicer having just one battery that fits everything. Oh and lithium. Yes you need lithium
I've got 2 cordless impacts, but haven't used them in a long time, as the battery life has gone to nearly nothing and they're never charged when I need them. I've got an air impact that I've used once, as I'm too lazy to get out the compressor (I have to lug it up some stairs). What I do use is my corded electric impact. They're cheaper than cordless ones there's no battery to go flat and who doesn't have a bunch of extension cords anyway? At the track, I've started using a breaker bar and speed wrench, as it takes up less space and will always work. It's barely any slower than an electric impact too.
In reply to RX8driver:
Oooh, there's a corded impact wrench for sale at Canadian Tire for $50. Must. Resist.
In reply to G_Body_Man: I can't believe that you put off that tool for years. (Actually, I can 
) My #1 essential tool is my quickjacks, regular jacks take too long to lift my car. My #2 essential tool is my impact wrench, it makes many jobs take much less time, and some possible to do period. 
Actually, now that I have written it, my #2 tool is actually my #1 tool.
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