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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    melbourne australia
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    3,228

    Default I broke my torque wrench

    Today I broke the ratchet head on my torque wrench trying to remove the 46mm nut from my motorbike rear wheel. The pawl broke in half. It's an ETC brand ½" drive wrench. It's quite old but has had almost no use. There are hundreds of places online selling repair kits for ratchet heads, but none specifically for this brand. I'm confident there's one out there that would fit, but as they don't specify dimensions, I can't know which one would fit.

    I don't really need the ratchet feature. I have a Norbar torque wrench with a ratchet that I use for most jobs. The ETC only gets dragged out when I have a job that exceeds the Norbar's limit. So I'm happy to permanently fix the cylinder into the head. I have oxy-acet and I have a mate with MIG and TIG. Does welding sound like a reasonable fix?

    I can get a similar Kinchrome torque wrench for $78, so I don't want to invest too much time and money into repairing this one.

    Appreciate any ideas.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Chris

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North Brisbane. Qld. Australia
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    70
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    1,511

    Default

    I never use a torque wrench to undo anything. Wouldn't even consider having a ratchet type either.
    Nev.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Griffith NSW
    Posts
    435

    Default

    1050cc Triumph?

    Ive got a breaker bar for taking it off and I sorta use the torque wrench to put it back on. I lube the threads with a smear of grease and then use the torque wrench to get it to spec, then use the breaker bar to adjust it until the locking ring and the holes line up again. Thats on my 2011 Speed Triple and Ive got that kingchrome torque wrench. She's up to its 7th set of tyres / 50 000km and Ive not broken the wrench yet!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi jack620

    ETC was Eastern Tool Company which made some pretty good stuff for the reasonable price that the tools were made for.

    I have not seen the brand in maybe 20 years, perhaps they were absorbed into another company.

    As a repair, I would favour brazing using a manganese bronze filler. A caution here is to be aware of the fume that the chrome plating will give off. Keep it away from your breathing zone,irrespective of what sort of brazing or welding you are performing.Its nasty stuff.

    Failing the above just a couple of tacks each side with a 2.5mm Stainless steel ought to hold it.

    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
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    3,228

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SurfinNev View Post
    I never use a torque wrench to undo anything.
    Neither do I normally, but why not? The ratchet is designed to operate anti-clockwise.

    Quote Originally Posted by scottyd View Post
    1050cc Triumph?
    Ducati Monster 796. I use the same technique as you do when tightening the nut. I also use moly grease on thread and face of the nut. I only recently had the rear wheel off for a tyre replacement. Apparently the rear wheel nut on Ducatis is notorious for being difficult to remove.

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post

    As a repair, I would favour brazing using a manganese bronze filler. A caution here is to be aware of the fume that the chrome plating will give off. Keep it away from your breathing zone,irrespective of what sort of brazing or welding you are performing.Its nasty stuff.

    Failing the above just a couple of tacks each side with a 2.5mm Stainless steel ought to hold it.
    Thanks Grahame. I've got plenty of blue coated bronze filler rods. Thanks for the heads-up on the chrome fumes.
    Chris

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ballarat
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    65
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    3,103

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    Neither do I normally, but why not? The ratchet is designed to operate anti-clockwise.
    Hi Jack
    I never use as torque wrench to undo the nuts as they can sometimes take more effort to undo than they took to do up (rust etc) and you might exceed its limit.
    The reversing ratchet would be to torque left hand nuts.

    Phil

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Norwood-ish, Adelaide
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    59
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    6,540

    Default

    You nay know this already, but the difference between torquing a nut that is 'dry' and lubricated is significant in terms of the tension that it puts on the thread. I'd be checking the manufacturer's instructions on what condition the threads should be in before tightening. In one situation we were having failures in our factory because a supplier's bolt threads were not clean - that was enough to take the bolts beyond yield...

    Michael

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer View Post
    I never use as torque wrench to undo the nuts as they can sometimes take more effort to undo than they took to do up (rust etc) and you might exceed its limit.
    I reckon that's what happened Phil.

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer View Post
    The reversing ratchet would be to torque left hand nuts.
    Not on this wrench. It only torques right hand threads.

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael G View Post
    You nay know this already, but the difference between torquing a nut that is 'dry' and lubricated is significant in terms of the tension that it puts on the thread. I'd be checking the manufacturer's instructions on what condition the threads should be in before tightening. In one situation we were having failures in our factory because a supplier's bolt threads were not clean - that was enough to take the bolts beyond yield...
    Thanks Michael. The service manual says to coat the threads with moly grease and torque to 176Nm.
    Chris

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    N.W.Tasmania
    Posts
    1,407

    Default

    Chris,
    Someone in the way distant past told me that you should never use a torque wrench in the reverse direction, and to do so would render the torque wrench in need of recalibration. As I recall it was in relation to the W&B Double Click style of tool. The micrometer style which yours appears to be, presumably is ok with either LH or RH directions, otherwise there would be no reversible ratchet.
    Just a heads up for anyone not familiar with that limitation.
    Good luck with the repair of yours,
    Rob

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
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    4,779

    Default

    I have the "double click" type torque wrench. I have never been told not to use them to undo bolts but I just assumed that was the case anyway.

    I'll be interested to see how your fix goes with this wrench Jack!

    Simon
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

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