Breaker bar or torque wrench

[team bradfield]

Doing my spring checklist with the new DS, realized my 1/2" TW for the fifth wheel is not going to cut it on this beast, I know I will never need to loosen the lugs, that's what roadside assistance is for, but I feel the need to just check the lugs before trips, wouldn't a 3" breaker and piece of pipe be enough for this task or do you guys use a 3/4" TW? I see a 300-650# TW is kinda pricey

 

[scottramer]

I have a 42" 750 lb ft toqure wrench but I also have a 3/4 breaker and it looked like the head was going to snap off the first time I used it. I would almost think you would need a 1" breaker bar for the lugs.

 

[LMHS]

Digital Torque Adapters. Cheap enough that losing one won't hurt. Small enough it can go in my tool boxes. The last time we used a torque wrench was on the truck. Some moron had used an impact wrench to tighten the transmission pan. When it got hot, the pan warped and we ended up broke down on the side of I-20. Replaced the pan and seal. An impact wrench was "Store Used" so we didn't have to buy it. We ended up using several "universal joint" adapters in order to get the wrench into some very tight places. These digital adapters are quite small. Hopefully we won't need to use them but they are much easier to drag around than the two torque wrenches that we have. I'm sure other companies have them in case you are allergic to Harbor Freight Stores. The links are so you can see what I am referring to. These are the ones I have.

3/4 in. Drive 150-750 ft. lb. Digital Torque Adapter

Amazing deals on this 3/4In Drive Digital Torque Adapter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

1/2 in. Drive 25-250 ft. lb. Digital Torque Adapter

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Drive Digital Torque Adapter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

3/8 in. Drive 5.9-59 ft. lb. Digital Torque Adapter

Amazing deals on this 3/8In Drive Digital Torque Adapter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Kevin D Pem]

So at my weight 185 plus or minus, to apply 750ftlbs to the lug the bar would need to be 4 ft long when I stood on it.

I would not need a torque wrench to accomplish the job, just the use of this calculator

Calculate Torque from Force & Lever Arm Length

This tool will calculate the torque generated around an axis by a force applied at right angle to a lever arm of a specified length.

www.sensorsone.com

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Yes, but you could go shorter if you eat more bacon.

 

[DavidL]

Your lug nuts aren't 750 ft lbs. More like 450.
Breaker bar to loosen, Impact to spin on the nuts to snug, then breaker bar with torque sensor adapter to tighten.

 

[team bradfield]

Are the lug nuts 1-1/4"?

 

[DavidL]

Oh, if you struggle to get to 450, then use a torque multiplier. Just put the toque measurement tool right on the socket to address losses on the multiplier.