TORQUE TOOLS BUILT FOR ARCTIC CONDITIONS

Wondering how our tools perform in the cold?

When the team at Baffinland started planning an expanded rail link over the Arctic tundra, nearly 100 kilometers away, they knew they’d need tough tools to get the job done — so they turned to RAD Torque Systems.

Linking Baffinland’s River Mary mine to their new Sealift facility meant they needed to acquire more torque wrenches that could withstand the extreme cold temperatures. How cold? Well, the new facility sits about 1500 kilometers inside the Arctic Circle reaching an average winter temperature of -35C. It’s so cold that the extreme weather only allows for 90-days of ice-free shipping every year.

Typically, pneumatic tools are the primary choice for work done in these sub-zero temperatures. However, in these extreme situations, air tools freeze up and workers cannot run alcohol through the lines to keep them from doing so.

Having used RAD Torque battery tools in the past, Baffinland knew that the B-RAD and DB-RAD would be perfect for the extreme conditions. In particular, the Digital B-RAD 3000–2 has become the service tool of choice for both mine operations as well as fleet maintenance.

RAD battery tools exhibit the latest lithium-ion 18V battery technology and we all know that lithium-ion batteries perform best when cold, but with temperatures as low as Baffin Island’s, this is truly the toughest endurance test known to man.

A large shipment of RAD’s B-RAD and DB-RAD tool is expected to arrive in August to begin the rail line construction. Then the mine crew will have to act fast, as they will only have 90 days to build the expansion before everything freezes up again in October.

So, if you’re wondering how our tools perform in the cold, we can confidently tell you that in one of the most inhospitable landscapes on earth, the only battery torque tool fit for the job is a RAD Torque tool.

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