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Choosing The Right Tool
Each year needless injuries and fatalities happen as a result of using the wrong tool for the job. Cheater bars attached to forklifts, welded impact sockets, and explosions from torch heating bolts are just some of the unfortunate methods people have used with grave results. IMPERIAL-Newton offers you the tools you need to work with large nuts and bolts correctly. Whether your application requires a low profile hydraulic box wrench or a custom deep impact socket, we can get you and your workers the right tools you need for the job at hand.
The following product group information is provided to assist you in selecting the best tool for your needs. Please feel free to contact one of our Sales specialists at 1-800-594-0035 should you have any questions or need additional assistance in determining the best tool for your application and budget.
HYDRAULIC TORQUE WRENCH
Hydraulic torque wrenches by design will NOT lunge forward when a jammed nut or bolt suddenly spins freely, unlike other tool designs which can result in backlash and other dangerous conditions where the tool can behave like a wound spring let go suddenly. Other types of tools or “cheater bar” type methods often will result in flying wrenches or injured personnel when a stuck bolt suddenly turns without warning. Hydraulic torque wrenches are a safer and alternative to these methods offering much higher accuracy. Precise and methodical are the words for this type of tool, and nothing is better for easily and accurately working with large nuts and bolts safely. Operator error is virtually eliminated with the use of a torque gauge, instead of requiring the operator to perform pressure to torque conversion like competing systems. The handy torque gauge used in these systems displays torque units (Ft-Lbs, KgM, Nm), so there is no need for charts or pressure calculations which get lost or present possibilities for error. These systems provide for accurate torque to be applied across work shifts and operators with the least likelihood of operator error.
Use of a hydraulic torque wrench can reduce the propensity of operator heat stroke from over exertion in hot weather conditions.
Use of a hydraulic torque wrench provides for highly consistent torque across different work shifts and different operators by eliminating the operator “feel” factor, and enabling different workers to apply the same amount torque consistently from day to day.
Hydraulic wrenches reduce danger from sudden breakage or slippage of fasteners.
The use of a hydraulic torque wrench requires very little effort by the operator to turn bolts with high forces and exceptional accuracy, and is therefore an excellent choice when working conditions are hot and humid or where the job involves working with numerous large fasteners. Hydraulic torque wrenches significantly reduce operator exhaustion and thus require fewer break periods and offer safer operation as compared with more physically rigorous tools, resulting in your job(s) being finished sooner with less fatigue and the highest accuracy.
Cost Category: $$$$
AIR IMPACT WRENCH
Pneumatic impact wrenches are often a less expensive alternative to hydraulic tools and do not require a separate hydraulic power source. Frequently a job site already has a compressed air source and is therefore already equipped to power common pneumatic tools. While a hydraulic torque wrench will easily apply final torque, an impact wrench allows the operator to both spin the bolt down and apply final torque within reasonable accuracy for most common applications.
Cost Category: $$$
TORQUE MULTIPLIER
Torque multipliers are often a very cost effective solution to tightening large nuts and bolts, and can be used where no compressed air or electric power is available. Multipliers work by amplifying the torque applied thru a system of gears, resulting in the ability to tighten large bolts with only small hand tools. Use of a torque multiplier provides a generally acceptable degree of accuracy for many applications and they are an excellent choice for remote location job sites due to their comparatively light weight and compact size without the need for any power source.
Cost Category: $$-$$$
MANUAL TORQUE WRENCH
Manual torque wrenches such as dial indicator type and micrometer click-type are good choices for applications where generally less than 5,000 ft-lbs of torque is required, and a high degree of accuracy is important. Because the entire force needed to turn the nut or bolt typically comes from the physical strength of the person using the wrench, manual torque wrenches are well suited to applications where relatively few fasteners are involved and plenty of safe working space and secure footing is available around the nut or bolt in order to accommodate the long handle, and the physical exertion/posture that will be required to apply the needed force to the wrench handle. Manual torque wrenches are an excellent choice for high accuracy torque when the size and quantity of fasteners are appropriate for hand tightening/loosening.
Cost Category: $$
STRIKING WRENCH
Striking wrenches are one of the most cost effective methods for turning large fasteners. All that is required is a strong arm and a big hammer to turn large nuts and bolts with these blunt force type wrenches. Accuracy is difficult to control due to the nature of these tools, and therefore these are good choices where it is not necessary to closely control the amount of torque applied. Note that in very large nut sizes, it may not be possible to apply the full torque required and to meet the required torque specification in your application; often times these larger wrenches are used as a backup wrench to keep a nut from turning on the opposite side of a flange, or to “set” the fastener before using a power tool such as an impact wrench or hydraulic torque wrench to apply final load. If you have questions about the amount of force you can reasonably apply for a certain size of striking wrench, please contact our Sales Department for further assistance.
Cost Category: $