blake_cooper•29d agoProlific Poster

I was wrong about using the same torque setting on all aluminum lugs

For years, I just used the same 50 lb-ft setting from my steel lug spec sheet on everything. A job last month in Tampa had me replacing a whole panel with aluminum bus bars, and I kept getting high resistance readings on my connections. The foreman pointed me to the manufacturer's print, which called for 35 lb-ft max. I looked it up, and aluminum's yield point is way lower. I've been over-tightening and damaging the metal this whole time. Has anyone else run into this with newer, lighter gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_craig3428d ago

That's why I always check the spec sheet first now.

jessejohnson28d ago

Yeah, and the spec sheet is the only real truth these days.

ellis.ben9d ago

Totally get that. Honestly found out the hard way that specs don't tell the full story. Bought a laptop once with great numbers that ran hot and loud in real use. Now I look at the sheet, but then hunt down actual user reviews for the normal stuff people do. The spec sheet is a good starting point, but it's not the whole picture.