Torque wrench - which do I buy?

Pashers

Hello. Advice needed please. I have a Bailey unicorn Cadiz. 2022 edition. Do I need a specific torque wrench for this or do you have any recommendations?

Thank you- Gareth 

wh1nbrew

I am happy with the one I bought from Halfords - so any decent robust torque wrench should be OK.

One point was made to me by the guy who serviced the van the other day - after use, return the spring to minimum setting as if you leave set to say 130 kN, the spring will gradually compress and will alter the accuracy over time.

RedKite

Halfords says OH and that one that covers your range for a caravan, not to buy really cheap ones  better quality if you can.

richardandros

I thought that as well.  However, I have a 'Williams Superslim' torque wrench which was a 21st Birthday present (I'm now in my 70's!), along with a comprehensive set of spanners, sockets etc. It's been sitting in the garage for donkey's years, wound up to a fairly high setting.  Last year, I dug it out and asked our local garage to check it against their calibrated one which has to be checked and certified every year,  Guess what - it was spot on! No one was more amazed than me.

dave the rave

That was made in GB when we knew how to make things!Modern stuff will be nowhere near as good unless you buy something like Snap on at a premium price!

EmilysDad

but as you know, it is good practice to wind them back to zero after use ... 👍 😊

richardandros

Too true fluffy.  And they came with a lifetime guarantee against breakage or distortion. Nice to know I have outlived that.  Made me feel old, though - just done a search on the 'net and there are a lot for sale on eBay and the like - all described as "Vintage"

Pashers

Thanks all very useful! I read that I may need a special one for Bailey caravans but that doesn’t look like the case. 

eribaMotters

I've just picked up on this. I'm using my late fathers Norbar torque wrench. I'm 62 this year and when he passed away I inherited it. I know it was a good one as it was standard issue at his workplace for maintenance on the Rolls Royce jet engines he worked on. I've just looked up how much they cost and near fell over.

 

Colin

wh1nbrew

Re Baileys.  For some reason I didn't get the proper socket for my D4-2 - perhaps the previous owner forgot to give it to me.  It came with a bog standard 6 sided wrench!  I never dreamt that there were different wheel nut/bolts, apart from the locking variety, or for something like the Nemesis locks, so it is worth checking you have the right socket.  

handsj

Just caught up with this. I use a torque wrench made by Gordon tools of Sheffield. It was bought for me in the early 1970s and it's seen a lot of use over the years. I always wind it back to zero and it remains accurate.

The only slight annoyance is that it reads in foot pounds whereas nowadays torque is generally specified in Newton metres. It's easy enough to convert. And it's perfect for classic vehicles too.

I'd recommend anyone to buy a good quality English-made torque wrench rather than anything made in China.

 

EmilysDad

I'm intrigued as to what the 'proper socket' should look like ..... sockets are generally either 12 or 6 point.