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Post by silverdragon on Aug 17, 2017 6:21:11 GMT
I have a basic "Go-Bag" tool kit I keep just inside the cupboard door for pretty much just about everything minor that doesnt need "specialised" help. Inside are a roll of zero-point to bloody big persuader screwdrivers, where the big ones can double as small jemmies for getting boy scouts out of horses hooves type of thing, both flat and Cross-head. It also has a roll of between 8 and 15 size spanners, and all points inbetween, having both imperial, "AF", and some metric to fill the gaps, so a 10.5 metric gap isnt the number 11 and a coin type bodge?..
It also has a couple of sets of needle nose, blunt, bull nose, and other assorted pliers, a "Brixton screwdriver" standard hammer, drill bits, you know, all the "Usual stuff" you expect, including adjustable wrench for Plumbing.
There is a roll of duck tape, of course. AND a pot of grease. Some PTFE plumbers tape.
I am in the middle of "servicing" that tool box... I have put new batteries in the Multi-meter, and scraped out some stray toast crumbs from the bottom, and thrown out all those broken head screws that somehow manage "I may find a use for them" to get into there somehow...
I got to thinking. What else should be in here?. I grabbed the spare set of assorted allen keys.
I am thinking that this may be a worthwhile project for all of us... Even if I know some of the suggestions may be a little strange.
BTW, Also, think Car. Include that here as well. What basic tools should be in the car version of the basic carried tool kit. Spare Fuses, a MUST, and the type your car takes at that. Spare bulbs, at lest two of everything except headlights, because you always got the side lights or dipped beam. A Jack, and Wheel-brace of the size of your own wheel-nuts. I say this because I drove a vehicle once that had the wrong size wheel-brace in it... dont ask, never did find out which fool did that. Again Duck tape. Spare torch that may or may not have an emergency flash facility in case of terminal electric failure roadside and no hazard warning lights?.
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Post by the light works on Aug 17, 2017 13:53:45 GMT
I have a rolling toolbox. you should have a roll of Scotch 33 in there. on this one, don't go cheap - the 33 has more pliability, and doesn't go stiff in the cold quite as badly. it also comes in its own plastic snuffbox, which keeps it from being deformed. there is also, now, in the US, a hose mending tape - listed to wrap several layers around a leaking pressure hose, and it will keep the stuff inside until you can get it fixed. I have it on good authority that it works surprisingly well, which is to say "surprise, it works" - this would be good to have in a car kit. if your battery has standard posts, a post cleaner is a good idea to have, or if you are in the habit of helping stranded motorists. this is a higher maintenance item, but a packet of cookies or candies or nuts that will last a while - and needs to be updated on schedule. because some days, you just need that bit of emotional support.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 17, 2017 14:04:09 GMT
this is a higher maintenance item, but a packet of cookies or candies or nuts that will last a while - and needs to be updated on schedule. because some days, you just need that bit of emotional support. Or, as the commercial use to say; "Some days you feel like a nut, some days you don't."
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Post by ponytail61 on Aug 18, 2017 3:51:20 GMT
An assortment of electrical connectors, can of WD-40 and/or silicone lubricant spray, zip ties, hacksaw or at least a mini hacksaw, tire plug kit and mini compressor. And a couple of different size/style channel lock pliers
Oh and for snacks...slim jims and snickers bars.
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Post by OziRiS on Aug 18, 2017 11:23:22 GMT
All I have to add is this:
Beef jerky. Lots and lots of beef jerky.
And about a gallon of water.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 18, 2017 12:02:54 GMT
How did our ideal tool kit turn into emergency food rations?
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Post by the light works on Aug 18, 2017 13:09:49 GMT
How did our ideal tool kit turn into emergency food rations? when a crisis happens, sometimes you need a snack to get your head back straight.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 18, 2017 13:52:27 GMT
I have a small duffel bag Grab and Go took kit that I usually keep in my Jeep. In it are medium and small Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers, Channel locks, small vice grip, wire cutter/crimper, led flashlight, Allen key set, compact electric screw driver with an assortment of drill and screwdriver bits, a small propane fueled soldering iron and solder, roll of pvc electrical tape, a zip-lock bag of misc electrical connectors such as butt splices, spade terminals and wire nuts, and for troubleshooting, a small digital voltmeter with clamp-on amp meter, a pocket size non-contact infrared thermometer (for HVAC work), and 4 alligator clip leads.
Sounds like to bring it up to spec, I need to throw in a candy bar or two.
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Post by the light works on Aug 18, 2017 14:26:00 GMT
I have a small duffel bag Grab and Go took kit that I usually keep in my Jeep. In it are medium and small Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers, Channel locks, small vice grip, wire cutter/crimper, led flashlight, Allen key set, compact electric screw driver with an assortment of drill and screwdriver bits, a small propane fueled soldering iron and solder, roll of pvc electrical tape, a zip-lock bag of misc electrical connectors such as butt splices, spade terminals and wire nuts, and for troubleshooting, a small digital voltmeter with clamp-on amp meter, a pocket size non-contact infrared thermometer (for HVAC work), and 4 alligator clip leads. Sounds like to bring it up to spec, I need to throw in a candy bar or two. caramels muffle the swearing. also in my parents' Jeep, there was a spare distributor rotor.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 18, 2017 15:22:32 GMT
I have a small duffel bag Grab and Go took kit that I usually keep in my Jeep. In it are medium and small Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers, Channel locks, small vice grip, wire cutter/crimper, led flashlight, Allen key set, compact electric screw driver with an assortment of drill and screwdriver bits, a small propane fueled soldering iron and solder, roll of pvc electrical tape, a zip-lock bag of misc electrical connectors such as butt splices, spade terminals and wire nuts, and for troubleshooting, a small digital voltmeter with clamp-on amp meter, a pocket size non-contact infrared thermometer (for HVAC work), and 4 alligator clip leads. Sounds like to bring it up to spec, I need to throw in a candy bar or two. caramels muffle the swearing. also in my parents' Jeep, there was a spare distributor rotor. right, any car specific spare parts as required. When I had the Ford van, I always carried a spare fuel filter. Probably something crawled into the fuel tank and died as the filter would plug up every 5000 miles or so. It was cheaper and easier to just replace the filter every now and then, than to drop the tank to clean it out.
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Post by the light works on Aug 18, 2017 15:30:09 GMT
caramels muffle the swearing. also in my parents' Jeep, there was a spare distributor rotor. right, any car specific spare parts as required. When I had the Ford van, I always carried a spare fuel filter. Probably something crawled into the fuel tank and died as the filter would plug up every 5000 miles or so. It was cheaper and easier to just replace the filter every now and then, than to drop the tank to clean it out. when I bought my motorcycle the ex I like to badmouth told me that I shouldn't have paid more than a dollar a cc for it. then she told me I needed to carry a tool kit for when it broke down. I declined to tell her that there was a connection between paying more than a dollar a cc and not needing to carry a tool kit.
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Post by silverdragon on Aug 19, 2017 7:29:05 GMT
My Emergency tool kit has a "Puncture repair kit" in it... Human Punctures... First Aid kit. Having all the tools you can is no good if you are not available to use them, so, indeed, not only is having an emergency food ration pack or even MRE with a small cooker in yer boot a good idea, its welcome... And yes, Unexpected, but, a good idea, and therefore a good reason for this thread?. I hadnt though that one through when I bought it up. And in truth, it has reminded me to "Service" my own full first aid kit carried under the front passenger seat. I always keep a couple of bottles of Lucozade in the glove box, and work bag, as the original one took me through a few childhood illnesses and has always been a staple of hydrate and energy source on "that" type of day. This spanner, Is also a "must" for any mechanic... The knuckles at either end hold a total of 8 differing socket sizes for nourishing nuts, and as a space saver multi spanner, its less "Chocolate" than an adjustable, check sizes of nut against your own vehicle, because even they come in differing sizes, Imperial, Metric, AF, Whitworth even... I rode Norton, in my bike jacket, were a set of feeler gauges, because it was notoriously bad at keeping spark gaps and dizzy gaps in tune, I also carried the nourkes nut nourisher as seen above in the required flavour for old Brit Bikes, and a few other pieces of tools, because even though I trusted it to get me any place I wanted, it need3d a little fettling now and again?. When I bought the Duke, I never did stop carrying the tools. I may not have needed them, but, its the thing, I felt "Safer" knwing they were there. And they have come in useful roadside with other Bikers... its that rule, you never leave one behind, back when I was riding, didnt matter who it was, if a biker breaks down, the next bike Always stopped.
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Post by Lokifan on Aug 28, 2017 16:54:26 GMT
For your tool kit I suggest these additions: A couple of knives (box cutter and one other good knife, at least) and pair of good scissors in the tool kit. Two or more small LED flashlights. Say what you want about Harbor Freight, but they give these away with any purchase and their coupon, and they're excellent, as they have a hook and magnet on the back. I pick them up every time I can, as they give a surprising amount of light for such a small device, with decent battery life. They're small enough to use in the smallest, tightest work areas. Two medium size Crescent wrenches, one for each end of the bolt your box wrench won't fit. Stubby hammer (or full size, if you've the space). At least one pair of heavy duty work gloves, and a box of 100 disposable nitrile gloves. One pair safety glasses, the universal kind that fit over everyday glasses. A can of Fix-A-Flat. Although I prefer to change a flat tire in the traditional manner, you can get stuck in a situation where your jack or you aren't able to do the job. I was once, and now carry a can just in case. Six 20 minute road flares. Duct tape. If you have to ask, you don't understand, and I'll refer you to a couple of MB episodes. Because I live in earthquake country, I have a survival kit, with these additional items to the ones others have mentioned: A small 12V DC/AC inverter so I can have line level power off my battery to run anything I might have grabbed in an emergency. It has a USB output as well to charge cell phones. It's about the size of a hardbound book. A solar/spring wound crank powered AM/FM radio. Your car battery won't last forever. I think I have to replace the current one, as the new ones have that USB output again. As for food supplies, I went down to the local surplus store and picked up three day's worth of emergency food and water from their boating supply section. Consisted of a lot of little pouches of water, and a couple of bricks of USCG approved "Emergency Food" with a 5 year shelf storage life. I tucked them away in a small bag in the depths of the spare wheel well. When the last batch expired, I tried both. The water was tasteless, and the food was horrible, but edible. A couple of space blankets (mylar survival type). They fold up into the size of a fist. Since I usually am travelling with others, I keep extras just in case. Mine are bright orange on one side to increase visibility. An old hoodie sweatshirt. I live in California, where microclimates mean that even during the summer, you need warm clothing (especially in the mountains at night). A super high tech drinking filter. I got it from a backpacker supply store, on recommendation from a friend who does a lot of back area camping. It will supposedly allow you to drink from any water source without fear. Because it's designed for backpackers, it's small. One piece of emergency gear I carry on my key ring: ResQMe. It's small, but it'll break a car window and cut a seat belt.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 28, 2017 19:31:09 GMT
My tool kit is specifically stocked to fix things, but for an emergency survival kit, you bring up some very good suggestions. One thing I keep in my Jeep is a Black & Decker emergency power station. It has a 17 amp-hour gel type battery that can jump a dead car battery, a built in compressor for pumping up tires, a 400 Watt inverter that can run off the internal battery or from an external car battery, a 5 volt USB charger outlet, a 12 volt car cigarette type outlet and a built in work light. It also has a built-in charger to recharge the internal battery. All you need is any type extension cord to recharge it. One of my kids gave it to me a few years ago as a father's day gift and at the time, I had no idea how useful it would be and how often I would use it. The one I have is Black & Decker but a lot of other companies make them, some cheaper but with less options.
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Post by silverdragon on Aug 29, 2017 6:41:27 GMT
May I issue a ***WARNING*** to anyone using such. [I may have said this before} If you do need to use such, you have less than 12 hrs, no more than 24 hrs at the very worst, to get your wheel cleaned. That stuff is glue. And it sticks. When used, it "welds" the tyre to the wheel, in such a way, that often the only way to part the two is cutting. "Alloy" type rims are trashed in this case, you will damage the wheel when cutting the tyre off. More on Alloy than steel, because the weld to Aluminium is stickier for some reason than steel.
Therefore, if you MUST use it, only use it as far as the next place you can get the tyre cleaned and replaced. Immediately. Do not "It can wait until morning" on it, do it sooner rather than later.
This warning comes to me from a couple of mates of mine who spend their lives doing tyres, and have had to deal with a few customers "Here, have the wheel back, try yourself, if YOU cant shift it, no one here can" after cutting most of the tyre away to leave the wheel with a lot of tyre and adhesive that wont shift whatever you use.
They ESPECIALLY decry the use on large HGV wheels, because once used, its always "Somebody else's problem" and only ever comes to light when a few months later that tyre-weld has set to its maximum.
On steel, you can just about sand down the tyre-weld and tyre mix, given enough time, but the easier quickest and often cheaper option is buy a new wheel.
YES have a can for extreme events where maybe you have one more punctures than spare wheels carried. But be prepared to either sacrifice wheel and tyre, or get it cleaned out again quickly, and get the puncture professionally dealt with. By this time it has ruined the day already, so dont bemoan fate, at least you didnt have to walk or wait for a tow van?.
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Post by Lokifan on Aug 29, 2017 6:48:47 GMT
Couldn't have said it better myself, SD. And I couldn't agree more with all your recommendations.
It is only to be used to get you to a real repair shop, and then removed.
Another warning: I believe the gas used to inflate the tire is butane, so keep fire away.
It's only to be used as an absolute last resort.
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Post by the light works on Aug 29, 2017 14:05:28 GMT
Couldn't have said it better myself, SD. And I couldn't agree more with all your recommendations. It is only to be used to get you to a real repair shop, and then removed. Another warning: I believe the gas used to inflate the tire is butane, so keep fire away. It's only to be used as an absolute last resort. although I've made more than a few threats to use it in small equipment tires - by which I mean the wagons, carts, or tool dollies that for some reason they think it is a good idea to use a tubeless tire instead of a solid fill tire - and the tire shops no longer want to spend the time to do a solid fill on tires so small.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 29, 2017 14:28:56 GMT
I've used some of that "Green Slime" stuff in a garden tractor tire that I just couldn't get to seat to the rim without a slow leak. Worked great. Three years and holding.
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Post by the light works on Aug 29, 2017 15:08:41 GMT
I've used some of that "Green Slime" stuff in a garden tractor tire that I just couldn't get to seat to the rim without a slow leak. Worked great. Three years and holding. if I could get the tires on the chipper reduced to a slow leak, that would be progress. if I could get them to seat to the rim at all, that would be progress. maybe some experimentation with a ratchet strap and some green slime is in order. I've also considered expanding foam, since the chipper is light enough to even roll on completely deflated tires. - pull the valve core and fill through the stem, then cap the stem. - but I have to get the beads to seat before I can do anything.
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Post by GTCGreg on Aug 29, 2017 15:14:30 GMT
I've used some of that "Green Slime" stuff in a garden tractor tire that I just couldn't get to seat to the rim without a slow leak. Worked great. Three years and holding. if I could get the tires on the chipper reduced to a slow leak, that would be progress. if I could get them to seat to the rim at all, that would be progress. maybe some experimentation with a ratchet strap and some green slime is in order. I've also considered expanding foam, since the chipper is light enough to even roll on completely deflated tires. - pull the valve core and fill through the stem, then cap the stem. - but I have to get the beads to seat before I can do anything. I think the problem with the garden tractor tires were that they were only supposed to be inflated to 5 psi max. Not enough force to give a good seal. The slime did the trick.
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