Forum Discussion
- GTO66Explorer IIIn addition to most of the tools others have listed. I bring my temp gun, has come in handy several time to rule out high temperature.
- Toot_McExplorersense my rig has a Ford chassis I will always carry plenty of "bailing wire" and a pair of players....!!!!!!!! and a chain to drag it some place.....!!!!!
- EMD360ExplorerI also have an air compressor for boondocking as well as the tire plug kit and stuff to change a tire but we have never had to try. We have a few tools for the air compressor, an impact wrench and blower kit. I also have a really nice charger for getting the house batteries charged more quickly if needed that is kept under the dinette.
The tool box is a standard metal one with the tray and an assortment of stuff, sockets in both metric and standard as mentioned above, set of screwdrivers, measuring tape, vise grips, adjustable wrenches, and I have an electrical kit and some wire in there, a hammer, one of those orange plastic sledges, and more. We carry an 18 volt drill and bits and extra batteries and charger too.
I have a few extra plumbing parts. A couple of connectors, a scrap bit of pipe, a cap and some teflon tape. I have a bunch of little stuff, like velcro straps, twine, scissors, tape, 3m strips, etc. We have lent and given away a few things. We had a roll of nylon twine for folks who forgot their tent poles! Nice to have stuff for the neighbors if needed. That is what campers do.
The tool box rides under the dinette bench and it comes out more frequently than you would think.
Interestingly I have never carried belts filters etc. But I do have some oil and one of the darned bottles got a hole poked in it and leaked all over one of our outside compartments.
I have the Harbor Freight meter too and both regular and mini fuses. I had to buy mini's on the road. And that is another option. There is a reason RV'ers like Walmart.
The list actually goes on and on. What about the water stuff? I've added stuff I've needed when I didn't have it, Like a universal water connector (rubber boot on one end) and various hose parts. Also 120 volt electrical connectors of various types. 50 to 30 watt, 30 to 15, etc. I have a variety of plastic drawers and boxes in one overhead compartment for this stuff. One whole overhead compartment, and the manuals etc. are all in there too.
Yes, I have weighed us fully loaded and we are fine. Most of this stuff doesn't weigh that much! - Gene_in_NEExplorer II
Dakzuki wrote:
Here is another one even cheaper at Harbor Freight. Occasionally, they send out coupon where you get one free if you buy something from them. They are easy to use and as far as I know very accurate.
Regarding multimeters, buy this one. It's inexpensive, has a large display and is accurate. I have three of them (One in RV, one at home, and one in my flight bag). - BordercollieExplorerIn addition to a typical tool kit, bailing wire, duct tape, electrical tape, crimping tool and wire connectors, a cheap digital voltmeter, set of fuses, mini-screwdriver set, CYA glue, epoxy glue, all of your prescription and over the counter meds, reading glasses, dog rabies shot records, pet meds,pet foods, cell phone(s)cameras, battery chargers for cell phones and cameras, binocs, good books, DVD's, rain ponchos. Surprising how many of these items come in handy. Oh, butane fire lighters, portable BBQ, charcoal, lighter fluid.
- Horizon170ExplorerMy favorite tools are:
Cell phone
Money
Good Sam Recovery Card
Of course I do carry a full set of US and metric tools in case all else fails. - luvztheoutdoor1ExplorerAAA card.
- bob_nestorExplorer IIISome people worry about the extra weight affecting mileage by carrying full fresh water tanks; others seem unconcerned about hauling 100's of pounds of tools, parts and "I might need" items. Had an RVing uncle who carried more******in his RV than he'd collected at the home he lived in for over 40 years.
But depending on how handy one is (or isn't) the simplest toolkit might include:
DuckTape - for things that move which shouldn't
WD40 - for things that don't move but should
Cell phone - to call for help on everything else
Credit Card - to pay for the help when it arrives
BTW, my previous RV came with a spare tire but no jack or tire changing tools. When I asked the dealer about that, his response we "well most RVers end up calling for someone to change the tire for them'. - Matt_ColieExplorer III have did a lot of boat work in the years before the depression, and I got asked about this many times.
If you are not a skilled mechanic, there are still somethings that you should always have. Apart from the obvious of a credit card, the next most valuable thing is always the service documentation for at least the chassis, but everything in the coach would be good. Along with that, carry a complete set of wrenches, screwdrivers and other small tools. These are all things that you carry so that if you have trouble, a knowledgeable person that knows little of your coach and did not load up with tools can help you.
It is very easy to easy to overload on spares that may be of little use. filters that are not regularly serviced is also good, so forget the oil filter, but fuel filters can go bad with a single load of bad fuel. As for belts, go to the website of a store-front parts store and see if they list the base vehicle and have the belt(s) in stock, if they do, leave them there. If they don't, then order and carry the spares.
Rubber parts all age out just like tires. So, when the coach gets to be 7~10 years old, change out a lot of those that would be stoppers, but carry the removed parts as back-up.
Matt
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