Required tool list

[robe5000]

Im looking for any information on what tools a tech is "required" to own to work at any particular shop, mainly automotive or heavy equipment i guess
Im a forklift tech and there is no trade school course for this field
for the most part guys with an automotive ticket or heavy duty equipment are working in the forklift repair field
I got into to a debate over work orders with my manager tonight and somehow it turned into what tools i own, i asked for a list of tools im required to own and he had no answer
is there such a list, i can't imagine im suppose to own every tool made?

 

[metaleltr]

As a mobile tech I see a lot of ambiguity as to what you may encounter. Because of this I would think you would want as many tools as possible to deal with these situations. I recall you posted in the mobile technicians thread. Think about some of the ideas tossed around there about being prepared for anything. Does you company have any "shop tools" that are available to you to take on service calls? If so those would be beyond what you are "required" to have.

 

[FiendFX]

Just basic tools really... As you encounter jobs that requires a special tool then buy it.

 

[signcrafter]

If you employer can't tell you what tools are required then I think the simple answer would be you need all the tools to do your job in order to collect a paycheck. Are you borrowing tools from coworkers? If you borrow something more than once buy it. If you see others using tools to do jobs you think you might be doing in the future buy the tools you will need. Ask others you work with what tools they think you need to add.

 

[robe5000]

i own more tools than anyone else at the company, we are dealers 5 brands for forklift trucks, both metric and SAE, in addition we will service and repair any other brand you may own, and theres a lot! i do continue to buy more tools every pay, but i would just like to have something on paper saying what i'm required to own and not be out on site realize i need a tool and have to check the account to see if i can pay the power bill this month if i go buy this tool

 

[robe5000]

If you employer can't tell you what tools are required then I think the simple answer would be you need all the tools to do your job in order to collect a paycheck. Are you borrowing tools from coworkers? If you borrow something more than once buy it. If you see others using tools to do jobs you think you might be doing in the future buy the tools you will need. Ask others you work with what tools they think you need to add.

I have all the tools to do my job, this is the first time what tools i own has ever come into question
i don't borrow tools, i get borrowed from, i work with guys been doing this for 30 years and i got more tools then they do
Im really just looking for something to rub in my managers face

 

[rusty65]

Maybe they are kinda bitter because you are asking for a required tool list but yet you have more tools than them?

 

[robe5000]

Maybe they are kinda bitter because you are asking for a required tool list but yet you have more tools than them?

not sure, but i'm pretty tuned up about this, i'm done lending tools out too

 

[Deadhead]

If you don't borrow - then don't loan.

Also you are probably asking for something that don't exist. No need to rub it in your managers face that you have invested so much in yourself. Don't set yourself up where the manager and your coworkers don't like you.... It will make life miserable.

 

[atwageman]

My employer has 2 minimum required tool lists. The first list is what you must have on your first day on the job. The second list is what you must have after 12 months from your day of hire.

The first list we hand you must sign stating you will show up on day one with 100% of what's on that list. Failure to comply will result in immediate termination. YES I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. Same thing applies for the second list you sign at time of hire.

There is zero reimbursement from the company for tools. We don't care where you source your tools from, all we care about is that you have them.

Only thing provided by the company is consumables such as drill bits, taps, cleaners, lubes, etc.

All though I work in a non automotive environment, many of the tools I use apply across multiple fields.

I'm a field service tech and work/dispatch directly from home.

I will search around and see if I can find those lists, even though it won't necessarily apply to your situation.

 

[tkonetzke]

not sure, but i'm pretty tuned up about this, i'm done lending tools out too

Good! I hate people who contantly borrow, especially when its the same tool over and over. I have been buying tools for less than 3 years, they guy in the bay next has been with the company 12 years, yet constantly asks to borrow, same guy asks how to his job though when he has been doing it 4 times as long as me

 

[RKA]

Don't make life easier for him by supplying the list. You have tools, period. What you initially said to him is fine. If there is any disagreement, it's up to him to produce or create said list. The absence of a list means there is no discussion.

 

[metaldad]

I would have a list for my own purposes - insurance, and (Lord forbid) theft

 

[atwageman]

I would have a list for my own purposes - insurance, and (Lord forbid) theft

I have a list along with pictures.....it keeps my insurance company happy.

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

i own more tools than anyone else at the company, we are dealers 5 brands for forklift trucks, both metric and SAE, in addition we will service and repair any other brand you may own, and theres a lot! i do continue to buy more tools every pay, but i would just like to have something on paper saying what i'm required to own and not be out on site realize i need a tool and have to check the account to see if i can pay the power bill this month if i go buy this tool

We are in very similar professions then. We are required to provide all "hand tools" but we have no specified list. We have shop tools we can borrow, like a 3/4 set and gun, very large wrenches, special diagnostic equipment, and Linde timing tools. But we just started a PM Tech with 0 experience, and 0 tools. So I guess it depends on who you work for.

 

[Shadowdog500]

...I got into to a debate over work orders with my manager tonight and somehow it turned into what tools i own...

That's quite a turn. Was there a couple specific tools he thought or assumed you should have owned?

A friend if mine was a head mechanic for a Nissan dealer who had a new guy come in who was a really good wrench but had minimal tools that he carried in several $10 hand carry tool boxes(maybe his roll away full of tools was stolen). The suits wanted to let the guy go just because of his low tool count, and because they were afraid what the customers would think if they saw his toolboxes. My friend had to lend the guy his home roll away box just to keep him on till he made some money to buy tools and a roll away. I guess tool count means more to some people than results.

Chris

 

[metaleltr]

We are in very similar professions then. We are required to provide all "hand tools" but we have no specified list. We have shop tools we can borrow, like a 3/4 set and gun, very large wrenches, special diagnostic equipment, and Linde timing tools. But we just started a PM Tech with 0 experience, and 0 tools. So I guess it depends on who you work for.

What exactly is a PM tech?

 

[atwageman]

That's quite a turn. Was there a couple specific tools he thought or assumed you should have owned?

A friend if mine was a head mechanic for a Nissan dealer who had a new guy come in who was a really good wrench but had minimal tools (maybe they where stolen). The suits wanted to let the guy go just because of his low tool count. My friend had to lend the guy his home roll away box just to keep him on till he made some money to buy tools. I guess tool count means more to some people than results.

Chris

Well......David Lee Roth once said.....it doesn't matter if you win or loose, but how good you look.

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

What exactly is a PM tech?

Preventative maintenance. I did it my first month with this company. Essential, change oil, filters, and such, blow it off, grease it, and check all lights/ safety equipment. Generally, make sure it's ok. Lol

 

[robe5000]

We are in very similar professions then. We are required to provide all "hand tools" but we have no specified list. We have shop tools we can borrow, like a 3/4 set and gun, very large wrenches, special diagnostic equipment, and Linde timing tools. But we just started a PM Tech with 0 experience, and 0 tools. So I guess it depends on who you work for.

if your working on lindes we are in the exact same field, we do have all the special tools for timing and other brand specific tools, shop tools are a bit lacking, but it is what it is, i think im just a bit ticked off because this is the first time my tools have ever come into question, and its probably because my manager is new, and he has never been in this business before....and i dont like him

 

[robe5000]

That's quite a turn. Was there a couple specific tools he thought or assumed you should have owned?

A friend if mine was a head mechanic for a Nissan dealer who had a new guy come in who was a really good wrench but had minimal tools that he carried in several $10 hand carry tool boxes(maybe his roll away full of tools was stolen). The suits wanted to let the guy go just because of his low tool count, and because they were afraid what the customers would think if they saw his toolboxes. My friend had to lend the guy his home roll away box just to keep him on till he made some money to buy tools and a roll away. I guess tool count means more to some people than results.

Chris

the tool in question was in a manual for a procedure that was to be done during a service, i didn't have the tool and i told him this, he told me to go buy one for the shop, so i did, then he brings me in and bashes me about work orders and then turns to this tool
P.S. the kicker is, it was our dispatcher that friged up the work orders

 

[ZRX61]

My employer has 2 minimum required tool lists. The first list is what you must have on your first day on the job. The second list is what you must have after 12 months from your day of hire.

Can ya scan/post em?

 

[atwageman]

Can ya scan/post em?

I will as soon as I can find them.

 

[Todds1932]

One tool that every Mechanic needs - BFH

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

if your working on lindes we are in the exact same field, we do have all the special tools for timing and other brand specific tools, shop tools are a bit lacking, but it is what it is, i think im just a bit ticked off because this is the first time my tools have ever come into question, and its probably because my manager is new, and he has never been in this business before....and i dont like him

I've worked here 9 months, we are on our 3rd service manager. Work orders are a huge deal for us, so much so techs have been fired. They also did many other bad things, like lie about changing oil I know it's veering off subject, but do you like working on Linde versus another brand you service?

 

[robe5000]

I've worked here 9 months, we are on our 3rd service manager. Work orders are a huge deal for us, so much so techs have been fired. They also did many other bad things, like lie about changing oil I know it's veering off subject, but do you like working on Linde versus another brand you service?

thats funny, this is our 7th service manager in 10 years, and we have the same type of techs up my way, i don't understand them, it drives me up the wall

I prefer lindes to anything, mainly because of the lack of brake jobs and transmission work, other high points in no particular order, service kits, so much info in the operators manual, the service manuals are second to none, and the tech support (Mike, Dennis and Eric, Know them?)

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

thats funny, this is our 7th service manager in 10 years, and we have the same type of techs up my way, i don't understand them, it drives me up the wall

I prefer lindes to anything, mainly because of the lack of brake jobs and transmission work, other high points in no particular order, service kits, so much info in the operators manual, the service manuals are second to none, and the tech support (Mike, Dennis and Eric, Know them?)

I don't get to deal much with linde directly, but I do enjoy all those points. The guy who always comes to our shop is Howard Quick(spelling?), he has SC tags, haha.
You might not know since you are a tech, but is Linde crappy about warranty? They will cover parts, but not labor for some reason. And I don't remember the series, but do you have fun with the starter on the smaller linde diesels that you hold from the bottom but run te bolts in from the LH access panel? Drove me batty at this brick yard trying to do it alone.

I have a genuine hate for techs who don't take their job seriously, a customer spent good money on this equipment and we are expected to maintain it as best as possible, not changing their oil, and keeping it greased and blown off is almost a slap in their face in my book.

 

[86k10]

Here is a tool requirement list to work for RTD bus here in Denver. It might not be aplicable to every field but you know what you need ,

http://www3.rtd-denver.com/elbert/j...t&Division=Bus Operations&FromViewJobDesc=yes

 

[atwageman]

Here is a tool requirement list to work for RTD bus here in Denver. It might not be aplicable to every field but you know what you need ,

http://www3.rtd-denver.com/elbert/j...t&Division=Bus Operations&FromViewJobDesc=yes

That's a reasonable list in my opinion.

 

[dirtmister16]

thats a reasonable list, but there are some things a guy just ain't gonna need. some of it is very repetive in my personal experiance.

one thing not that isn't good to have but a cotter pin puller, ive used em but never owned my own, always used diagonal cutters to pull it out and or cut. i just don't see the need for that tool but thats me.

i see they require a few other items that double up on sockets with impacts and chromes, some im sure won't be needed some will.

they would be looking for experianced techs, but what about the guy just trying to get in on this type of work and just doesn't have the money for all the stuff he doesn't have?

just a general thought is all. anyone want to tell me a bit about this type of requirment.

 

[atwageman]

thats a reasonable list, but there are some things a guy just ain't gonna need. some of it is very repetive in my personal experiance.

one thing not that isn't good to have but a cotter pin puller, ive used em but never owned my own, always used diagonal cutters to pull it out and or cut. i just don't see the need for that tool but thats me.

i see they require a few other items that double up on sockets with impacts and chromes, some im sure won't be needed some will.

they would be looking for experianced techs, but what about the guy just trying to get in on this type of work and just doesn't have the money for all the stuff he doesn't have?

just a general thought is all. anyone want to tell me a bit about this type of requirment.

Most employers don't give a **** about your economic situation. If your gonna be in a trade.....you need tools. I know that sounds harsh, but in this wacky economy not many places I know of right now are willing to take on someone with little to no experience and no tools. The Quick Lube down the street might be the exception.

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

Most employers don't give a **** about your economic situation. If your gonna be in a trade.....you need tools. I know that sounds harsh, but in this wacky economy not many places I know of right now are willing to take on someone with little to no experience and no tools. The Quick Lube down the street might be the exception.

You are 100% correct. Im grateful my
Company took a chance, even of it means I have to shell out 400 a month to keep that job.

 

[dirtmister16]

don't get me wrong i understand the whole need experiance and tools thing. i just don't know how they expect someone to have all that if they want young blood to come in at all. i guess thats just there expectations.


what about the guy who has some experiance and a good tool set but doesn't have the whole list but can't afford to buy everything else they require all at once? i suppose they have to find elseware but to me just seems like it would be hard to get some people in the door.

maybe cuz im a young guy and i have a desire to work i just don't see it.

 

[cheechi]

Here is a tool requirement list to work for RTD bus here in Denver. It might not be aplicable to every field but you know what you need ,

http://www3.rtd-denver.com/elbert/j...t&Division=Bus Operations&FromViewJobDesc=yes

That's a reasonable list in my opinion.

I have most of that in my box in the garage now, and I definitely don't qualify for the job. Would you say it's on par or more than what a weekend guy who does small-med jobs on their own stuff, or is it more than most guys could get away with?

 

[atwageman]

don't get me wrong i understand the whole need experiance and tools thing. i just don't know how they expect someone to have all that if they want young blood to come in at all. i guess thats just there expectations.


what about the guy who has some experiance and a good tool set but doesn't have the whole list but can't afford to buy everything else they require all at once? i suppose they have to find elseware but to me just seems like it would be hard to get some people in the door.

maybe cuz im a young guy and i have a desire to work i just don't see it.

Yes sometimes a company might miss picking up some real talent with their requirements. But the requirements are also in place to narrow down to a certain level the folks they want applying for the job.

As far as the guy who has some experience, all I can say is you better have verifiable references.

It doesn't matter if you work on cars, semi's, or industrial machinery, one thing you need to accept as a new guy starting out is this field.......your first several years will be spent buying tools. Its a money drain at times. Just when you think you have everything, something comes along and you need to buy some tool.........it never ends.

 

[mayhemman]

^ trust me i know the buying tools, ive been doing that for a long time. this year i ramped up a bunch im prep for having to move jobs. my last job supplied the tools and i was smart enough to realize that i better get my stuff in order cuz i would at some point change jobs.

id say i have a fair amount of that list myself, but some of it just seems doubled up and not needed right away to me, not saying you don't need it just me i guess.

i know they want a certain person and thats fine. ive been around cars and trucks,equipment my whole life and to me feels almost like they discrimnate baised on a tool set. which in a way it is i suppose, idk im sure its just how i look at it right now, give me a week ill rationalize and see it for what it is. haha.

that is reasonable for one person to have, at least they aren't asking for everything under the sun for sockets and specialty things to have with you, that would be a bear for some folks.

 

[dirtmister16]

its too bad these companies do this, but i understand they are looking for a certain person with experiance and such.

ive actually been around alot of equipment and cars and mower, big trucks ect. due to my dad having a rig and helping him over the years, but my tool set isn't fully up to there requirments.

id probally spend like $500 to get the items they want if i was being thrifty, maybe more if i couldn't get good deals.

guess its a good thing i wouldn't be appling there today lol idk i guess i just look at it like give me a chance ya know. though i must say that is a good list for a average guy in the trade i would think myself.

 

[atwageman]

I got a friend who works for a large euro dealership and about the only thing that is provided by the shop is the high dollar computer diagnostic stuff and consumables.

He's got drawers full of specialty sockets and weird *** shaped wrenches that are only good on certain year/models. The manufacturer makes a change and the specialty tool can become a dust collector real quick. I would like to have the money he has spent on stuff like that.

Without some of these weird *** tools, the job could take longer to perform, if it can be performed at all.

Tool buying is a vicious cycle at times. Lol.

 

[86k10]

I think it is a pretty standard set up requirement. They don't require specialty tools, just the basic set to get the buses up and going. The last RTD ad I seen required 80% at start and 100% at 90 days.

 

[crewchief888]

I have most of that in my box in the garage now, and I definitely don't qualify for the job. Would you say it's on par or more than what a weekend guy who does small-med jobs on their own stuff, or is it more than most guys could get away with?

IMHO what the advanced weekender/DIY guy has in his garage will "get you by" working on forklifts, and a lot of compact const eq.

the need isnt so much for bigger wrenches/ sockets, tools for extremely limited access spots.
there are times that the only thing i need to use is a 9/16" socket, ratchet, and an allen wrench, or a filter wrench, couple 7/8" comb wrenches, and a screwdriver.

then there are those "other days" .....
couple of the const eq dealers i've worked at had a required tool list, but hey didnt require anything much bigger than 1 1/4" wrenches or sockets.