Switched from a standard torque wrench to a digital one on C-130s last month

I used to second-guess my click-type wrench on those engine mount bolts until I borrowed a Snap-On digital torque wrench from a buddy at Dyess and caught three bolts that were 12 ft-lbs under, has anyone else had better luck with digital for critical torque values?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_nguyen5d ago

Why would you want something with a battery and a screen on a flightline where stuff gets dropped and dirt gets everywhere? You ever have a digital tool take a tumble off a wing stand and just lock up or give you some random error code? Click wrenches might be old school but they're tough as nails and you can calibrate them yourself with a simple test bar, no software updates or dead batteries in the middle of a turnaround. For me, I'd rather have a tool that works every time I grab it, even if I got to pay a little more attention to the feel of it.

harper_owens5d ago

Jump right into calling out that "12 ft-lbs under" number because that sounds like a pilot error or a dirty clicker, not a reason to go digital. I've seen guys treat click wrenches like hammers and then blame the tool for being off, so maybe clean the threads and check the grease before blaming the wrench. How many of those three bolts were actually critical versus just a little snug? I bet if you torqued them with the same click wrench ten times you'd get a different reading every time anyway, that's just the nature of mechanical things. Plus, if you're on a flightline in the rain or snow, that digital screen is gonna fog up or the touchscreen will stop working, then what are you gonna do, guess? Seems like a lot of hype over something that probably worked fine before.