Tools

[OkieGene]

Im helping a friend set up his new rig and the subject of what tools to carry has arisen.

The question is to bring SAE fractional wrenches or sockets, or is everything now metric ?

This will be a small to middlin' tool set just for minor repairs and maintenance issues, nothing big and heavy and complicated.

Thanks!

[Blazing_Zippers]

OR---do as I did. I brought every tool on the shelf to Alaska last summer, except the cordless drill that I left charging on the bench. Guess which tool I really needed? Yep, the cordless drill.
Ahhhhh, make a list?

[EgorKC]

mat60 wrote:
Thinking about taking shark bite tools and 1/2 in pex with some fittings along with some tools in my truck took box. Seems to be a long list of things that could be needed. Im kind of expecting problems. Thanks for the list guys.

Good Idea. However many hardware stores carry a plastic version from Watts. I keep a pex knife, 5 ft pc of pex, lavatory faucet connector, 2 unions and a shark bite cap in trailer. 1st trip out on factory new 5th wheel one of the lavatory connections began leaking. Mobile repairman cut old one off and replaced with a Watts plastic one (warranty covered repair). That made me a believer in keeping spares.
Greg

[pnichols]

WTP-GC wrote:
And for those who want to have it everything covered, I now also carry a code reader/scanner device that can clear those pesky emission codes when they come up and tell you that you're screwed in "XX" number of miles. Imagine traveling to the middle of nowhere and before you get there, you get a code that tells you that limp mode is coming up thanks to a faulty sensor in the DEF system. Not no more...

That's an excellent suggestion! Where can I get one for my 2005 Ford E450 V10?

But I have one question ... isn't the purpose of some of those codes to let you know that something serious is actually wrong such that you're about to find yourself stranded along the side of the road?

[WTP-GC]

I don't think I've seen a battery powered impact gun mentioned yet. If the camper leaves my yard, it always has a 18V Makita Impact gun (and impact sockets to fit lug nuts). The one time I needed it, I was sooooooo happy I had it.

Yes on white duct tape and maybe black as well. I now also carry eterna bond due to an unfortunate tree scraping incident last year.

And for those who want to have it everything covered, I now also carry a code reader/scanner device that can clear those pesky emission codes when they come up and tell you that you're screwed in "XX" number of miles. Imagine traveling to the middle of nowhere and before you get there, you get a code that tells you that limp mode is coming up thanks to a faulty sensor in the DEF system. Not no more...

[Tvov]

Oh! Don't forget to check the size of your lug nuts. Either get a specific socket for them, or carry a "T" handle that has 4 different sizes, with one to match your truck and one to match the TT (assuming we are talking about TTs).

[Durb]

I survey my rig and take what I need to deal with most things. I have properly sized sockets and ratchets to change a tire or drum and bearing on the side of the road, the right size socket for the water heater, 10" adjustable for propane fittings and other stuff. 1/4" and 5/16" nut drivers for appliances and hose clamps. #2 Robertson,#2 phillips, 3/16" and 1/4" slotted screwdrivers. 10" Channellock and 6" needle nose with cutter. Utility knife, electrical and gorilla tape. Add plenty of nitrile gloves and that's about it.

[Hank_MI]

As far as Robertson screws, not a one in our MH that I've found and none that I can recall in the previous MH. As I mentioned I have a small set of SAE/Metric wrenches. A 1/4" drive socket set, bought that on the road to repair a leaking toilet valve, and a cheap set of 3/8" drive sockets, SAE and Metric, and ratchet. Screwdriver set, pliers, adjustable wrench, digital meter, wire strippers. I figure if it needs anything bigger than a 3/8" drive ratchet or the wrenches I have then it's something I'm not going to tackle on the road. You can take care of a lot of small problems with the basic tools. I'm not carrying any where near 100 lbs. of tools.

[mat60]

Thinking about taking shark bite tools and 1/2 in pex with some fittings along with some tools in my truck took box. Seems to be a long list of things that could be needed. Im kind of expecting problems. Thanks for the list guys.

[myredracer]

OkieGene wrote:

However, the question is, and I'll rephrase it, are the new rv's, not the old rv's, all metric?

AFAIK, TTs aren't metric. At the least the stuff I've run across. Many common RV components are hecho en China and have SAE fasteners.

If you're talking about a towable RV, what about the tow vehicle? Many are metric these days. Japanese vehicles for sure but I was surprised to find when we bought our '09 F250 it was all metric. You may possibly need to fix something on your TV some day. I'd simply get a mixed set of spanners and 3/8" drive SAE & metric sockets and call it done. A 1/4" drive socket set could help once in a while too.

The world seems to be trending more and more towards the metric system of measure everywhere.

[DutchmenSport]

"We want to keep this total lot of tools under 100 pounds and no more than 2, possible 3 boxes to store them in."

The only sockets I've actually used on my RV is the one for the anode rod on the water heater and the one for the hitch ball nut. More, you really don't need if you bring along a tire tool or tire T. I've never used the tire T except to check the lugs after we got the camper and after we got new tires.

Needle nose pliers come in real handy, but not for the RV. They are more handy for removing fish hooks from the bellies of fish when they swallow them!

100 pounds! Wow! Way too much. Think "simple" and multi use items. Down size that 100 pounds to about 10 pounds.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

If you’re concerned about weight, I’m not sure I’d bring a socket set(s). It might be better to bring a few select sockets instead along with the corresponding socket wrench. Things which I routinely use a socket on would be the water heater, stabilizer jacks (with drill), lug nuts (with torque wrench). Take a look at the hitch to see what that would require, and get a couple different sized adjustable wrenches.

[magicbus]

When I had a DP I had most of my tools with me plus an air compressor. But never a grease gun, that stayed home.

Dave

[OkieGene]

Thank you all for your replies. There are lots of good answers for a comprehensive list of tools.

However, the question is, and I'll rephrase it, are the new rv's, not the old rv's, all metric? Of course I realize the older rv's are pretty much going to be standard ASE fractional sizes. But with purchasing a new, or just a couple year old rv, was just wanting to know if everything, like everything else now in life, is metric sized. If everything now a days is pretty much metric, one can save weight and space by not carrying any standard fractional tools.

This rv purchase for my friend will not be a huge rv, it will be a small or no more than medium size trailer, at least for the time being.

@@@@ OH, and by the way, how many carry a grease gun and use it often enough to justify the space it requires, as well as being a bit messy to store after using? @@@@
Space is an issue, as always, so we just want to get 1 or 2, possibly 3, normal size carry around tote type tool boxes with a basic set of tools that can handle most any easy repairs. Big repairs will be left to professionals.

So it sounds as if it will be best to stock both metric and SAE standard fractional tools. So I will recommend to him to get metric and standard 1/4" drive and 3/8" drive metric socket sets and a normal size metric and standard open end-box end wrench set.

Of course he will have the other normal hand tools, as well as some electric and maybe a few plumbing tools and other things one might usually needs around the house.

We want to keep this total lot of tools under 100 pounds and no more than 2, possible 3 boxes to store them in.

If this was a big diesel pusher rv with a lot of under storage available I'm sure he could bring a larger selection of tools as well as an assortment of supplies, fasteners, misc parts, etc etc etc.

Thank you all for your time and effort in replying, there are lots of good suggestions you've made.

[Veebyes]

Start off with what you think will be needed from whatever you already have. As you go along you will find what you really need. Get it on the trailer & take the surplus stuff back home. You need things like a torque wrench, up to wheel bearing torque, the socket for getting the water heater anode off, the socket for the bearing nut, socket for U bolts & spring wet bolts, what is needed to dismantle jacks & that is just for starters. Then there are items like a 120V compressor, good for many more things than tires.

[pnichols]

The tools you bring along depends upon where you want to travel and where you want to camp.

If you want to be ready for on-sight repairs along freeways, highways, two-laners, gravel/dirt roads, and be ready for on-sight repairs in resort campgrounds, public campgrounds, and out in the middle of nowhere campsites ... in other words be ready for on-site repairs everywhere and anywhere ... then you need to carry along the same tools you would have at home for repairing your RV.

We carrry it all, including such things as: complete assortment of metric and standard tools of all sorts, tree limb saw, remote inspection scope, full size shovel, 20 inch extension hydraulic jack with lots of boards, spare engine serpentine belt, spare engine and generator fluids, roll of Eternabond tape, chaulking-gun and chaulking, hose clamps, tire puncture repair kit, air compressor, full size mounted spare tire, roof access ladder (built-in), hammer, crowbar, various kinds of tape, spare refrigerator and hot water heater igniters, spare refrigerator control board, hose clamps, spare shower head, and last but maybe most important of all ... a whole drawer in the coach area devoted to being a "junk drawer" that contains all kinds of miscellaneous items to help make many little repairs possible.

We also carry a whole lot of other items that aren't in the repair category.