Switched from a standard torque wrench to a digital one for flap track work

I used to just use my old click-type torque wrench for flap track bolts on 737s. Got tired of second guessing myself after a few jobs where the fastener felt weird. Picked up a CDI digital torque wrench 3 months ago after a senior mechanic at Delta told me it was worth it. Now I can see the actual torque curve on the display and catch things like galling before they become a problem. First job I used it on was a flap track replacement at MCO, and it caught a bolt that was borderline seized. Saved me from potentially stripping it out mid-job. Has anyone else made the switch to digital for critical hardware? Worth the extra money?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_hart2819d agoTop Commenter

You say "caught a bolt that was borderline seized" like that's some kind of magic trick. A digital screen just tells you what the torque reading is in real time, it doesn't actually stop you from stripping the bolt if you keep cranking on it. If you can't feel a seized bolt with a regular wrench you probably shouldn't be doing flap track work to begin with. I've been using a cheap click style wrench for 15 years on heavy checks and never had an issue I couldn't feel before it became a problem. How many bolts did you strip before you realized your feel wasn't developed enough?

val_wilson19d ago

Yeah I actually used to swear by the old school feel but the digital readout caught a bolt I would've absolutely hammered past the point of no return.