$11.99 HF 1/4" Torque Wrench

[3Phase]

Come on! For $11.99 you know you need one!

If you already have one then get another one just in case you need it because they're only twelve bucks, there's a limit of five and they go all the way back up to $29.99 at the end of the month.

Pittsburgh Professional 1/4" Drive Click Stop Torque Wrench
20-200 in. lbs.
Lot 61277/2696
Super Coupon # 11661558

Not the coupon link, just the picture, description and SKU:-
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-qua...ench-2696.html

Amaze your friends! Put one in a baggie and bring it with you! Never be without an in/lb wrench again!

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[IanDMacDonald]

I have two different 3/8 drive one's that I like for their noticeable click. My Craftsman Torq-Click one you really have to listen for it (too soft). Anything I'd need a 1/4" torque wrench for, I think I'd just hand-tighten with a 1/4" ratchet or nut driver.

[natemoen]

I have two different 3/8 drive one's that I like for their noticeable click. My Craftsman Torq-Click one you really have to listen for it (too soft). Anything I'd need a 1/4" torque wrench for, I think I'd just hand-tighten with a 1/4" ratchet or nut driver.

You would be amazed at how light some of those in/lbs torqued really are!

[IanDMacDonald]

You would be amazed at how light some of those in/lbs torqued really are!

Yes, I 100% agree with you Nate. When I bought that in./lb. torque wrench, I was like "Whoa, is that all?" Definitely a handy torque wrench to have in-addition to a ft. lb. torque wrench.

[MPittma100]

Torque Wrench

Firm believer in using torque wrench, but faith in a tool for that $ amount is non-existent.

[Gmac]

I did

I bought one of them in anticipation of using it on these bikes several months ago. I still use my Craftsman 1/2" spring gauge but it's been supplanted by the HF 1/2" click off TW also.

I used to just use my calibrated wrist and my 1/4" drive socket set for low torques but in the interest of not having something fall off I got one.

[Bergman16]

I must have just missed. Says 21.99 now. Still might get it, although I was thinking a bar-type for in-lb, which I don't have at all right now.

[3Phase]

I must have just missed. Says 21.99 now. Still might get it, although I was thinking a bar-type for in-lb, which I don't have at all right now.

"Not the coupon link, just the picture, description and SKU:-"

"they go all the way back up to $29.99 at the end of the month."

So unless it's a regional sale for Ventura County in California then it's good until July 31st.
The price is from the latest HF flyer that I got in the mail yesterday so it should be in the rack at the front of the store. If it isn't, they can look it up with the number: 11661558. It has the same SKU as the one at the Harbor Freight link because all three of their Pittsburgh torque wrenches are on sale for $11.99 until the end of the month: 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4"

Most people -- like me -- already have 3/8" and 1/2" ft-lb torque wrenches that you couldn't pry out of their cold, dead, fingers. 1/4" in-lb wasn't necessary for me until I dove in to the innards of my XS11 and discovered that a metric shipload of the torque values are either well below or uncomfortably close to the lowest setting on my 3/8" torque wrench.


The fasteners that require an in-lb wrench:

Clutch spring bolts @ 7.2 ft-lb = 86.4 in-lb
The star plate is temperamental and it's easy to break it.

Camshaft cap nuts @ 7.2 ft-lb = 86.4 in-lb
Does this really need an explanation?

The two front and rear cylinder head nuts @ 14.5 ft-lb = 174 in-lb
These head nuts are both too low for the 3/8" wrench

Crankcase 6mm bolt @ 17.4 ft-lb = 208.8 in-lb is out of range, use a 3/8" torque wrench
Crankcase 8mm bolt @ 8.7 ft-lb = 104.4
This actually works well because you just switch wrenches that already have the correct socket.

I try to use the 1/4" wrench for the front axle nuts/pinch bolt @ 14.5 ft-lb = 174 in-lb but that's not always possible out on the road.

There are a lot more but those are the ones I won't try to cheese by hand or a with 3/8" torque wrench. Look at pages 7-8 to 7-10 in your Yamaha manual or scattered throughout the Clymer manual.

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[Rasputin]

Firm believer in using torque wrench, but faith in a tool for that $ amount is non-existent.

Yup me too. Never clicked once on any of my clutch bolts before I snapped a couple. Cheap is not always a good thing.

[3Phase]

Yup me too. Never clicked once on any of my clutch bolts before I snapped a couple. Cheap is not always a good thing.

Wow, my flabber has been well and truly gasted.

Do either of you two have any idea how to test a tool before you use it or do you just break stuff and blame the tool?

It has nothing to do with price because this particular torque wrench is adjustable. The stamped numbers and lines are a little imprecise but it's a reasonably solid and accurate wrench. Zero it and then test it to ensure that it works correctly throughout its range. If it's out of spec, adjust it and correct it before you break something.


That goes for many inexpensive things from cheap torque wrenches to economy, non-certified, brake hose assemblies: test before use.

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[Rasputin]

Honestly, no I did not know much about it before using it. Just knew that I snapped bolts that I have never snapped before. My opinion only but I have had issues with inch pound torque wrenches.

[jetmechmarty]

I checked some of these cheap torque wrenches for accuracy a few years ago in a calibration lab. Every one of them was spot on in the middle of the scale. They all dropped off to 4% low at the top of the scale and 4% high at the bottom of the scale just as advertised. Certainly good enough for our purpose.

[3Phase]

Honestly, no I did not know much about it before using it. Just knew that I snapped bolts that I have never snapped before. My opinion only but I have had issues with inch pound torque wrenches.

Here you go!Read the comments but it's a very complex, intricate procedure that requires many hours of arcane studies, special jigs, fixtures, potions, powders, and a lot of obscure mathematical and technical knowledge along with a secret handshake:-

Simple DIY Torque Wrench Test, by DanDanroonie


If the torque wrench setting is correct but a used fastener breaks then the fastener had been overtightened and damaged at least once before or it was about to fail anyway. Replace the fastener, carry on and try not to blame the tool for possibly saving your life.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - 24 Minute Chant. Paul Booker


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[3Phase]

Thank you, Marty, that's good to know.

Mine's starting to get less accurate because the spring has stretched after several years of use.

I can take it apart and recalibrate it or go down and buy a couple more for $25.
I'll probably do both.

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[bikerphil]

Never had any problem with the click type, that's because I use the bar type. YMMV