Changing a wheel cheaply - big breaker bar vs cordless impact wrench?

Multiplier and impact wrench. Check what is the gear ratio on multiplier and hand crank handle length.
Required torque is 450 ft*lbs. Divide 450 by gear ratio and divide by handle length will give you LBS.
Example: 450:60:05 =15 So if you apply force 15lbs to handle it will give you 450 on output shaft.
To be safe apply 18 and call it day.

 

I’ve yet to get a good set up, but recently bought a Earthquake battery torque wrench from harbor freight. It’s rated over 1000lbs. ( breakaway) whatever that means, it’s not accurate. I torqued my UBolts with it, then used a 4’ cheater bar, got about 1.5 turns more. Then had them torqued with a 1” pnumatic at the Shop. They still went about another half turn. I guesstimated the Earthquake torqued them to about 300ft lbs. using my 300lb wrench as a guide. I wouldn’t trust it to torque a wheel on. A good breaker bar with a 6 ft or 8 ft cheater to break them loose, then a battery operated, or small impact to spin them off, to save time. And the torque wrench extender for final torque. That’s my ideal plan. The high rated torque wrenches are very expensive.

 

This is inch* lbs wrench. You need foot*lbs.

 

Buy a 1” drive torque wrench. been using this style for over 25 years works great. Send in 1 time a year for calibration unless you drop it a lot.

 

Harbor Freight 300lb wrench is all I have. It’s accurate. Tested it against my Uncles Snap on. It’s cheap. I use it for torquing my wheel ends. I have their other one also. I think it’s 200lbs. Comes in handy, use both for different nuts when torquing wheel ends. Only inch lbs wrench I found was Craftsman. It’s a very nice wrench, under $100. The flat bar extension is all I need now. I’ll probably just have my welder weld short extensions on each end. 1 female for the wrench drive. And 1 male for a socke/ extension. Cheap cost for something that will rarely get used with the 300 lb. wrench.

 

Northern tool has torque multipliers available for about $100.00

 

Ive seen people use torque multipliers for torquing wheels on. Using a method of measuring the recoil bounce of the handle. Not something I’d trust. Never heard of the other method described.