Basic 4x4 tool kit & tool recommendations

[Red_Nut]

Good morning team,
I am looking at putting together a basic 4x4 tool kit, but am not sure what brand of tools to buy.

I have been looking around at basic tool kit contents (spanners / sockets / hoses and clamps, etc), but welcome any hints on any tool kit contents that I haven't thought of.

The main thing I am looking to sort out is the brand of tools. I know the Sidchrome was 'the' brand a few years ago, but their quality seems to have faltered over the years. I have heard that Kingchrome are the current preferred brand of the trade guys, but wanted to ask the tradies on here to check.

Any hints on tool kit contents and brands would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Ed.

[Red_Nut]

Team - this is the list that I have found - seems awful long. I guess this is designed for a long remote trip, whereas our trips are a lot shorter and not all that full-on.

The vehicle has a half-width single cargo draw (replaces one of the 3rd row seats), so the tool and spares kit will be in the draw. The recovery kit will not be in the draw.

Tool kits may include:

Socket set to suit the vehicle (metric or imperial)
Set of ring/open end spanners
Adjustable spanner
Pliers and wire cutters
Vice-grips
Set of screwdrivers
Jack and base plate (timber or chequer plate)
Wheel brace
Hammer, punch and chisel
Tyre levers and bead breaker
Radial tyre repair plugs and tool
12 volt air compressor and gauge
Battery jumper leads or power pack
Thread file
Feeler gauge
12 volt test light
Electrical tape
Tube of silicon sealant
Can of WD40Spares may include:

Fan, air conditioning and power steering belts
Radiator and heater hose
Fuel line and a fuel filter
Tyre tube and patches
Selection of fuses and bulbs
Air and oil filter

[GBC]

That's not a big list.........

As for tool brands - how rich do you feel? Start by ringing your local snapon rep and go skywards from there.

C.J.

P.s. you've forgotten the most important part of the tool kit - cable ties.
I'd also ditch the tube and repair kit unless you're running rag tyres.
I'd also include 12v wire, crimps and crimpers.

[Roughasguts]

I hate sidchrome tools there the most un comfortable spanners on your hands you can buy. There just to thin and after hours of spinning spanners they cut in to your fingers. I have ETC industrial tools there over 30 years old now, can't seem to buy them now to replace the ones I have lost.

Anyway Kingchrome would do me now, Snap on be nice, but for that price you could go to a mechanic a few times a year for the yuck jobs.

Carry a bottle of stuff to repair your head gasket if it goes. I am so surprised at how well that stuff works in an emergency.

[GBC]

and pepper for radiators

[Kleyny]

Have a look at the repco tools.

When i was swinging spanners i never broke one. I did chew a repco socket but it was on my rattle gun.

From memory they have a life time warranty.

Oh dont buy their screw drivers their crap, go the stanley ones.

neil

[shrunken pojie]

G'day Ed,

Gaff, zip ties and a shifter (Supercheap brand), fix anything with that.

But seriously, gaff tape (race tape) is very handy to have in the kit and a good shape knife wont go astray either.

I don't think that you really need to go for the top quality tools for the "in car all the time" ones. Keep the good ones at home where they aren't going to get damaged by all the bump and jostle of the car. Also, if your car gets knocked off or ransacked the buggers aren't going to see the mega bucks worth of tools and nick them as well. That's my theory and also what I have done. If I break something so badly that I am going to need all my tools to fix it, well A: I probably don't have the skills to fix it and B: I don't really want to be trying to do it out in the bush or on the side of the road. In saying all of that though, if I were to do a big trip, all my good tools would be the last thing to get packed so I could get to them first when the need arose.

And there is my 3 cents worth.

Phill

[PADDLES]

g'day rednut, why would you want to buy expensive tools to leave them floating around in the fourby. they end up being very rarely used, so just buy cheap stuff or second hand stuff from the markets. i personally use all my "double up" tools i've collected over the years and keep all the good stuff in the shed where i'll use it the most.

you'll get by with a dodgy socket set, a cheap roll of spanners, a cheap roll of allen keys and some screwies, pliers, sidecutters and multi grips. i also leave a big mofo of a shifter in the car too. get all this stuff from supacheap or somewhere similar and you'll be paying not much more than $120-$150 for the lot. get it from the markets where some poor bloke has had his missus "clean out" the shed for him and you'll score big time. throw in some fencing wire, zippy ties, handful of bolts/screws, 100 mile an hour tape, small roll of electrical wire and crimp lugs and you'll be able to fix up most little breakages. i also carry some engine oil, brake fluid and drinking water (doubles as radiator water) plus car spares like hoses, belts, sparkies, leads. happy shopping/scavenging rednut.

[Lucky_Phill]

I have just added " Rescue Tape " to my recovery box.

http://rescuetapeaustralia.com.au/

I carry a basic Kingchrome socket/ spanner set. Then assorted items like cable ties, crc, lump hammer, jimmy bar, pliers, shifter, screwdriver set, small elect kit, ...

Also have winch, 2 x snatch straps, tree protector, gloves, large "D" shackles, compressor, tow strap, pulley, FIRST AID KIT, towels, raincoat and Spare 10ltr water. Probably other stuff in there...... somewhere :-/

I probably should have a fire extinguisher.


Hope that all helps, and Rescue Tape is worth a look.

Phill
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[PinHead]

I have just added " Rescue Tape " to my recovery box.

http://rescuetapeaustralia.com.au/

I carry a basic Kingchrome socket/ spanner set. Then assorted items like cable ties, crc, lump hammer, jimmy bar, pliers, shifter, screwdriver set, small elect kit, ...

Also have winch, 2 x snatch straps, tree protector, gloves, large "D" shackles, compressor, tow strap, pulley, FIRST AID KIT, towels, raincoat and Spare 10ltr water. Probably other stuff in there...... somewhere :-/

I probably should have a fire extinguisher.


Hope that all helps, and Rescue Tape is worth a look.

Phill
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a tree protector Phil, a tree protector..you run into the bloody things..how much protection do you give them, you hit them!!!!!
Phil..I think you should also look at something like floaties for the car.

As for tool brands:
sanners - sidchrome, kidchrome or Stanley
screwdrivers - Bunnings usually sell the Stanley kits for about $30..that is all I buy as the apprentices have this habit of losing them.
vise grips - vise grip brand

Just never forget the fridgies motto: If it will not stay together with silicon and duct tape it was never meant to be together !!!!!

[OISTA]

I have a Kinchrome screw driver set
1/2 inch Force socket set which includes deep sockets (good tools for the price)
54mm tube socket for wheel bearings
Peice of pipe to slide over breakeer bar as extension
5lb sledge hammer, I cut the handle in half
Small ballpein hammer
Ring / open ender spanner set up to about 24 mm (Repco)
Vice grips , long nose and standard
Wire cutters/crimps
Pliers set (force again, long nose standard, multi grips, side cutters)
Two 300mm Shifters
Kinchrome multi metre
Wheel Brace
Soft fencing wire
Gaff tape
Elec terminals, fuses and wire
Cable ties, from small up to about 500mm long
Small tub of grease
WD40
Start ya bastard
Gasket Goo
Bottle of Goss Chemiweld for the radiator
A punch set
Allen key set (Unbrako)
Little LED head torch
Good sharp knife
Bottle Jack and plate

I don't wanna plug but Cash converters have heaps of good 2nd hand tools at a good price

Edit: Also got some paint brushes for wiping crap away
Rags, 1kg bag from endeavour foundation
The missus tupperware containers for putting parts into as there being pulled apart (so i don't lose them in the sand, again

[Red_Nut]

Good replies here cheers.

The local Repco had a sale on last week and I picked up a Repco Socket set and repco spanner set, so the kit has started.

I always had bits and pieces of tools at home, but have started to break the cheap spanners when working on my boat trailer (had them for 20 yrs). The quality gear is a lot nicer to use, and should last well. The old man still uses the same ETC socket set that he bought when he was an apprentice.

Now I can do some of my work at home rather than heading to his place to use his tools all the time. Truth be told I'll probably just take my tools to his place, it is good value having the old man there to supervise / offside.

I like the idea of keeping the good gear together in the shed and not split the kits for taking on trips. I'll keep an eye out for decent gear to add to my travel kit.

Cheers, this gives a very comprehensive list to work through.

Ed.

[papadad]

Has anyone used the silicon" rescuetape?

Papadad

[Mossy247]

don't cheap out on spanners you get what you pay for I have snapped 4 diffrent cheaper brnads of spanners.... kincrome are a good set.

[Steeler]

As far as belts go you can buy a Gates belt kit which has all the belts in a plastic storage case to suit most popular makes and models of 4 x4's in cluding Toyota and Nissan etc and works out a lot cheaper than buying individually.

Regards

Steve

[harry_h01]

Something I wouldn't be without is a pair of lockwire pliers and 40 thou lockwire.

Makes wiring bites and pieces up easier, and twists the wire tighter than you can by hand.

Harry

[nigelr]

Ah tools, buy the best you can afford and they will last your lifetime if you don't loose or lend 'em.....Geodore are nice but so is just about anything out of Europe, Japan or the US. Lots of value from Taiwan too, you can see I'm not a great fan of Chinese tools.
Fourbies, plenty of jacks, straps, and mats oh, and that lockwire tip is a beauty
Harry! Yes and definitely something for the radiator.....

[Aunty Jack]

multi meter, fueses ,wire,water prof matches, axe or bow saw

[sheridan]

I also carry a collapseable camp shovel and tommohawk

Geoff

[oldboot]

a set of ring spanners and a set of open end spanners is a far better option that ring open enders.......many time you need two spanners the same size.
You end up buying the same number of spanners but now you have two spanners of each size.

OH a length of light steel pipe..for slipping over spanner handles and tensioning fan belts and the like....Yeh I know it naughty..... but how else are you going to get that bolt unstuck.

A meduim sized pair of bolt cutters and a hand full of cheap brass padlocks.

So you pick up the key to the gate at outerwhykickamoocow, from the ranger at bugeredifiknow....and drive 3 hard hours to get there..and it does not fit >:(, cut one link of chain and insert one of your padlocks..and leave it there.

fencing wire... ya gotta have fencing wire.. and a pair of fencing pliers....pliers with some grunt....great for lifting the camp oven.

cheers

[FNQCairns]

Couple of rolls of that silver tape...there is nothing that stuff will not anchor in place with enough wraps around and if stretched through each turn it compresses rock hard.

A tomahawk.

cheers fnq

[PADDLES]

good call fnq. something to hit the car with when something goes wrong and something to cover the damage for when help arrives ;D

[finga]

RACQ ultimate membership??
Not as silly as it sounds...especially if something serious happens.

[finga]

Ah tools, don't lend them
Best hint yet...never lend them if you want to keep them.

I have 3 sets of tools. One good set used to be in the work truck...a good set at home and cheap and nasties to lend to people. They (both the tools or the people) never come back eh ;D

Anyways...some of the cheaper spanners are just a s good to use as the $400 sets. I have Blue Point and snap-on but I prefer the old ETC's. They just feel better. They have a rounder shank on them that makes them more comfy but if you want to spend a bob or two the reversible ratching combination spanners are worth their weight in gold in modern vehicles where they have a 5 degree workable range. You can use the suckers a lot more easily in modern vehicles (where there's no friggin' room to shove your hand let alone use a spanner) then the conventional spanner. A half decent set goes from about $120 up.

Has anybody said test lamp?? They're good to have.