295 ft-lbs and not a torque wrench in sight...
 

Yes, I'm doing the brakes on my '06 F-150. Yes, I'm using new nuts. Yes, I'm clear that this isn't my father's Oldsmobile. But riddle me this--how are all you shade tree mechanics torquing to the proper spec when most readily-available torque wrenches max out @ 250 ft-lbs? I usually don't get all puckered up about torque specs (unless it's cylinder heads) but these nuts are the only things that are preventing my wheels from taking their leave @ 70 MPH. So, I'm a little concerned with getting it right. Are we hammering the hell out of them with an impact wrench? Jumping up and down on a breaker and calling it close enough? I've pored over a number of threads about this and have yet to see how folks are getting +\- 295 lbs of torque with any degree of accuracy unless they work for the local Peterbilt shop where they have 600-ft-lb torque wrenches at their disposal. So...how critical is that 295 figure?
Thanks!

Torque multiplier

^^^^ this^^^^

Re: torque multiplier--
The only ones that I've seen that I can even remotely afford to buy are the ones that are for busting RV/truck lugs:
Will those work for this application?
Other than that, they're approaching a grand or more.
So, do most folks who want to do their own brake job on their mid-2000's F-150 go out and buy a torque multiplier? :glare:
Ugh.

What are you torquing at 295?

I put my torque wrench to 250 clicked that then stuck a breaker bar on it and gave it another little turn. called it good, been riding for a year now

I know its not the right way and I know I should have sourced either a torque wrench or torque multiplier. At 250ftlbs that's enough to keep the bearing on. At the torque spec your just doing preload for the life of the bearing. Keep in mind that the lug nut spec it 150 lb ft. so I don't think 250 is going anywhere. your bearing will make noise well before it falls off.

Follow-Up:

I did find a 300-ft./lb. torque wrench @ Harbor Freight for relatively cheap ($80). Being a Harbor Freight tool, I was skeptical that it would even work at all, but it did. For both sides, even! I'm sure it's not spot on 295 ft./lbs., but it's probably in the ball park, and I had to pull like hell to get it to click, so it's tight enough.

Thanks for the input!

I removed mine with my impact...and put it back on with my impact ;)

Same here, I have never put a torque wrench on a lug nut in my 44 years, never an issue.