That guy who said to never trust a torque wrench you dropped

My lead mechanic Bob told me if a torque wrench hits concrete it's junk forever. I figured he was being dramatic until I dropped my Snap-on three feet onto the hangar floor last month and it was off by 15 inch-pounds on the next fastener check. Has anyone else had a torque wrench survive a drop or am I out $200 for a replacement?

3 comments

3 Comments

green.noah9d ago

Man I was one of those guys who thought Bob was being dramatic too. I used to figure a torque wrench is a hunk of metal, how bad could a drop really mess it up. But after I dropped mine and saw it was reading 10 pounds off on a simple lug nut check I completely changed my mind about that.

miles_robinson209d ago

I dropped my Snap-on 3/8 drive off the tailgate about six years ago and it threw the calibration by 8 foot-pounds at 50. That right there made me a believer. You can't guess on torque values, especially with aluminum wheels or critical suspension parts. It's not about being dramatic, it's about knowing the tool is lying to you. I send mine out for recalibration every year now, no exceptions. A bad reading can turn a simple job into a broken stud nightmare real quick.

the_mia9d ago

Ha, yeah @green.noah you're singing my song now. That 10 pound swing is no joke. I've seen guys snap bolts clean off because their wrench was reading 20 under. Then they blame the bolt. Nope. It was the wrench. Dropping one basically resets the internal spring tension. You can't just eyeball that stuff back into spec. That's why I keep mine in a padded case, never just tossed in the truck bed. Treat it like a delicate tool, not a hammer.