Hot take: I think the torque value books are wrong sometimes

I was torquing a main landing gear axle nut on a 737-800 in Atlanta last Friday and the book said 90 ft-lbs. But the old nut came off way easier than that, like someone had torqued it to maybe 60. I went with my gut and put it at 75 instead after checking the threads were clean. Anybody else ever just trust the feel over the manual on something like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer96523d ago

Did you see that article in Aircraft Maintenance News a few months back about torque variance on humid days? They tested a bunch of bolts and found the lube and even the temperature can throw off book values by 10-15%. So yeah, sometimes the feel is the only thing you got, especially with older gear that's been through a few cycles.

spencerm4623d ago

Hold on, pretty sure humidity actually makes torque readings go up, not down, because the moisture changes the friction. That article might have meant the actual clamping force was off by that much, not the torque wrench reading.