Old timer at the hangar told me I was overtorquing lug nuts and it messed with my head

I've been doing this for about 4 years now. This guy Bob, been wrenching since the 80s, watched me torque some mains on a King Air last Wednesday. He just said "you're cranking too hard, kid, the threads don't like that." I was following the manual exactly. Now I'm second guessing every torque spec I've ever hit. Has anyone else had an old timer change the way you do something simple that you thought was solid?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.troy18d ago

The manual tells you the max torque, not the sweet spot. Bob probably knows that those threads stretch over time on a King Air. I've seen guys torque to spec and still snap bolts because the threads were already worn. Maybe Bob was actually saving you from a cracked barrel later. He's not questioning the spec, he's questioning the condition of the hardware. I'd bet he'd show you the feel difference if you asked him. That kind of real-world feel doesn't come from a book.

james9218d ago

Ngl the manual gives you a number but Bob's giving you a feel for the metal. Have you ever actually had a thread gall or snap on you after torquing to spec? Sounds like he's hinting at something real about how King Air hardware wears down.