december2021 - 50

COVER STORY
The newest innovation is a digital
torque angle wrench that gives you the
ability to get an angle reading. These
are used for torque to yield applications
which are largely seen for cylinder head
bolts or main bearing caps and suspension
components.
The GEARWRENCH click-style
torque wrench used to be the top seller
in this category on Sledge's truck, but
nowadays the company's digital torque
angle wrench sells the best.
" Even if guys aren't using angle, they
buy it because they might need it one
day, " says Sledge, who serves mostly
automotive and body shops on his
route in Franklin. He has an employee
who runs a second truck with a route in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and he also
has a franchise in Ohio.
GEARWRENCH is the predominant
brand found on Sledge's truck and he
likes to encourage his customers to stick
with the same brand and build off it.
" Brand recognition to me is important
and when I organize my truck, I
don't like to carry a bunch of different
manufacturers because I want guys
to get locked in to that one brand, so
I do push GEARWRENCH first, " he
says, noting that GEARWRENCH is an
economy line and guys can get into a 1/2 "
torque wrench for about $160.
Sledge is also always asking his customers
if they will need torque wrenches
that go in reverse because some brands
do not offer that functionality.
WHY IS THE RIGHT TORQUE
SO IMPORTANT?
Many users often do a couple extra
pulls when using a torque wrench
because it feels extra snug and they
think that must be good, notes Morris.
However, over torquing can cause
the lug nut, for example, to stretch
beyond its natural ability and it could
snap right then and there or in a couple
days' time. Under torquing is just as bad
because the lug nut can come loose and
fall off.
Pond says engine repair is a prime
example of the importance of applying
the right amount of torque.
" If you leave them too loose, with
engine vibrations the bolt can sort of
back its way out a little bit and now you
don't have the proper clamping force of
the head to the block and you can get
fluid leaks, oil leaks, or combustion
leaks, so the job's going to come back
again, " he explains. " If you overtighten
the bolt it can't pull itself back together
and it just loosens up or you can snap it. "
One of the biggest concerns of
not applying the proper torque is
with wheels.
" You hear stories all the time of
wheels coming off cars on the road
because they've either under tightened
or over tightened the fasteners at the
wheel, " Pond says. " I don't care how
long you've been putting tires on cars,
you can't actually judge the tightness
of the lug by your air gun. They should
be torqued. "
OTHER TORQUE TOOLS
Morris recommends shops have a
torque analyzer where techs can put
their wrench on the torque tester daily
or weekly and see what the readings are.
A best practice would be to do 10-15
pulls on the analyzer at the end of each
shift and if the tools all pass, then they
can continue using the tool. If a tool
fails, then it means it needs to be pulled
out of use and sent to the calibration
lab for testing.
" A lot of tire shops and automotive
places don't do that. Most of them we
found are using time-based intervals "
for sending the tools to the manufacturer's
lab for verification, says Morris.
When selling torque verification
tools, Morris recommends pushing ones
to your customers that have a pass-fail
indicator, such as a red and green light,
50 Professional Distributor I December 2021 I VehicleServicePros.com
have the ability to set tolerances, and can
capture data.
" If all the shops can capture data
and send it to the corporate office, then
they can start to analyze trends with
tools, trends in shops. It also helps
them with future purchases with tools
and shorten the calibration cycle, " he
explains. " If they are noticing 50 out of
the 100 tools are always out of torque
six months before they are supposed
to be, then we need to shorten our
calibration intervals. "
Sledge sells torque sticks (also
known as torque limiting extension bars)
to his customers which are added to the
end of an impact wrench to tighten to
the estimated torque. Not too long ago,
Firestone mandated that all its technicians
use a torque stick and then follow
it up with a torque wrench to make sure
every lug nut was torqued to the right
specification. Since then, torque sticks
have gone up in sales a lot as many other
automotive shops started to follow that
same mandate, says Sledge. But he still
often has to take the time to educate his
customers on the importance of using
torque sticks.
" A lot of them think it's the old
fashioned way to ratchet down with
the impact [wrench] but the impacts
are becoming so powerful now that you
could break a stud on a rotor, " he says.
He pushes the Astro 78818 to his
customers. It's a four-piece torque stick
with four-piece protective lug nut and
socket for just $88.
It's important to know where your
customer is on the torque spectrum.
Ideally, they should be buying a torque
wrench for their job, but it's better to use
a torque stick than nothing, so you can use
that to ease them into this product line.
Torque multipliers may be another
product your customers are interested
in, especially if they work on heavy duty
equipment or in industrial applications.
A multiplier includes a set of gears that
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december2021

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