My old man swore by never using a torque wrench on lug nuts, just 'feel' it. Took me 3 wheel studs snapping on a Ford F-150 last Tuesday to finally buy one.

I was out in the lot with a customer's truck, tightening his wheels by hand like my dad taught me. Snapped the third stud clean off and had to call the guy to tell him I'd need an extra hour and $45 for parts. That's when I realized my dad's shortcut cost me time and money. Has anyone else had a parent's 'expert' advice backfire in a real job?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant_hart4d ago

That old school "feel" method works fine until you hit a rusty truck or aluminum rims. Torque wrench pays for itself the first time you don't snap a stud.

king.andrew4d ago

Wait, is snapping a stud really that common though? I've been turning wrenches for like 15 years on everything from old farm trucks to my buddy's lowered Civic, and I think I've snapped maybe two studs total. One was on a rusty Ford F-250 that was practically a pile of red dust holding hands, and the other was my own fault for cross-threading. Most people I know just give things a good grunt and maybe a half-turn past snug and they're fine. Seems like if you're snapping studs left and right, maybe you're either dealing with junk metal or just cranking way too hard... I don't know.