$20 Torque Wrench, are they accurate? | Harbor Freight 1/2" and 3/8" Drive Review and Test
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- Today let's review and test Harbor Freight's cheapest torque wrenches, are they good enough for the DIYer?
Description from Harbor Freight:
Utilizing a heavy duty cam and pawl mechanism, this reversible 1/2 in. drive click type torque wrench is the go-to tool when precise torque is needed. The click type wrench design provides a torque range from 20-150 ft. lbs..
Click-type, accurate within +/- 4%
Heavy duty cam and pawl mechanism
Torque range: 20-150 ft. lbs.
Reversible
Specs:
SPECIFICATIONS
SKU(s)
63882, 239, 94850, 62431
Brand
PITTSBURGH
Accessories Included
Blow mold case
Accuracy
+/- 4%
Drive size (in.)
1/2 in.
Finish
Chrome Plated
Material
Steel
SPECIFICATIONS
SKU(s)
63880, 807, 61276, 94892
Brand
PITTSBURGH
Accessories Included
Blow mold case
Accuracy
+/- 4%
Drive size (in.)
3/8 in. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA GF D2 | Summer | ร่วมส่งแรงใจ เชียร์ไทยไปพร้อมกัน](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dN2gLsCJ0T0/mqdefault.jpg)
Music? Does it make the video more or less enjoyable for you? Let me know!
No music was just fine. We all have different tastes in music but we all love tools. Nice test. It was like a analog test. It’s too easy to just test it against a Quinn digital torque adapter. The adapters could be off as well.. You could do an angle test. Tighten a nut down with digital adapter and mark the nut with a line and the metal the nut is against with another line and test the variations of torque by how much farther or lesser the nut passes the line. Just an idea. I found your test interesting. Happy 4th 🇺🇸🔧
I would vote no music
No music 💯
no music is good
music is annoying
Lesson learned , always always wear PPE . My friend lost an eye when a cord like that snapped .Very informative video , thank you .
I just got it for $13 and it does the job. Im a weekend diy guy and can’t see myself spending $100 for a torque wrench.
Do a quick sanity check on it before wrenching on anything expensive! Thanks man!
I was aiming at an AC Delco digital torque for $100 to torque my lug nuts, I stopped by harbor freight and saw the 1/2 inch torque on sale for $15... I couldn't resist the deal so I'm glad it had good accuracy in the test. Weekend DIY too.
@@HerbOMatic my guy living on the edge
I just purchased one at harbor freight. I used it to put this new hub bearing in the Altima. I set the torque to 65 foot pounds
It worked great. .
Hopefully you're not working on your vehicles or anything that your family's life is dependent upon
I've had my 1/2" Harbor Freight torque wrench for almost a decade and never had any problems with it. Not sure if it would hold up in a shop being used every day but it's perfect for DIY at home use.
same here. Only use once in a while and my 1/2 HF is pretty accurate when I tested against my friends really nice shop torque wrench with 5% good enough for me.
It’s important to remember to return the wrench to the lowest setting when storing your torque wrench.
Always.
Thanks, I didn’t know that.
I'm glad to see that you did not get hurt and I appreciate the testing.
This is a very important tutorial for inexperienced new diyers that don't have any idea what 20 ft/lbs torque on a 3/8inch ratchet would even begin to feel like!
I appreciate it as I never saw that instruction to cycle to full torque setting & back 3 times!!!
Fortunately, my old Craftsman pair confirmed my HF pair to be adequate without recalibration.
But be damned sure I will be testing them both before going in to retorque my 3 yr old LBJs/Ft Suspension parts while doing my next tire rotation!
83 ft/lbs on my Tundra lugs.
Test one for the 1/2inch drive...
Glad you survived that Reverse guillotine move 👏 🙌 👍
Good testing. helps sort out whether to use on less critical, not very critical torques. Thank you sir!
I had both of those, they are really easy to re-calibrate. They do need to be stored at the lowest torque rating and cycled three times before using from lowest to highest torque. Something to bear in mind at 5lb/ft being off by 33% is something like +-1-2lb/ft which yes, is high but still probably better than not using a torque wrench where you can fairly easily end up with + or - 100% accuracy or more at that level.
You need to store all clicker style torque wrenches at their lowest setting. It doesn't matter which brand. Not doing this will screw up the spring.
@@williamallen7836 I had no idea, I've been storing mine at whatever torque setting I used it last time, is my torque wrench trashed now?
@@giovannifoulmouth7205 if it's the clicker type with the handle you spin to set the torque, it will most likely need to be recalibrated. There's a couple videos on TH-cam on you can recalibrate them at home with an inexpensive scale. Split beam type torque wrenches don't suffer from this, because there is no spring that will develop a memory after being compressed for a peroid of time. But they cost more.
Excellent video! I have been wondering for several months if those cheaper wrenches are worth using! I had no idea how to test the accuracy. I learned alot. Thank you!
Bro, your opening on this is EPIC🤘
I have had both my g these for about 5 years now and they have always worked great for me.
Thanks for all your work. Very informative and useful.
Thanks for the video. Great information here on checking torque wrench accuracy.
Excellent test. Learnt a lot from your test.
You do know that these wrenches can be recalibrated. Any torque wrench would need to be checked and calibrated periodically, regardless of brand or cost. These wrenches, while they are very inexpensive, are very easily calibrated. Your demonstration was very clear, however it would have been helpful to go through the calibration procedure while you had your rig set up and also it's important to release the spring tension when storing a torque wrench as that will shorten the calibration period. Good video.
They do carry a lifetime warranty just like all other Pittsburgh hand tools it even says so on the package so when the time comes and it needs recalibrating you can just return it for another brand new one as it’s not really worth the time or effort to recalibrate it when you have this option. I just recently warrantied my half inch model as I loaned it out to my neighbor and he had left it cranked up to 120 ft lbs when it was returned.
i agree, id like to see a calibration video.
@@scottmingersoll Pretty sure warranty doesn't cover calibration and maintenance, that's like taking your car back for warranty when its time for the oil change...
@@jakegarrett8109 Im sorry but that’s a stupid comparison as is not a car but a sub $20 throw away tool and having it calibrated professionally would cost the user more than purchasing a new one and yes it is indeed covered under the no questions asked lifetime warranty stated on the box just like all other Pittsburgh hand tools. I’ve warranted one before so I am speaking from experience, if you want to go learn how to calibrate yours more power to you but between my work and family I personally have more important things to use my time for.
@@scottmingersoll I saw this video and another one today, and the 3/8ths wrench was off by basically 33% out of the box. So, even if its brand new, it can still be 33% inaccurate... Getting a new one every year still doesn't avoid that, and how do you know if its off unless you checked it? It takes like 2 minutes more to calibrate it if you're already checking its spec, so I value my time, hence I wouldn't bother warranty on such a cheap part to begin with, but also it takes more than 2 minutes just to walk into the store and grab another one compared to adjusting the adjustment screw (which who knows if the new one will be accurate, how many wrenches are you going to check?)
FYI, they also sell an electronic torque wrench addition. Like 20 some odd bucks. It just beeps when you hit the set torque. I measured it on a snapon and craftsman torque wrenches and it is quite accurate. I use that in line with my HF torque wrenches for a sanity/accuracy check. The battery sucks on it but it does the job if you need some real accurate low torque (in/lb) or real accurate torque specs.
I have these two also. Used them to install performance rear end suspension parts on my 2012 mustang. Had to use an aluminum extension over the torque wrench (and my leg) under the car to reach spec, but it made it. Before that I used them maintain my 92’ Celica. Almost 200k on that car. Sold it to my brother and he drives it daily. The wrenches need to be maintained. Open up the pawl, disassemble, and re-oil them. Motor oils fine. They work good and cheap for DIY. I have not had an issue with either one. I paid 25 for the 1/2” and 19 for the 3/8” I’m glad these are available at that price range. Thanks HF.
Buy a torque meter they're very accurate
Excellent post, thank you for sharing.
Very educational video. Thank you!
Excellent test thank you for your good help...👍🏻👍🏻
Awesome video thank you!
Thanks for doing this. I'm actually more comfortable buying this wrench now.
Glad I found this video. Didn't think about my inexpensive O'Reilly wrench being way off. Never saw directions about cycling it before use. Will check how accurate it is now thanks to your vid as I use it to tighten my daily driver lug nuts.
Only mechanical issue I have had with it was the top two black screws holding the head piece together came loose and out due to no locktite being on them. Was easy enough to screw it back together.
Thanks for the review. Considering the wrench would be mainly for my motorcycle, I’m torn after reading the comments about the calibration.
Interesting for me, I used this method to check my cheap (metric) torque wrench out, having to work out the force of gravity into the equation and convert Newtons to Newton meters! That was fun, found out that my wrench was off, so found a few YT videos on how to calibrate it, a little grub screw under a rubber plug about half way down the length of the wrench needed to be adjusted took about 15 minutes and done! Cheers for your input
Thanks. This saved me a lot of money. I recently bought a Tesla. Great car, but it comes without a spare tire. Bought a spare from Modern Spare (comes with a jack & J-bar lug wrench). Tesla lug nuts need 129 ft-lbs. I'll buy the ½" drive for $20 instead of a more expensive one. With the spare, a tire inflator and this torque wrench, I'll be safe on the road. You saved me ~$80.
I have used and own many torque wrenches over my 45 years as a mechanic. Snap-On Tools required I have them recalculate my 3/8" drive ft/lb torque wrench every 2 years or they would not warranty it for accuracy. The tool cost me $150.00's back twenty years ago. Their 1/2" drive was much more money. As mechanics we were taught to only trust any torque when set between 20% to 80% of it's max measurements. Below or above those torques we were to chose a smaller or larger tool. We were never allowed to use any tool at the lowest or highest settings. So why are those numbers on there anyway?? I own only six torque wrenches today. Ranging from 1/4" to 3/4" drive. Four of them are Harbor Freight tools.
Yeah, when he started at 5, I cringed. His idea of a sanity check before using it is good though.
Great video, and great way of critiquing yourself
For my job in water work, aka municipal water, I've bought roughly 6 of the 1/2 inch for tightening down or torqueing our mechanical joints for various things like new install and water break repairs. For $20 or less these are perfect for our work. Our bolts are 3/4" generaly and these torque wrenches have been perfect for us. Gets us close enough for our work. The thing is they are subjected to very harsh conditions in general. Muddy, wet, sandy trenches aren't kind to tools in general so that's why we've purchased the 6 or so wrenches in the time I was the foreman. Great for us and a god send. It's aweful to spend $120.00 on a wrench that gets dropped in water on a cold night.
😊
Yes, sometimes you need to reverse it. Not to loosen, but for left hand threads. Mower blade on a push mower is an example
Exactly, I was thinking the same! It's not a ratchet, it IS a torque wrench that torques RH or LH fasteners.
Awesome video, thank you I feel better about getting the torque wrench
I bought a digital torque wrench and it’s one of he best purchases ever. I love it. Definitely worth the money.
what drive?
glad you didn't get hurt on that! Very interesting test. I bought those plus the 1/4" one. My 3/8" doesn't seem to trigger. The 1/2" one seems to work fine. Haven't used the 1/4" yet. Of course I haven't tested them to see if they are accurate or not, only that they trigger
I think maybe going up a level to Husky from home depot or to Harbor Freight's better wrenches might be worth it after reading everyone's stories!
I went ahead and replaced mine with a Lexivon
I found this video extremely helpful. I recently did the valve cover gaskets on my wife's truck and they are still leaking and was really dreading having to re do them, but now that I found this video I am leaning much more to the torque values being off
It's a possibility, don't crank them down too hard or you may distort the valve cover.
Did you apply rtv sealant on the corners of the gasket and do the correct torque pattern sequence?
@@scottanthony7284 not every vc gasket needs RTV
I've been a mechanic for 40 years and have never used a torque wrench on valve cover bolts.
Very good advice to check them out
Good info and it applies to all other torque wrenches too, not just the Hazard Fraud. Thanks and God bless!
Great Video!
Thank you for teaching me
I like that you used actual weight and not another digital tool to test the torque wrench
Thanks Labeeb!
I saw a video where the tester calibrated the wrench by disassembling the handle, tighten or loosen a nit inside, so I think with your setup you could calibrate then easily!
I got one for my AR, and I misread the weight setting 😆 silly mistake, so now I'm onto crush washer nunber 2!
Thanks for the video. I don't feel completely crazy for buying it.
sorry about that. I was going to buy one to build my AR too 😂😂
As others mentioned the wrench should be more accurate up some from the lower settings. Anyways nice video, makes me want to test my Harbor Freight 3/4” drive. I had to purchase this in the past for my axle nut torque on my 03 Yukon for it was above 150 ft lb. My lug nuts on my 2010 Ford F150 are specified at 150ft lb believe it or not, “I just used my one Torque Wrench the other day on the truck.”
I been havin my torque wrench over 6 years and the henges on the box are still good as new
On the case, it's just as good as the snap on. Had the 3/8 and 1/2 inch digital. Retired and sold them. 480 and 800. Had to pull the head on my 22r. Used the Harbor freight 1/2 inch. So far so good.
Something to consider in your testing is that you had the weight wrench unsupported which could be throwing off your measurement would be more accurate if you tested horizontally and pulled it with a come along and had a load force tester inline
My first torque wrench was a cheap one. From 40 nm to 200 nm. At 110 it only did 40 nm. Got a new one... at 110 it was 190. Swapt it for a beta tool ... if it got to be good you need good tools
The mfr of my Toyota says 13 ft lbs for spark plugs. I am so glad I saw this first. Thanks.
Very wise and humble of you to show us your 75 pound kite… lmao! Really though some people actually might believe that is viable and seeing this might’ve saved their foot.
Thanks for the test. Could you try and calibrate the 3/8” one and test again?
thanks for this informative video. I bought a 1/4" drive one 5 years ago. Never used it. I guess I may as well throw it in the garbage and get the 1/2" drive.
That seems like a pretty fair test idea,
Have you compared those torque wrenches to others, performing the same kind of test? I would like to see a similar test with old fashion style Beam torque wrenches,
For some comparison.
first thing you thought was did i string my eye out !!!! and where the hell are my safety glasses !!!! nice video
Thanks for the series of tests. Perhaps the tests should have included the weight of the heavy duty string and the swinging weight. Otherwise, it will affect the accuracy, especially on light weight tests. Thanks again for your tests.
I would be curious about consistency of the readings. Using the 3/8" wrench, are the readings the same ( even if off ) across multiple uses , re-initializing ( min-max settings , 3 times ) .
Would love to see you do this test with there Icon tools
Ty😊
I just got my 1/2" version Pittsburgh Pro for free with a coupon. It looks good enough for wheels and suspension components. Probably won't assemble a long block with it, but for everything else it'll get a go from me.
Glad you didn't get hurt!
I have multiple HF torque wrenches and have them set up for dedicated uses. The one I use most is my "car" one that I keep with it so I can torque lug nuts when my wife's car or my truck need to have tire rotations done. For $22 bucks, I can afford to leave it in my truck toolbox.
decent wrench for a diy person doing basic work drain plugs, lugnuts ETC, not delicate things like motors. Good test
Great point!
Is it good for tie rods and suspension? I bought the 3/8 today at HF and going to use it soon
@@richcityrepresentative8805 yes
@@ikeyeet8312 ok thanks
I always make sure to have a good supply of paracord on hand as it's typically good for about 800 lb
fascinating review..much Needed and much appreciated!
Thanks Skip!
Great information, thanks for posting!
You got it steve!
First of all, you should never use these at the low end. They won't be accurate. Use a smaller torque wrench. Second, the weight of the handle plus the string+pipe will make it click sooner. Other than that, a good video. I did this with my HF torque wrenches using my lug nuts instead of welding a socket. The 1/2" and 3/8" were within a couple of pounds in the middle ranges. Good enough for what I use them for. I got them for $9.99 on sale. Good deal!
I have the 1/2" one in the back of the car with a 19mm deep socket and a breaker bar for tire changes. I figure lug nuts spec'd at 89 aren't likely to care too much about a
For this to be more accurate, you should factor in the weight of the handle, rope, and pipe. Will make a difference especially in the lower ranges as the percentage of total weight would be greater. Otherwise great, well thought out test and greatly appreciate you taking the time to make this!
They have a reverse on them for torquing left hand threaded fasteners. Not that many out here but ... YES ... they do exist.
LOL sorry but you got a chuckle out of me glad you were OK thx for an honest display
Well by using your chart, just remember to compensate for the 3/8 at low torque. I have the 1/2 and 4% is good enough and glad it is accurate over range. Thanks
I have a good digital 3/8 Gearwrench 120xp torque wrench for my engines... but I do have the quarter inch Pittsburgh Pro from Freight and a 3/4 inch Pittsburgh Pro from Harbor Freight ($80) and they are actually really good to me... they out perform the 20 bucks and 80 bucks...
Do that with an expensive torque wrench and your results will be pretty much the same most torque wrenches work best at the higher end of their capacity..
So if you're trying to tighten something Titan something at 10 foot pounds get a quarter inch torque wrench not a 3/8 or 1/2 in ....and vice versa if you want something at 128 ft lb get a 3/8 or 1/2 in .... right tool for the job....
I have noticed that too, I don't use the lower 25% range of the wrench usually ill step down a size. However the manufacturer should not have it marked to go below it's accurate range.
Bought a 1/4 from HF today my 3/8 seemed to just not feel right at the lower ft pounds.
@@ryanmccarthy76 they're good👍...(Pittsburgh /4" torque wrenches)
@@ryanmccarthy76 yeah cuz it’s a 3/8
You gotta count the leverage of the tool with small screws by hand you can tell with a small wrench a good feel and with a big one you don’t feel nothing try tightening a 8mm with a 1/2 inch ratchet with adapter to 1/4 inch
My 1/2” wrench came apart after light use. The screws and pawls all came out after a tire change use. I had it for about 6yrs and use it 1x/year
I just bought the 1/4 inch and 3/8's on sale for $11 for that price even if its 1/3rd off I plan to use it. I mean I dont worry about torque on anything besides headbolts and main bearings. Everything i just make tight is tight
I just bought the 3/8" wrench (before watching this video) but I don't feel so bad with my purchase. I bought it on the SMALL chance there might be a day when I need to tear appart my lawn mower or snow blower engines and neeed to torque them back into spec. I can live with them being off by ~ 8%. I just need to remember to set the torque a bit higher than spec.
1:36 there are such things as left handed threads, go ask your grandparents about the Valiants and Darts they drove in the 60s and having to tighten lug nuts in different directions on each side of the car. So being reversible is a key feature for the Mopar Or No Car, A-Bodies Only, and C Body Dry Dock crowds at the very least.
It's very common in industrial environments. One of the hard lessons that I learned, and then passed on to all the youngins I had to train over the years. Sometimes, you have to break off a bolt or cross thread something to learn the hard lesson. I always help them out though, when they have to easy-out the broken bolt or re-tap the cross thread. I try not to be a jerk about it.
I bought the 3/8 to do small jobs like spark plugs which I used it yesterday on my moms fiesta and it did well..I only plan on doin Lil things like oil,and brakes as well so..I won't use it but 3-6 times a yr..
I can't tell where the torque settings are on these wrenches, will the collar be exactly at the line?? after I filled in the markings with black sharpie and wiped it off I could see it A LOT better.
Thank you for the video glad you didn't get hurt. I have a stupid question for a newbie. Can I buy the half inch and get an adapter to bring it back down to 3/8 that way it's more accurate up to a 150 pounds of torque?
it will not make it more accurate at low torque, that is mostly up to the wrench internals, but 1/2 to 3/8 adaptors have a high failure rate
AVE reference was solid gold!
Did you account for the weght of the torque wrench handle? That adds about 1.2 lf-ft when horizontal, so explains just a bit of your error at the low end.
broke transmission pan bolt with these despite putting it at only 8 ft lbs, which was bit less then official torque specs in service manual, at least got no leaks after tightening by feel afterwards
I broke my Pittsburg half inch(junk) so I bought the Quinn. I like it so far .
They have a lifetime warranty I think. Good test.
I purchased a set of these to work on my dirtbike and something told me they were not correct because I was tightening down stuff pretty tight and still no click The video help to substantiate my thoughts . Because I would set say to 20 lbs and it clicks at 30 lbs . I just quit using them before I broke something.
I think they may be suspect, I've tested them since this video and the 3/8 doesn't work right anymore! I almost broke the wife's jeep with it.
I have the 3/8 and it's accurate enough to not lose or break any bolts.
Your video is realy good, I do stupid rigging and stuff like that over my life time, I just take my HFT torque wrenchs on my Snap-on dealer truck and test them every now and then. The 1/2 drive is good for lug nuts and as a loner in stead of my Snap-on torque wrenchs but I think there ok for the price if u don't need torque wrenchs every day 🔧🔧🔧🔧🔧
Thanks Joseph, Yeah they are good beaters, I think they should be validated roughly before use. I think Harbor Freight is good for the guy that uses a lot of tools but doesn't use one tool a lot. Thanks for the comment!
*FUN FACT:* Torque wrenches work best when they are used at the closest value they are maxed out. Meaning if you want to tighten a lug nut with 140Nm then you better have a torque wrench with 160Nm max limit (or something around that area). However most of the1/2 wrenches are 210Nm but you can compensate by "overtorquing" a bit to overcome the loss when you use a lower value.
Nice weld!
Makes sense. Lower torque settings are more error prone
It’s not so simple, guy. These tools will only cost you a ton of money to repair their damage. Buy a Digital MATCO and you have no worries. Just imagine building your dream car/motor. You would be stupid to use a cheap ass torque wrench, man. It makes sense, huh??
Blue-Point is good shit! But u gotta pay, bro $300.00-$470.00 or so.
Found this video right after learning that the 'weight at some distance' method is a flawed method for testing the accuracy of a click type torque wrench. I am not an expert, but just passing on what I learned. Because of how the mechanism works, the applied torque at the head actually depends on where you hold the handle. They are almost always calibrated to a perpendicular force applied to the center of the handle, so applying force anywhere else as you did in this video will yield incorrect torque even with a calibrated mechanism. Counterintuitive right? It is because the pivot point for the mechanism that measures the torque and the pivot point for the head are at different positions; changing where you apply the force on the handle changes the relative size of these two levers, which yields different applies torques even with a calibrated mechanism.
Here is experimental evidence demonstrating this effect from Park Tool, maker of high quality torque wrenches for bikes:
th-cam.com/video/BPe1-bDFVRM/w-d-xo.html
And here is an explanation of a click-type torque wrench's mechanism and the math of why grip position matters in this design:
th-cam.com/video/0f746pF1xc0/w-d-xo.html
Any person that buys a torque, torques it from the handle so I'm sure engineers designed it with that in mind and any sane person will know that it's best to torque it from the handle. I don't want to get too deep into torque settings as a DIY, I only care that the torque is accurate enough.
Great comment with substantiating links. This leads me to ask: In order to get accurate results, would it be necessary to use a system which suspends a bucket from the midpoint of the grip to which is added a known undersized weight and slowly add small weights to find the click point? Once found, the bucket and contents could be weighted to get the actual trip weight.
I tested my harbor freight one on a torque tester on the snap on truck. My torque wrench has been used and abused and it was accurate to 1lbs up to 150lbs.
you could get a quinn torque adapter for your testing, waaayyy easier
Just an FYI: In normal usage, socket adapters or extensions will have an effect on the torque wrench's accuracy due to torsion.
Where does that torque go? Did you invent something that violates equal and opposite reactions? If you draw a box around your system, did you somehow dissipate torque into the air?
Torque = Force x Distance (in this case that x is not just a * sign, its vectors with the force perpendicular to the arm)
@@jakegarrett8109 In your comment, I don't see any mention of the engineering concept of torsion. I specifically said "adapters or extensions will have an affect on the torque wrench's accuracy due to torsion." How much the accuracy is affected depends on several factors including length, material, etc. of the adapter/extension. It may be insignificant for some, but crucial for others. So no, I didn't "invent something". And no, the lost torque didn't "dissipate torque into the air".
@@MrPaulSimone So did that formula say anything about torsion? Engineers know that a system you draw a box around it, and if you have the same rpm coming out of it you will have the same torque, where is this power mysteriously dissipating into the air?
You can twist a spring 100 turns, but even if its rotated 36000 degrees, its torque at the output will be identical to the torque at the input unless something else is holding it in place. Where is the air holding your connector in place?
@@jakegarrett8109 Are you seriously doubling down on your ignorance? Do you think the single equation you used accounts for all forces/stresses involved in rotating bodies? Do you think there are no other mathematical relationships involving torque? Anyone can Google the basic equation for torque in 2 seconds. Well, at least you were able to do that.
Come on, you do realize 100 complete "turns" of anything is the same as 36,000 degrees of revolution. Additionally, your example of the spring and air is pointless when discussing ratchets, sockets, and extensions. On the other end of that ratchet may be a Honda Crankcase pulley bolt. It will teach you the concept of torsion if you're using your extension(s) and your Googled basic torque equation.
@@MrPaulSimone What is the difference between a spring (kept straight along its axis) and this magical torsion in socket extensions? News flash, the socket extension would be a torsion SPRING, and yet, the torque at the end (because the summation of all forces must be zero) did not magically dissipate torque.
I bought them for front end work.I would step up to rebuild a engine type stuff.
I bought the 1/2” drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight mainly to torque the castle nut on my AR-15 (spec calls for (38-42 foot pounds, so we set it for 40 foot pounds, right in the middle of the range).
All the advice I read online from other shooters said to not waste money on a high end torque wrench if you’re not an armorer and just doing it for your own rifles, and to just get a torque wrench from Harbor Freight, so I did.
My castle nut wrench is probably the best available, and it’s a 1/2” drive, so it’s nice to know that the 1/2” torque wrench is within spec. If I was building dozens of rifles for clients as a business, I’d invest in a better wrench, but for just a few, the Harbor Freight wrench will provide the required torque so I can stake the castle nut with confidence that it’s as tight as it should be, and it will stay put unless I decide to remove it.
Exactly why I'm thinking about picking one up. Need the 3/8" drive though.
It would be interesting to test some name brands for comparison.
Snapped a trans pan bolt off with this, had it set for 7lb-ft and it never clicked. I should've stopped after a few turns but I wasn't familiar with how much 7lb-ft actually is, and it was still very easy to turn.
I tested pan bolt removal with a $400 snap-on tool. They ranged from 8.5 to 19 ft-lb... but some were incredibly loose.
Went to tighten the loose ones, and one snapped.
CONCLUSION: someone was installing these with an air gun, not a torque wrench! I've seen heads snap off before for the same reason.
Might not have been your wrench at all.
If you didn't use the 1/4" torque wrench for this, it was expected that you would have snapped those bolts.
7 ft lbs FAIL, 84 inch lbs success
Since I'm only using to torque my mower blade, I think it's fine!
Your test on the 3/8" drive version looks like it would be very easy to recalibrate, as it is off by pretty much the same amount at each test point, so it's just a straight linear adjustment that's needed. And most accuracy specs are measured as percent of full scale, not percent of reading, which would mean that the 3/8" drive wrench you tested meets its torque spec accuracy claim.
I have a old,1972 craftsman tork. Works as good as a ticker tork. Craftsman has a rod and gage.
The cases are great the wrench's are a great value.