Torque settings for wheel nuts?

[Bradssv]

Wonder how many tyre shops actually torque up wheel nuts. I rekon holden would just zap them with a rattle gun too

 

[vc commodore]

Wonder how many tyre shops actually torque up wheel nuts. I rekon holden would just zap them with a rattle gun too

For the last decade or so, the places I have worked have used a tension wrench or a torque bar. That's been about 4 different shops...And from what I can gather through the traps, the majority use either a tension wrench or torque bar....The down side is, I seriously doubt many would get the tension wrench re-calibrated reguarly...

Going from memory, when I went through the Holden Factory around 94/95, they had a big rattle gun, with 5 sockets on the one gun, which torqued them upto a specified spec all at once

 

[Immortality]

Those factory wheel nut guns are ace. Watch megafactories to see em in action. It's even more impressive when you see supercar type engines been built and they do the head bolts exactly the same way, all at once

These days I think it makes sense for any shop to torque wheels correctly with all the H&S and liability stuff. If someone has an accident because a wheel has come off and the cops track it back to a fitment issue at a professional shop then you'd better watch out if the correct procedure isn't followed.

I know of one incident here in NZ where a truck lost a wheel on the motorway causing a major accident. Wheel was fitted by an apprentice without supervision. The torque gun was fitted with the wrong size air hose so never reached the correct torque levels and nuts weren't checked.

Business went bust not long after.....

 

[vc commodore]

These days I think it makes sense for any shop to torque wheels correctly with all the H&S and liability stuff. If someone has an accident because a wheel has come off and the cops track it back to a fitment issue at a professional shop then you'd better watch out if the correct procedure isn't followed.

I know of one incident here in NZ where a truck lost a wheel on the motorway causing a major accident. Wheel was fitted by an apprentice without supervision. The torque gun was fitted with the wrong size air hose so never reached the correct torque levels and nuts weren't checked.

Business went bust not long after.....

Interesting one that......All shops I have worked in have the same size hosing to the rattle gun......As the guns get older, they tend to loose their torque, rather than the air supply diametre to them......

As for checking the nuts......The reason stickers are now placed on wheels and/or inside the cabin is to deflect the responsibility from the shop to the driver.....Not that I agree with it, but how it works....How ever checking by a wheel brace of some sorts has always been the best method I have found and gives me the personal peace of mind a wheel is going to stay where I put it.....

 

[Immortality]

3/4" rattle gun fed with 1/4" airline.....

I remember this case well.

Shop went out of business before the cops could take em to court for negligence. Cops decided not to pursue conviction as the owner had no means to pay. Wrong decision I say because he should have criminal conviction, he probably started another business doing the same shoddy **** somewhere else!

 

[greenacc]

I've seen different size airlines, its usually the curly ones that vary in diameters.

 

[Immortality]

In my example someone had fitted the wrong hose. I believe when the rattle gun was tested it produced less than 50% of it's rated torque. No matter how you look at it, it was total negligence on the part of the shop operator.

 

[greenacc]

Right. I've seen cases where a know it all old timer fitted the smaller hose to young newbies to limit the damage they could do with their rattle guns....
Of course he wasn't smart enough to realise loose bolts can do more damage than tight ones.... this wasn't in the auto trade though.

 

[Immortality]

The reality is that a rattle gun shouldn't be used to torque nuts unless it's properly calibrated unit like they use on automotive assembly lines.

There is only one way to correctly torque a fastener and that is with a (correctly calibrated) torque wrench.

 

[VS_Pete]

So what brand torque wrench would you buy for home use that would not be used to much?
In other words price.