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I have the Jims tool and its one of the best investments I ever made in a tool. Holds your belt tension perfectly as you crank 106 lbs of torque on the axle nut. Do it right and remove the mufflers. All those skinny flat wrenches are, well, not for me. Offset torque devices suck and are suspect always regarding accuracy. Is the jims tool cheap? Of course not. But cheap tools have no place in my box. Just saying.
Removing the mufflers is a PIA, drop the shock bolts let the bike down abit and you can put a socket on the axel nut and torque it to spec without an extra lever on your torque wrench that is affecting a proper reading anyway.
Maybe no one is picking up on it because the wrench has some deficiencies.
1. 3/8" drive torque wrench opening. The better wrenches have a 1/2" drive torque opening so that the proper torque can be applied with a 1/2" torque wrench (approx 95-105 ft-lbs).
2. The wrench has 6-points. A 12-point wrench allows for easier indexing.
The rear axle wrench from Georges Garage (740060) and the OTC 4882 rear axle wrench are much better designed tools.
Save your money, go through Amazon for $20 and add the rest of the money to your tank.... twice over!
Originally Posted by logical
But the ebay one he linked to is also just $20 and the amazon one is what I linked to twenty posts ago and has been linked to about 3 times since by others.
Regardless, its a good wrench...... too bad nobody seems to be picking up on it.
Last edited by LQQK_OUT; May 23, 2015 at 03:18 AM.
I have a 2 into 1 pipe on my Road King. I reversed the axle so the nut is on the left side. I use one on those thin 32mm wrenches to turn the cam adjuster side and torque it with a regular socket and torque wrench on the left side. No need to remove the muffler or other special tools to get proper torque. You do have to remove the muffler for rear wheel removal if you don't want to unbolt the bottom shock bolts and lower the swing arm for the axle to clear.
on my streetglide all i had to do was push down on the seat aliitle and i could get a 36mm socket on the axle nut. no problem what so ever torqueing it down.
Maybe no one is picking up on it because the wrench has some deficiencies.
1. 3/8" drive torque wrench opening. The better wrenches have a 1/2" drive torque opening so that the proper torque can be applied with a 1/2" torque wrench (approx 95-105 ft-lbs.)
Now that is is just a load of crap.. 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1" drive are all only as good as the wrench that they are attached to, and even if the 1/2" wrench were better for some reason, you could always use a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter to make it work with your "better" torque wrench..
2. The wrench has 6-points. A 12-point wrench allows for easier indexing. it could also be said that 6 point is better because it is less likely to slip off of the nut/bolt..
The rear axle wrench from Georges Garage (740060) and the OTC 4882 rear axle wrench are much better designed tools.
I don't like this wrench because it is thicker and likely harder to get between the muffler and end of the axle and because it is 12 point more likely to slip as only the tips of the wrench ride on the nut and the fact that it is not chromed it will probably be more inclined to rust.. also it appears to be shorter which makes it so that it is harder to hold onto, or brace it against something when you are using it on the head side of the axle.. .
The biggest drawback I have seen with all these wrenches is that they are all relatively short in length. If you are putting 100 foot pounds of torque on the right side, you really need a longer wrench to keep the axle from turning. For that reason I have switched to using a 20" breaker bar with a 36mm socket on one end and a 1/2" drive torque wrench with a 36mm socket on the opposite end. I use the 36mm socket on the left side because it is far cheaper than a long box end wrench.
I wasn't clear in my wording when referring to a "better" torque wrench. I meant to say a more appropriate one. I don't know of a 3/8" torque wrench that will measure to 105 ft lbs. A 1/2" torque wrench does. Yes, I know one can use a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter, but I don't see the reason to purchase this tool knowing that I'll need to use an adapter when a tool exists that supports the appropriate torque wrench size.
Never experienced any issues or problems with a 12-point axle wrench slipping off (or rounding off) the nut. I'm guessing if there was an issue using a 12-point wrench on the axle nut, than HD wouldn't specify the Kent Moore HD-47925 rear axle wrench in their service guide, which is also a 12-point tool.
It's all about choices
BTW: none of the George's Garage or Jim's tools I have are chromed. They haven't rusted yet.
Originally Posted by LQQK_OUT
Maybe no one is picking up on it because the wrench has some deficiencies.
1. 3/8" drive torque wrench opening. The better wrenches have a 1/2" drive torque opening so that the proper torque can be applied with a 1/2" torque wrench (approx 95-105 ft-lbs).
Now that is is just a load of crap.. 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1" drive are all only as good as the wrench that they are attached to, and even if the 1/2" wrench were better for some reason, you could always use a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter to make it work with your "better" torque wrench..
2. The wrench has 6-points. A 12-point wrench allows for easier indexing. it could also be said that 6 point is better because it is less likely to slip off of the nut/bolt..
The rear axle wrench from Georges Garage (740060) and the OTC 4882 rear axle wrench are much better designed tools.
I don't like this wrench because it is thicker and likely harder to get between the muffler and end of the axle and because it is 12 point more likely to slip as only the tips of the wrench ride on the nut and the fact that it is not chromed it will probably be more inclined to rust.. also it appears to be shorter which makes it so that it is harder to hold onto, or brace it against something when you are using it on the head side of the axle.. .
I've never needed to hold the other side of the axle to tighten up the nut.. Mine simply doesn't move. I mark my adjusters before loosening the nut so I know they are in the same spot when I reinstall my axle.
I did have to hold the other side on my shovel head but later bought adjusters that eliminated any type of movement.
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