Torque and Chrome

Torque Wrench?

Can a Ft. Pounds torque be used to tighten something that needs Inch Pounds? like say i need to tighten a bolt 200 inch pounds that would be almost 17 foot pounds is that going to work or do i need the inch pounds torque wrench to do this ?

Public Comments

1. Most torque wrenches begin the scale at 20 ft lbs. Use an inch pound wrench.
2. Yes. That is how it works. The ft/lb wrench you have may not be calabrated that low and will probably start at 15 or 20 ft/lb
3. The inch pounds wrench would be a lot more accurate. I don't think 17 foot lbs would be in the wrenches most accurate readings.
4. My dear old dad, now deceased, was a mechanic for a major airline for nearly forty-five years. He used to say, "Except for torquing bolts, 'almost' is close enough for government work; if you're going to use a torque wrench, use the right one and use it correctly!". Therefore, I'm going to suggest you either buy, borrow, rent or steal a torque wrench that measures in inch pounds. He was an expert who took great prides in his tools. Good luck!
5. http://www.convertunits.com/from/inch+pounds/to/foot-pounds
6. try that on your shoe laces !!!! get an inch pound some where. local autozone or harbor freight tool
7. It really depends on the Wrench, I would not use a big 0 -150 ft Lbs wrench on 17 ft lbs a 0 -25 Lbs wrench would be ideal whether calibrated in inches NM or Lbs Ft, more important is whether these small nuts or bolts are free on the threads or oiled or rusty, the old Austin Mini needed 25Lbs Ft on the rocker shafts and would snap like carrotts at that, but we could always get them really tight by hand without a wrench. Ideally use a wrench with a lever arm rather than a click wrench.