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Dial indicators and torque wrenches

jonrpick

jonrpick

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I have 2 questions:

1) Is there a chain of stores where I could pick up a dial indicator with magnetic base, such as Napa, Sears, etc...? Sears didn't have one, but I don't know if it's the whole chain or just the one store that doesn't carry them. I just prefer not to mail order if I don't have to.

2) I'm considering buying one of these Craftsman digital torque wrenches from Sears:

1/2" drive: http://tinyurl.com/2uok5d
3/8" drive: http://tinyurl.com/ysalq8

What do you think?
 
I wouldn't buy any other torque wrench other than Snap-on. Yes they are expensive if you buy them new but i trust their accuracy over any other make of torque wrench. You can buy them used on E-bay then have them calibrated and be into them less than buying it new from Snap-on.

Do you have a harbor freight near you, if so hit them up for a cheap dial indicator with mag base.
 
4X4HIGH said:
I wouldn't buy any other torque wrench other than Snap-on. Yes they are expensive if you buy them new but i trust their accuracy over any other make of torque wrench. You can buy them used on E-bay then have them calibrated and be into them less than buying it new from Snap-on.

Do you have a harbor freight near you, if so hit them up for a cheap dial indicator with mag base.
Click to expand...

Just checked Harbor Freight's site...they have the dial indicators and magnetic bases separately. Thanks!
 
if you want a good dial indicator with a magnetic base, get a fowler with an "anyform" base... you wont be disapointed
 
I bought a cheaper craftsman tq wrench. It works great. I may be off a little, but I don't do it for a living and doubt that its off by enough to make a difference just working on my truck.
 
cbbr said:
I bought a cheaper craftsman tq wrench. It works great. I may be off a little, but I don't do it for a living and doubt that its off by enough to make a difference just working on my truck.
Click to expand...

That's kind of my thinking too... Does Craftsman still have the awesome policy on handtools that lets you swap a broken tool, no questions-asked?
 
Be careful in selecting the type of Torque Wrench. For example, if you want to read running torque, lets say for Pinion preload, you may want a beam type. For ultimate torque, maybe a clicker or digital.
 
roadnotca said:
Be careful in selecting the type of Torque Wrench. For example, if you want to read running torque, lets say for Pinion preload, you may want a beam type. For ultimate torque, maybe a clicker or digital.
Click to expand...

Well, those Craftsmans I'm looking at have a digital readout for measuring, although when I looked at the specs closer, I don't think they'd read low enough for pinion preload, which is exactly the reason I need a readout to begin with.

I found a Harbor Freight about 10 minutes away. I'm about to head over there and pick up the dial and magnetic base. I'll check the torque wrench selection while I'm there.
 
Their torque wrenches are junk IMO. Some stuff they do well for the money, but I looked at their torque wrenches and would not trust them at all.
 
craftsman beam types are ok, if you want to buy from Sears so you have a store to deal with, they carry Armstrong torque wrenches as well. For checking pinion preload I'd get a dial type that reads inch pounds
 
Craftsman beam types are plenty "good enough" in my experience. These are without a doubt (IMO) the best bang for the buck. Good accuracy, dependable, and cheap. The clickers, much less so, but I have them too and they seem ok as well. I do prefer Snap-On, and I have a wonderful little inch-pound snap-on I just picked up recently. There are also versions that look like screw drivers with gages on the but end, just twist and read, but these are for low range inch-pounds. Also note that the "Craftsman Guarantee" does not cover torque wrenches... As suggested, you want a beam type or gage for checking pre-load, a clicker will NOT work adequately.

For a DI, the HF version is good enough for most mechanical work. The Fowler is a decent step up. But the "good stuff" carries names like Starrett, Brown & Sharp, Interrapid, Federal, Standard, Compaq, and so on. And they come in various resolutions and styles. I've accumulated gages running from 0.001 down to 0.00005 with different mounts and actions. The HF bases also work well enough for most mechanical work. But again, they are not nearly as nice to use as, say, a Noga. I picked up one of those a while back and I don't even touch my old mag bases any more. Noga (and knock offs) gives a single handle that locks the whole rig where-ever you put it. And then you have the fine adjust.

How nice do you want to pay? :D Also depends on what you want to do. For something simple and low res, like setting up a pinion/ring back-lash, and only rarely; a HF DI on a HF mag base will be just fine (unless you are so unfortunate as to get one of the DIs that just simply doesn't repeat). But if your more serious about it, ether from accuracy or frequency of use, look into the better stuff. All the stuff I've named off, I've accumulated in less than a year, and for not much money (but lots of "wasted" time looking for "deals").
 
BadDog said:
Craftsman beam types are plenty "good enough" in my experience. These are without a doubt (IMO) the best bang for the buck. Good accuracy, dependable, and cheap. The clickers, much less so, but I have them too and they seem ok as well. I do prefer Snap-On, and I have a wonderful little inch-pound snap-on I just picked up recently. There are also versions that look like screw drivers with gages on the but end, just twist and read, but these are for low range inch-pounds. Also note that the "Craftsman Guarantee" does not cover torque wrenches... As suggested, you want a beam type or gage for checking pre-load, a clicker will NOT work adequately.

For a DI, the HF version is good enough for most mechanical work. The Fowler is a decent step up. But the "good stuff" carries names like Starrett, Brown & Sharp, Interrapid, Federal, Standard, Compaq, and so on. And they come in various resolutions and styles. I've accumulated gages running from 0.001 down to 0.00005 with different mounts and actions. The HF bases also work well enough for most mechanical work. But again, they are not nearly as nice to use as, say, a Noga. I picked up one of those a while back and I don't even touch my old mag bases any more. Noga (and knock offs) gives a single handle that locks the whole rig where-ever you put it. And then you have the fine adjust.

How nice do you want to pay? :D Also depends on what you want to do. For something simple and low res, like setting up a pinion/ring back-lash, and only rarely; a HF DI on a HF mag base will be just fine (unless you are so unfortunate as to get one of the DIs that just simply doesn't repeat). But if your more serious about it, ether from accuracy or frequency of use, look into the better stuff. All the stuff I've named off, I've accumulated in less than a year, and for not much money (but lots of "wasted" time looking for "deals").
Click to expand...

Good info. I just picked up the HF DI and magnetic base. I'm not going to be doing this for a living or anything. I'm just going to double-checking my 10-bolt's backlash while I'm in there. I will also need to regear the front to match the rear, and so it should be good enough for that. For another $10 I could've gotten the digital version, but decided it wasn't worth it.

They didn't have any beam or dial torque wrenches in stock, only clickers. Sears doesn't show a beam with the resolution (lb/inches) that I want.

Is this the Snap-On unit you're talking about?? http://tinyurl.com/2ulg2n

I may just have to get one like that. I know what you mean about spending as much as you want, because those things can get crazy expensive. If I get more serious or ended up doing something like this professionally, I could see dropping the big bucks.
 
I'd never trust a beam over a clicker... My Snap On 3/8", 1/2" and 600 lber have been flawless and balls on for decades now...
 
ryoken said:
I'd never trust a beam over a clicker... My Snap On 3/8", 1/2" and 600 lber have been flawless and balls on for decades now...
Click to expand...

For an actual torque wrench I'll take a clicker. But right now I need the in/lb indicator for setting up my preload. I'm trying to resist the temptation to go cheap, since I just did so on the dial indicator.
 
ryoken said:
so get an inch/lb clicker... $200
Click to expand...
I would feel more comfortable if I could visually see that it was maintaining consistent torque as I rotate the pinion... How would you measure this with a clicker? In my mind they're only good for letting you know when you reach the desired torque setting, not measuring something that's been torqued with another tool.
 
You MUST have a dial or beam type wrench for checking pinion preload. A clicker type wrench WILL NOT work. Also you need a wrench that measures from 0-25 in. lbs. A torque wrench is most accurate at half of it's measurement level.
 
Exactly. The beam or gage is required to set rotational torque measured preload.

And as for never trusting a beam over a clicker, maybe; but only if we're talking about a high end unit that has been calibrated. The beam style are dead simple, the characteristics on which it is based are VERY well known and VERY precise. It's just nearly impossible to screw it up in manufacturing, or in use short of driving over it. And then, unlike a clicker, it's clearly obviously out-a-whack. A cheap clicker, ala HF (or even Craftsman) can easily be mis-calibrated when you buy it if QA is not up to snuff (re typical China imports). I saw a test one time where clickers were tested by a calibration company. I don't recall the details, but I was pleasantly surprised how well the cheap ones did (not perfect, but well good enough for most of us), but there were some significant outliers. So which one will you wind up with? And that also didn't measure how well it held up to dirt, dropping, or banging around in a tool box; for 10 years or more. If it's off, how will you know? Do you send it to yearly calibration? On a beam, if it's off, it doesn't indicate "0" at rest. And if that were the case, you could easily "calibrate" it yourself.

So how is it that a click type is "better"? I'll give you "easier", or "convenient", I'll even give you "nearly foolproof". But I'm not buying the "better" when it comes to accuracy and long term dependability...
 
10b regear eh?
Take a look at KD Tools 2955 for 0-60 in. lbs. beam type. Also look at CalVan Tool 1/4-3/8 and 3/8-1/2 push/pull adapters. SEARS carries those. From there you will need a standard 1/2-3/4 adapter to drive the pinion nut socket.
 
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