Many times when you are shopping for vehicles or power tools, you will hear the term torque thrown around as a demonstration of how powerful or desirable a particular product is. While most people understand what is meant by horsepower, they are typically less familiar with torque. If you’re afraid to go after the equipment you need just because you’re wondering, “What is torque?”, you should know that it’s not that complicated of a concept to understand. Learning a little bit about torque will allow you to understand the products that you’re buying in a more complete way.
The first thing you have to do to discover what torque is would be to understand what it is not. Torque is not horsepower, although both elements work together to describe the overall power of an engine. When you think about torque, you should think about pulling power, essentially the ability of the engine to get you moving quickly from a standstill position. Once you’re in motion, it is the horsepower that allows you to keep moving forward at an increasing rate. If you’ve ever seen classic cars jump of the starting line, it’s because they are full of a high level of torque.
When you are examining the question of what is torque, you have to keep in mind that a lot of torque may not be right for everyone. Commercials like to tout a high amount of torque as a reason to buy a specific car or truck over its competitor, but the truth is that torque is only useful in a handful of situations. Unless you are going to be hauling a lot of heavy equipment, or driving your vehicle in areas that might be less than desirable, you probably don’t need a vehicle with a lot of torque.
If you are an avid camper or hiker that is usually pulling around a trailer or additional vehicle, knowing the answer to what is torque is the best way to choose the vehicle that will be up to the job again and again. The last thing you want is to discover that they fifth wheel or jeep that you spent so much time getting ready for camping is too heavy for your car or truck to pull. Be sure that you get the salesperson to fully explain to you the load limits that the vehicle will have to have in order to successfully pull your trailer.
— Professional Power Tool Guide
