Torque Wrenches

Just purchased a 2001 TM2720SL, now the fun begins.  Where can I find torque wrenches to tighten the wheels?  What should I pay for such a wrench?  Do I need a certain size?  How often should the wheels be checked?  The manual says every 50 miles is that correct?

Thanks,
CSS

[Paul_Heuvelhorst]

One of the better places to buy tools is Sears.  The Craftsman brand has proven to be extremely reliable and tough.  You can expect to pay upwards of $75 for a good torque wrench.

While I've never owned one myself, I plan to buy one shortly.  We, too, bought a new trailer and I've been negligent in checking the torque of the lug nuts.  However, I do check them (with a socket attached to a 1/2" drive rachet) and I think I'm in the ballpark on appropriate tightness.  The main issue is checking them.  During the first 200 or so miles it is smart to check them several times (every 50 miles seems excessive unless you stop for other reasons).  During this initial breakin period the wheels and lug nuts are undergoing a "settling in" adjustment.  After this adjustment period, checking them before you leave on a trip and when you get ready to leave your destination to return home is good.

I do a "walk-around" visual inspection every time I stop for gas.  I've only had a wheel come loose once (on a pop up trailer) because I was ignorant of the things I mentioned above.

Enjoy your new "home on wheels" to the fullest by being aware of how to properly maintain it.

CSS:

I agree with Paul,,,, stop by your local Sears for your wrench. Don't be fooled by a cheap torque wrench at a discount tool store, or a flea market. A good torque wrench is one of those items that you get what you pay for. Get a "click" type wrench, not a "pointer". They are much easier to use. Another one of those things,,, once you use a clicker, you will never go back to a pointer. So get the good one the first time around, and get it over with.

You asked what size to get,,,, they come in 1/4 inch drive, 1/2 inch drive, and 3/4 inch drive. (I don't know if Sears even carries the 3/4). You want the 1/2 inch drive.

When you use your wrench, don't use an extention that is any longer than need be. If you can get by with just a deep-well socket,,, all the better. Reason being,,, an extenton will twist a might when you get on it. The longer, (and cheaper), it is, the more it will twist. When it twists, you throw your torque readings out the window.

 With that said,,,, before the arguements start comming in,,,some people will argue that it won't twist that much, and won't change your readings that much, so don't worry about it. While this may true,,,,, with all due respect to these people,,,,, the whole purpose in getting a good torque wrench and using it in the first place is to get an accurate tightness on your nuts and bolts. If you are going to look at it as, "this is close enough", why bother with it in the first place? Save that $75-$100 and just use your four-way. Do it right, or don't do it at all. Again,,,,, with all due respect.

Mack

The torque wrench is a good idea.  I also recommend the 1/2 inch, and the "click" type is better.  The only down side is that if you are serious about accuracy, the click type, which uses a spring internally, should be recalibrated every year or so.  Springs will lose tension over time.   Remember to back off the torque setting when you put the wrench away and this may not be a serious concern.

Oh, IMHO it's just as important to avoid over-tightening the lug nuts.  Watch out for your local tire shop.  They just use impact wrenches and are notorious for over tightening the nuts.  I've seen studs snap, and once had to have a nut cut off!

???new to this board....glad i found it. was reading pop-up times' message board but found that it did not lend itself to our type of pop-up. now for my question, my background is clinical (psychology and nursing) NO mechanical skills at all. regarding torque wrenche thread...if i understand correctly, i should purchase a 1/2 click type wrench...then what? how does it work and most importantly how do i use it.

thanks for your patience.

The Craftsman "click" torque wrench has a ratchet socket head attached to a long round bar. Near the base of the bar is a plastic ring.

The plastic ring is a lock that keeps your setting fixed.

When in the "unlock" position, you twist the handle to set the proper torque. The bar is scribed in 10 lb-ft increments (if you buy the 1/2" wrench). Each complete twist of the handle is 10 lb-ft. The handle itself has a ten marks used to line up the unit setting with a mark on the bar. This way, to set say 25 lb-ft, you rotate the handle between 20 and 30 on the bar, with the #5 mark on the handle matching the mark on the bar. (I'm having a tough time describing this, I think). You can always go to craftsman.com, search for "torque" and look at the picture.

When the wrench is set, and you're tightening the bolt, you'll hear a "click" when the proper torque is met.

It's important to apply a smooth motion to the wrench, no bouncing, or else you're likely not getting the setting you're after.

Hope this helps...

As jon.m says, be sure to apply smooth, even pressure. And be sure to listen for that "click". You will only get it once. If you miss it, you will just keep on tighting. And you will notice that the lower your setting, the quiter the click. So, listen up.

If possible, it is always best to have clean, lightly lubed, threads. But, that is not always possible. Just do the best you can.

If you can get to your Sears store on a weekday morning, they are usually not too busy, and I'm sure a salesman would be glad to step you through it.

Mack

:) thanks, went to sears today just to look at it. will return later this week to purchase and try it out. i was just going to use my lung wrench to see if anything was not tight. i'll keep you posted. off to hot springs ark this weekend.

All,

Although new to the RV, I have had a boat trailer for 13 years and use a 2 ft. pipe on the end of the standard lug wrench and give it everything I've got short of standing on it to get the nuts tight. Have never had one come loose in that many years. Not sure of the need for a torque wrench unless I have just been lucky.

Dick B.

By putting a 2 ft pipe wrench on the end of a lug wrench, and "giving it everything you've got" you could easily be putting over 250-300 ft lbs of torque on the bolts.  At that torque you will distort the brake drum and possibly take the lugs into a condition where they lose all of their strength.  They won't come loose, but could snap off and cause you to lose the wheel.  Please use a trque wrench.  I've found that I can easily bring them up to 90 ft lbs with very little effort.

I know I wasn't asked, but with all due respect, Dennis is right. There is such a thing as "too tight". Studs, (bolts), stretch, threads stretch, drums and rotors warp. And add some time and rust to them, you better have that pipe handy if you ever have to take them back apart.

In my opnion, that is.

Mack

Dennis and Mack were so convincing about overtorquing my lug nuts that I bought a Sears Torque wrench this weekend ($99.00 version) and will use it faithfully from now on.

Dick B

:)My son-in-law in Ann Arbor, Michigan  has helped friends build race cars (as a hobby) so he wanted to take me tool shopping for my WONDERFUL  new 2001 TM (3023)  We went to Sears, paid only $69.00 for a great torque wrench, and then, after buying some other neat tools he took me home and made me demonstrate to him that I really could check and tighten the lugs properly--I learned that there is a sequence to doing them (you dont just go around in a circle from one to the next--who knew?)  And I also learned that while checking the lugs is not difficult, 12 times 90 foot pounds adds up to some biceps building almost as serious as the Nautilus machines at the gym.  The people at the motel where I stayed on the way back  home to GA must have thought I was praying to strange gods when they saw me on my hands and knees beside the TM in the morning, but doing this made me feel much more secure.  And when you are a woman towing one of these things on a 1,500 mile trip alone, you want all the odds to be on your side!  Thanks to all of you for the helpful posts over the many months  I  have been reading this board.  By the time our TM finally arrived, I was  an informed (and delighted)  owner!  

Hey firefly

You mentioned bulding you biceps checking your lug nuts,,,,,,, just a suggestion, nothing more,,,,, I find it a lot easier to push down on the wrench, rather than pull up on it. Again, just a suggestion, to each their own. :)


Mack

:) MACK--Thanks, but I WAS pushing DOWN on the wrench!  (Like you, my son-in-law thinks that is the best way to do it. Of course, it is on a bit of an extension since the wheels are set in, but it did take a VERY firm downward pressure to get the 90ftlbs. Pretty satisfying to hear that neat little click though!  I think because I am so green at it that that my "technique" might not be so great yet.  ;)

And what size sockett do you need for the torque wrench? Are all lug nuts the same size? Do any sockets or extensions come with the wrench?
Dave

[Happytrails]

Lol....guys....if you're rebuilding an engine, ya need the gauge and all that...pls do spend the extra money, If you're just tightening lug nuts, don't kill yourself on a torque wrench.....k? A cheap one will do....if it makes ya feel better......besides, did anyone's car *ever* come with one? Or a "lug wrench" instead? Not saying stick a pipe on it and give it all ya got, but the one that came with it will do fine as long as ya get a couple of good "squeeks" outta it....just check it regularly.....and tighten in order like firefly said..........Rotating as opposite as ya can........Dunno about you guys, but never once drove a car with a 4 foot lug wrench in the trunk............lol ya worry too much! Just check em with what ya got! ;)

[Denny_A]

And what size sockett do you need for the torque wrench? Are all lug nuts the same size? Do any sockets or extensions come with the wrench?
Dave


Socket size = 13/16". Lugnuts all same.

I bought a Torque wrench (click type) at a Home Depot competitor's place for $35. Works good. I say that because the competitor is mostly in the Northern Midwest, but price may be similar at HD. Set should include extension plus a drive diameter conversion extension. 1/2" to 3'8" or vice-versa, depending on the drive size of the torque wrench.

Torque range is 90-120 lb-ft. I use 95 lb-ft (just because). I also recheck the torque regularly after any short trip and every couple of days on a long trip.

Early on, when my trailer was new, after a few hundred miles there were always a few loose nuts (meaning a lot less the 95 #-ft, but  not scary loose).  Now the wrench will usually click at 95#-ft on all lugnuts. So, I back each one off an eighth of a turn and retorque. Checking torque on a stationary nut can be decieving. Static friction is quite a bit higher than dynamic friction. So, when the nut is moving, and the click occurs, I know it's good.

Just a note about "a couple a good squeaks" as a test for ok! I know many people do that and get away with it. But, we've all said at least once - "why in the h**l didn't I......" right after the preventable event.

I watched an airplane burn to the ground due to overtorue of an hydraulic fitting on a 3000 psi system.

Discovered a failing trunnion, securing a rotor blade, just before the flight was ready to start engines. Overtorqued  bolt! Stuff happens. So, I say "ignore the don't sweat it" advice.


Denny_A

[oilspot]

Torque wrenches are good for estimating and keeping nuts equally tightened.  I wouldn't tighten a wheel with disc brakes any other way...

However, keep in mind what HappyTrails and DenTed are saying.  There are a lot of variables in measuring torque: are the nuts and bolts all in the same condition (good smooth threads), is there anti-seize or dry threads, any dirt or dust, any rust, etc.....

On nuclear reactors, where torque is critical, DOE (it might have been TVA) has done extensive studies on torque wrenches to determine the best type (remember precision and accuracy are both important).  DOE's conclusion was that only bolt elongation was a reliable way to measure torque.  Yes each time you torque a bolt it will stretch.   :o

My motto:  Tight's right, Too Tight's Broke!! :P

My advice:  Giving it all you've got can probably damage the bolts permanently.  Torque wrenches (especially the click type) will get you close, but there will still be up to 10 lb +/- difference.  

Torque wrenches are good and I reccomend everyone that has a disc brake equipped auto (or truck) use one, but there isn't really a need to carry one with you.

[Larry_Loo]

This discussion about torque wrenches brought back to my mind one wheel loss that I had and another catastrophic loss that I averted. The first occurred while towing a 6' long U-Haul trailer on a 1,500 mile trip. The trailer swayed a lot - due to my lack of experience in loading trailers at that time - and about 900 miles into the journey lost a wheel. Fortunately, this occurred while driving at slow speed through a winding construction zone. All of the wheel's lugs had sheared off! 5 hours later the wheel was repaired and we were on our way again. Since TMs don't sway, if both towing vehicle and TM are loaded properly, this eliminates one cause of throwing a wheel.

The second incident (not an accident) occurred about 4 years ago while I was working as the chief med. officer for a large Calif. prison. One day I drove to a meeting in one of the prison's newer autos, a nice Taurus, with the chief med. officer of a nearby prison, a good friend. We drove the 100 miles to the meeting with a community medical center's administrators without any problems. In the afternoon as we started our drive back, I heard a soft clicking which seemed to come from the outside of the car. We stopped and both of us visually checked everything we could see around and underneath the car, but, found nothing. Several miles down the highway we stopped and checked out the car again - including looking under the hood. About 15 miles into our drive I told my friend that we should probably pull off the hub caps and see if there were any foreign objects such as rocks in them (thinking back to my high school days when we pulled pranks on friends). Imagine our shock when we found 2 lug nuts loose in the hub cap of a rear tire that were the cause of the noise! The remaining 3 nuts were loose also and had backed off slightly! We put the nuts back on the bolts and tightened them down with the 4-way wrench. I then drove back to our prisons at a reduced speed on the freeway. The next day I reported this incident to our prison's motor pool and recommended that they replace all 5 lug bolts on the wheel.

Our prisons' motor pools use low-security inmates to perform many of the maintenance and repair jobs. This arrangement also provides training for these inmates. To this day I don't know whether or not the installation of the nuts on that wheel to just finger tightness was accidental or intentional.  ??? ??? At times I do think about what might have happened if our Taurus had thrown that rear wheel while we were traveling at 65 MPH down that interstate freeway.

The moral of my story may be: don't ever get your TM serviced in the motor pool of a prison!  ;D ;D ;D

[oilspot]

Thanks for the sage advice Larry!

Nowadays I think half the low cost tire shops are staffed with graduates from that prison motor pool! :P

[Windbreaker]

What air pump do you all suggest using, AC or DC any brand? Can the DCs push 50? :'(

[oilspot]

I bought a cheap DC one from SAMS for about $18 that came with two bottles of the green slime fix-a-flat stuff and a nice carry case.

The unit is noisy, but easily pushes 55 or 60 psi (I think it claims up to 120 psi).

I've used it on the TM and for racing, where I go up to about 55 psi, without any problems.