Fun with a Wheeler Fat Wrench

[awp_101]

Not long ago, this video from School of the American Rifle popped up in my feed:



After watching the video it occurred to me "Hey dummy, you have torque testing equipment at work. It's kind of like, part of your job description." So I took my Fat Wrench to work and tested it. Our standard testing is 25 rundowns at 50% of the tool rating so I set the wrench for 30 in-lb and started my rundowns. I've had the wrench 3-4 years and primarily use it to torque red dots and mounting plates so it's not in heavy usage at all.

Here's the list of rundowns, what the torque tester actually read and the average over 25 rundowns with the percentage difference.



I was surprised by the amount it was off. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. I may pop the top cover off and see if there's an adjustment to bring it back into calibration. Or I may just add 20% to the called for specs of whatever I'm mounting. I'm not upset or anything because I don't use it very much and when I do it's for generally non-critical tasks. If I were doing some kind of agency work, critical assemblies or otherwise making a living with it, I'd be on the phone with Wheeler tomorrow.

Anyway, I figured some of you might find this interesting and maybe entertaining.

[BN]

Interesting. I use mine a fair amount working on rifles and mounting scopes etc. How do you tell what Gen you have.

[sparkyv]

Shucks. I'd had hoped that the FAT wrench would be closer to zero than that.

[awp_101]

How do you tell what Gen you have.

Good question. I don't know.

Shucks. I'd had hoped that the FAT wrench would be closer to zero than that.

I have no reason to believe it wasn't closer to where it should be when new. I don't recall dropping it but I may very well have at some point. And it stays in my garage which is not temperature controlled and may have an effect on it as well.

[Norther]

The line on the moving scale is quite wide. Do you use the center of it or one edge?

[awp_101]

I center the lines as well as my eyes will allow

[BN]

I saw somewhere that they should be stored with the setting on a lower level rather than below the scale. I started storing mine set at 10.

[ccmdfd]

I saw somewhere that they should be stored with the setting on a lower level rather than below the scale. I started storing mine set at 10.

Was not aware of that. Thanks.


Would love to see similar testing with the torque sticks.

[rayrevolver]

I center the lines as well as my eyes will allow

If you line up the bottom of the red, I wonder if you will get closer to the spec???

I wondered the same thing and glad someone asked: where to set the red line? I use the middle as well and I haven't found any documentation to say we are right or wrong.

So far nothing has failed, fallen off, or caused me to be killed in the streets.

I do have a cheap tekton in-lb wrench, but it doesn't go below 20 in-lb. There is a cal lab nearby but I don't have any brosephs that work there.

[Exiledviking]

In a former job, I worked as a calibration technician for about a year.
So, one thing to keep in mind is that almost every of one of these Wheeler Fat Wrench will register differently when tested. What we're seeing is a sample of one. And, as has been already brought up, the fairly thick red line that's used to set the required torque is not conducive to precision. I'm sure Wheeler has an acceptable range for these torque wrenches and as long as the wrenches don't go much above the desired torque it'll probably pass. Personally, I'd rather have it come up a little short like the OP's wrench does.
Having to drill out broken screws or bolts due to being over torqued is no fun...