Do pedals need to be that tight?

[mjr]

Isn't the pedal spanner to get them off when they have been on a while with no grease? (damhikt!)

Not only but it is often smart to put them on with a shorter spanner and keep the longest for removal IMO. I do put them on more than finger tight because then I find they aren't tight enough to pedal smoothly... having a backpedal brake doesn't help. Will a fix for this design flaw ever catch on? There have been many tries!

 

[mjr]

If you want to get a feel for 40NM on a bike, that's the torque that Park Tool recommend for putting a crank on a square taper IIRC.