Expedition tool selection

[Godlykepower]

I have been donated a large Snap-On ratchet & a 27mm socket today for wheel changing

This got me thinking about what other things I need to be taking.

Now, I dont know very much about tools, and am not especially handy with a spanner, although I do take every opportunity to do whatever work i can at my garage. I often use their tools & ask questions and do lots of jobs myself, with them available if I need a hand. Fitted my Mantec rear wheel carrier today!

Right, so what sort of things do I need to start collecting?

Do i just buy one of these "Professional 150 piece" sets from Halfords, or do i only buy certain sizes of spanners?

What are the most commonly used sizes?

Do I need sockets & spanners of the same size (i.e 17mm spanner AND a 17mm socket?)

Do i need ratchet spanners (i think thats what they are - like a ring spanner, but it ratchets?) in addition to sockets & normal spanners?

So far, in all my prep, I have not cut any corners, and even though I dont know a lot about tools, I would like to buy good quality bits that will last me and not break the first time I use them.

What brands are very good, but not necessarily professional quality.

Other things I have thought of, are:

- A grease gun

- A oil filter spanner thing.

......but what else?

Please forgive my ignorance on this subject, especially on a technical forum, but there is no better place to ask than here!

Martin

[calle-fas]

I would definitely go for a good quality socket and spanner set to start with. Something like this. Quite expensive kit, but it will last for years and years.

There are lot's of quality manufacturers. Bahco, Gedore and Stahlville only to mention some.

If you only want to bring one socket set I would go for 3/8", but for a Land Rover a 1/2" will do the job as well.

Of course you want to add some pliers, adjustable spanners, lump hammer, crow bar and more.

Regarding special tools i guess a hub nut socket is one of the first things you need.

This is only to mention some. I tend to bring far too much tools.

[Orange]

Martin,

The 150 piece kit from Halfords is a good bet to get you a very useful set of tools, but there are several items that you will require duplicates of... I would definitely get a second set of metric spanners, say 8-19mm, maybe as ratchet spanners - you'll uderstand once you've used them!

If you have trouble with trailing arm or radius arm bushes, you will require a 24mm spanner and socket for the axle ends and a large, deep socket for the chassis end - there is a useful tools thread on the Tools and Fabrication forum that would be a useful source of info - HERE IT IS...

A hub-nut spanner would also be high on my list of things to put in the box, along with at least one large screwdriver that fits through the hole...

Can of WD40 would also go in along with some latex gloves and a big roll of blue tissue - you know the type that go in dispensers...

I'm sure there are loads more, but that's all I can think of at the moment...

Cheers

Adrian

[leeds]

The Halfords 150 piece professional set is a good buy. Latest version includes some ratchet spanners. They have improved the case by putting metal catches on rather then the plastic ones which broke. OK life time gaurantee does cover the case.

Yes you will need sockets as well as sometimes can only get in with a socket rather then a spanner.

Also take a 9/16 spanner and a prop shaft tool or 2 x 9/16 spanners for UJ repairs. Circlip pliers, mole grips, pliers, pry bar, folding axle stand, test meter, crimping tool etc

Get a 24 inch breaker bar for that 27mm socket

Grease gun and spare cartridges yes.

Don't use bungees to fasten down standard 5 litre plastic bottles as they can wear through the bottle. Makes a lovely mess inside. Either store them in a box or use oil safe drums. Use tape to keep lids on. Also tape up the filler bung on jacks.

Btrendan

[pete3000]

1. small and general tool which I bought on a whim, now gets used more than any other.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=43413

right angled 1/4 hex driver, use as a hard to reach screw driver or the other ned for a bit more torque.

I used mine yesterday to get to the top of the top dash screws to change my washer jet, I couldn't get a normal screwdriver in.

Coupled with a decent quality bit set you wont go far wrong. The only screws which will evade you are the ones down holes which need long reach thin screwdrivers.

2. Decent quality adjustable spanner.

3. 3/8 in propshaft tool from www.difflock.com

4. doubling up on spanners 2x 10mm, 13mm 17mm 19mm.

5. specials impact grade 30mm socket 32mm socket 27mm (wheelnut) socket, hub nut spanner, good quality breaker bar and extension.

6. Auto range multimeter which does volts, amps and resitance but takes AA or 9V batt and uses 4mm std plugs. Fluke 11 or 12 is my choice.

7. LED Headtorch.

8. Cable ties, gaffa tape, self amalgamating tape (sat tv), epoxy resin, insul tape, spare wire, fencing wire or similar, for making strapping or exhaust hangers etc.

[RichardAllen]

Martin,

Regarding tools to take on an expedition, there are quite a few interweb expedition diary type sites with lists of tools / spares. Some give a view on what was actually used. I have not sorted my list yet, however, I do have some principles (I work on similar things but for submarines)

For any maintenance job you need to know how to do it, the skill/time to do it, the necessary tools and the necessary spare parts and consumables (oil/grease etc). If you do not have all elements, there is probably no point carrying the required tools/parts, since you will not be able to use them. You then need to have the space and spare weight capacity to carry what you want. You might then also think about 'mission-criticality' whether if such and such breaks you are stuck, could you bodge it, or actually leave it to the next town/garage.

For knowledge: on an expedition, you can easily get the Land Rover manuals in electronic form (Rave), and I have found these pretty good.

For skills: a bit of practice at home and a feel for how things fit together and with a manual you can tackle most Land Rover jobs (possibly excluding ECU based electrics).

That leaves spares and tools. It is then worth looking at maintenance tasks resulting from routine servicing and stuff wearing out/breaking, which you might reasonably be able to fix.

So 3 examples:

Definitely do it, no-brainer example: the spanner to fit your sump plug, oil filter remover, together with spare oil, oil filter and plug washer is a simple choice to cover the routine job of changing the oil. Often required, easy to do, no heavy bulky bits - probably a no-brainer. Except than almost any garage could do the job, it is not that time crucial, so depending on where you are going you may not bother carrying the bits.

Definitely don't bother example: A set of tools for replacing gearbox internals and spare syncro's gears etc might be more questionable on an expedition. Nasty job to do in the wild, gearboxes are pretty tough things, but if you break one you are stuck.

Maybe maybe not example: The steering track rod can be vulnerable on off road travel and might get bent by a rock, wrecking the steering. A spare track rod could be easily lashed to a roofrack. It needs a spanner or two, pliers for the split pins, and rod end splitter to replace the bent rod. This then becomes, perhaps, a more marginal choice. You might dispense with the spare track rod if you reckon you could rig up something to straighten the bent one, with a hi-lift perhaps, and if you need heat to get a stubborn rod end off, you have a cooker. So depending on where you are going, you may decide that it is worth carrying tools/parts to be able to do this job

The main point is to concentrate on which maintenance jobs you want to be able to do without outside help and then making sure you have all the necessary elements. That gives you your list of tools and spares to go out and buy.

There may be other considerations. The 90's R380 gearbox has a TORX filler plug. Going somewhere remote, you may decide that you don't need to carry spare gearbox oil as a top-up/refill can always be done at a local garage. However, they may not have the necessary TORX socket. It is not big or heavy, so you might decide to take one anyway (I am pretty sure that this example is cited in Tom Sheppard's Vehicle-dependent Expedition Guide, but I cannot find exactly where). Likewise I recall someone carrying a spare head gasket in the roof lining. No weight, no space taken up, he might not carry all the tools to replace a blown head gasket (not actually that hard on a 300TDi), but a garage will. However, they may not have the part, and it might take days to be delivered, so carrying the spare is no big deal, but might get him on his way several days quicker. So there may be good reasons to carry tool without spares, or spares without tools. I expect the experience of other overlanders would be the best guide here.

Another point is dual use / bodging. A correctly sized socket can be used for removing/replacing bearings and seals in place of a special tool. A breaker bar can be used for all sorts of levering as well as on a socket. A camping penknife can be used for cutting and stripping wires for electrical repairs. A book could be written on the bodges you can do with a handful of cable ties etc etc etc So don't take a wire stripper if you need a camping knife for cooking etc anyway, and I van think of no possible reason for not taking a handful of cable ties.

This is largely a purist approach which we use in a peculiar military setting. However, the principles, with a good deal of Land Rover common sense, and experience from others do still apply, I believe.

Apologies for the grandma lecture, I hope it's helpful

Regards

Richard

[outdoor_ian]

Telescopic magnet (looks like a pen) for when you drop the nut out the socket in those hard to get at places. I bet a few people have been there!!!!!!

[FridgeFreezer]

The Halfords 150 set is a very good start - it has one of everything you're most likely to need, socket, spanner, and bit wise. It also has the advantage that you can open the box and see immediately where everything is and if anything's missing, which is harder with a big box/bag of assorted tools. I have one as the main set in the 109, backed up with a few choice extras to make sure I can do any job critical to continued forward motion:

- Breaker bar

- Pry bar

- Lump hammer

- Pliers/grips/adjustables to cover most bases.

- Stanley knife & blades (blades are handy for gasket/RTV removal)

- Hacksaw blade (you don't need a whole hacksaw, blades are much smaller to carry)

- A *big* philips & flat screwdriver, the flat one is hammer-through so doubles up as a drift/punch.

- G-clamp (handy for bearings, separating track rod ends and, err, clamping!)

- Job-specific spanners & sockets (EG 9/16" spanner & prop nut tool for propshaft nuts, duplicate 27mm socket for wheel nuts to save getting the full kit out)

The key thing is to work out mission-critical stuff that will stop you from making progress, and how you could fix it / bodge it with the bare minimum of tools & spares. There's no point taking a dedicated tool when a more general purpose one will do that and 5 other jobs. For example, no point taking a complete vehicle set of gaskets when a tube of RTV will work for 90% of them. There's also no point taking tools to fix something you can live without, fluids that could be substituted with something else (a gearbox can run on engine oil but an engine can't run on gear oil).

[Eightpot]

As well as the usual spaners and stuff, it's useful to be able to repair things that snap/smash/burst as you go.

I've found a cordless drill very useful, and they don't weigh much

pop rivet gun (and rivets..) and some assorted bits of plate/tube/hose.

A good selection of nuts/bolts/jubilee clips/washers

breaker bar

multimeter

chemical metal

three legged puller

flat and round file

and take the hacksaw frame - I can vouch for thier usefulness...

[RichardAllen]

As well as the usual spaners and stuff, it's useful to be able to repair things that snap/smash/burst as you go.

I've found a cordless drill very useful, and they don't weigh much

pop rivet gun (and rivets..) and some assorted bits of plate/tube/hose.

A good selection of nuts/bolts/jubilee clips/washers

breaker bar

multimeter

chemical metal

three legged puller

flat and round file

and take the hacksaw frame - I can vouch for thier usefulness...

I'd love to know the uses you can put a hacksaw frame to, other than tensioning a hacksaw blade of course.

[Eightpot]

I'd love to know the uses you can put a hacksaw frame to, other than tensioning a hacksaw blade of course.

try sawing a ring in half to remove it from a severed finger using only a hacksaw blade.

[mike4444244]

Some good advice there, I think its Mike mmgemini who keeps gaskets etc in his headlining and throttle cable in the gutter! ^^^ That reminds me don't forget the toolkit for the driver! ie a decent first aid kit, and make sure you know how to use it before you go! May I also humbly suggest that you take some sterile consumables/instruments with you in case you can't guarantee the sterility of bits locally, also you may want to consider a HIV post exposure prophylaxis kit...

PM me if you want any more info

Mike

[SteveG]

try sawing a ring in half to remove it from a severed finger using only a hacksaw blade.

I take it you had no power for an angle grinder then? :P

[hobson]

Getting a bit off the original topic now, but i'd definitely second the first aid kit, along with sterile needles and barrels of various sizes, include insulin needles, you may not need them but better to have them and never need them, they could also save someones life.

also include various drugs, antihistamines (drowsy and none drowsy) diorreah, painkillers, anti-inflammatory, if you remove the boxes and put them in self seal bags with a label and the instructions (always take these, they have lists of side effects and when not to use them) they don't take up much room either.

as far as tools, i'd follow most of the stuff on here, but a lot of it depends on your competence in using it, there's no point taking loads of kit if you have no idea how it works, that said, if you are going somewhere really out of the way then the specialist tools are worth taking in case a garage doesn't have them.

as richard says though, there's a lot to be said for common sense and ability to improvise and adapt/bodge things, it's sods law that the one thing you don't take is the one thing you'll need! i've seen lots of people who had all the best tools and kit come unstuck because they didn't know how to use things or how to improvise.

have a look on Brownchurchs site; http://www.brownchurch.co.uk/index.html they have a lot of info, also get a copy of the SAS survival manual, don't be put off by the title, it's not just for budding Ray Mears, it has a lot of good info in it.

and remember, this is one of those subjects where EVERYONE will have a different opinion and a different kit list, you have to work out what YOU need to take for the journey YOU'RE doing.

we'll be doing exactly the same in a month or so, so i'll wish you good luck now! and have fun

[Matt Neale]

FWIW, Tom Sheppard's book - Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide - is currently available as an updated issue via the Royal Geographic Society's website - it's under £50 delivered and is a brilliant resource.

Matt

[RichardAllen]

FWIW, Tom Sheppard's book - Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide - is currently available as an updated issue via the Royal Geographic Society's website - it's under £50 delivered and is a brilliant resource.

Matt

I second that most heartily. For expeditioners/overlanders it might even be worth joining the RGS just to gain better experience than internet diaries, especially if you are going to places other than crossing Africa.

Regards

Richard (not yet a member !)

[FridgeFreezer]

try sawing a ring in half to remove it from a severed finger using only a hacksaw blade.

It takes slightly longer but is just as easy without the frame - I cut a large chunk off a cast alternator mounting bracket and shaped it to fit my engine using only a hacksaw blade, usually would've been a grinder job but when needs must you can get away with very little if you have a bit of time on your hands. The blade just tucks into the top of my socket set and lays flat, requires zero space.

A cordless drill is not a bad idea if you have the space, make sure you buy a 12v or 14.4v one as you can then bodge leads with croc clips or a cig lighter plug into the end and run it from the car rather than having to carry batteries & charger. I paid £3 for a rubbish B&Q own-brand one at Billing, the batteries died within seconds but the drill itself has lasted really well and running it from the car battery means it never runs out.

If you buy a drill for in-field bodging it's also worth getting a couple of good bodging drill bits - cone bits will drill holes from ~4mm to 30mm, and those "sideways" milling drill bits, although horrible, could come in handy in a pinch.

Hobson is bang on - ultimately only you can decide what to take, if you've got to live out of a 90 then space is tight so everything counts and you only want to be taking stuff you're likely to use.