Discovered my torque wrench was off by 15 ft-lbs on a customer's wheel hub

Last month I was chasing a weird vibration on a 2015 F-150 I'd just done bearings on. Customer came back pissed saying it felt loose. I double checked everything, torqued the hub nut to spec again. Vibration still there. Finally grabbed a buddy's snap-on torque wrench to compare and my cheap Harbor Freight one was clicking at 135 when it should have been 150. That's a 15 pound difference. Never realized how bad those budget tools can drift until you put them side by side with a calibrated one. Now I check my wrench every 3 months against a known good one. Anyone else ever get burned by a torque wrench that was way off? What brand do you trust for the long haul?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.kelly21d ago

Honestly, I see it a bit different on the "cheap Harbor Freight ones are always bad" take. I've used a Pittsburgh Pro one for years and check it against a calibrated beam style every few months, it's never been off more than a couple pounds. A lot of it comes down to how you store and handle it, not just the brand name on the side.

the_matthew20d ago

People sleep on those Pittsburgh Pro ones, but honestly if you take care of them they hold up fine. I've had my torque wrench for a few years now and it still clicks right where it's supposed to as long as I back it down after every use.