tool trucks geared towards auto mechanics???

[zmotorsports]

Wow, a lot of Snap-On haters here it soundls like. I guess I am the oddman out. I have an automotive shop on the side and most of my tools are either Snap-On, MAC, Matco with a little Cornwell and Proto mixed in. I wrench full-time as a forklift/industrial mechanic as a full time job. I have almost the same percentage of tools in my work box as my home box with the exception of the large shop equipment which my employer provides, I actually have a better setup shop at home than I work in daily at my full-time job.

That said, when I first started wrenching back in 1988 I came into the position with mostly Craftsman and a few HF tools. Within a very short time I became hooked on tools in general and decided to start building my collection with quality name branded tools.

Although many if not most of the tasks can be completed with lesser quality tools, I prefer to use the best that I can afford and take pride in them. Not showing off as I don't care what the other guys use, I just like high end tools and rely on them to make my living. I like the old Snap-On saying that states "I invest in precious metals", and no I DO NOT loan out tools, ever!! Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way early in my career.

Time is of great importance in my job as if a conveyor system goes down or a forklift dies product cannot be moved and it backs up the entire operation. Thousands of dollars are lost for every minute our main conveyor/crane system is down, so performing my job quickly and accurately are of the highest priority. I do take time at the end of my shift to thoroughly clean and re-organize my tools as I absolutley cannot work in clutter. I also find myself as one of the few that does not routinely misplace or lose tools. It seems like daily one of my co-workers is asking me if I have seen one or more of their tools. In the 25+ years of wrenching for my company I think I can count on one hand and have fingers left over on how many tools I have lost.

I don't think you have to have filthy, dirty tools thrown into a toolbox with little to no organization to be a proficient fast working mechanic. Actually, I think it is just the opposite. If I clean my tools and put them back where they belong I can work much faster than having them all over the bench or the tool cart. When I complete one task/job I clean my tools, put them away and move on to the next job, simple and routine.

When I worked for a construction company just out of high school for a short time, there were two older gentlemen who seemed to work in slow motion but seemed to get much more accomplished than many of us younger guys running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I vowed to myself that was going to be me someday. I was going to learn to work smart and be proficient at my job.

We do have the major tool companies stop by our shop once a week but I have self control and don't purchase unless I can afford. I think it is easy for people to get drawn in and buy, buy, buy. Then in no time at all they have a huge tool truck balance. I never carry a balance, if I can't pay for it, I don't buy it. If there is nothing I am needing I don't even go out on the truck as I have work to do.

Mike.

 

[durallymax]

customers do care to a point cause if the guy working their car cant take care of their tools or their area how well are they gunna take care of their car . keeping the floor clean helps keep the mats clean . keeping your tools and box clean and organised your clothes clean projects a professional appearance witch conveys trust . having a ratty beat up box looks bad but if its clean and maintained even a cheap hf box will do the job

Exactly. Its fine if you're the employee, but if its your shop and your tools, it portrays an image of your level of professionalism.

People judge you buy your knowledge, then your tools/workspace. You can have the dirtiest shop in the world, but if you know your stuff people will take their vehicle to you over the guy with shiny new stuff that doesn't know anything. At the same time if the guy with a clean shop knows his stuff, they tend to attract some more "important" business. i say important because usually the people that care about your environment are people that are loyal or have a big fleet. The ones who dont care are one time customers.

Thats not for all people, but enough to make a difference.

I've noted since I began working as a road tech, I rarely have time to even wipe my tools down, it's often hurry hurry hurry cause a peice of equipment is broke down and trucks are waiting to be loaded. Just today I was working on a telehandler forklift that the customer needed a week ago. Working in 40 gallons of hydraulic fluid mixed with oil absorbant made me realize how much I love my cheap stuff!!!!

You have plenty of time to wipe down your tools at the end of the day. or keep a rag there and when you put the tool away you wipe it down. It takes an extra second. It will save you more than that the next time you go looking for it, or you grab it when its full of floor dry and get something else dirty, or your hand slips and busts a knuckle.

Dont make excuses, if you dont care to clean and organize your tools that is fine. But dont blame it on not having time, theres always time, if you wanted them clean and neat you would make time.

When I am in an absolute rush I throw all of my tools in the bottom deep drawer of my box which i leave empty for this purpose. Then the next morning I will quick clean them and put them away.

I'd catch the 40 gallons, instead of laying in it. While I realize there is not always an ideal situation, some people prefer to use time as an excuse. There isn't one for sloppy work. if you want to be technical, you could cross the wrong guy at the wrong time and get in trouble. WIDNR requires spills over 5 gallons to be reported. Not saying it will happen, but rather taking the time to collect it keeps everyone happier. If you came to fix my telehandler and spilled 40 gallons everywhere I would question your competance as a mechanic. That amount of fluid will have some way of prevention for spills.

Again not picking on you, but I know plenty of mechanics who don't care about cleanliness and make excuses for why they work the way they do. Then i know plenty of mechanics who never get dirty working on tractors all day and get done just as fast. in addition the clean ones rarely see repeats while the dirty ones do, generally the dirtiers ones like to cobble to get it done quicker too. Taking the extra minute to measure the new hose the proper length or route it the proper way doesnt matter to them because they dont care in the first place.

Again, just a stereotype, but often the case.

This begs the question, have you guys ever had a customer ask what brand of tools you use?

I've had many take an interest in mine. I don't have a service desk or anything. They walk in and see what I'm working on. With the tools all clean organized and put away, aside from the few laying on top of the box for the project I am working on, they see how neat I like to work. The absence of floor dry everywhere, and dripping frame rails also entrigues many. I prevent all spills if possible, if not, I brakleen right away and throw down the floor dry, then clean up the floor dry immediatley.

I have some customers who want to help, and I often yell at them if they ever try putting a tool away. I generally hate letting them help because they open every drawer trying to find something and usually yank it open and slam it shut like its their dads old craftsman. Then everything turns into a mess inside the drawers.

I have a different outlook though and respect that others are different. I don't have anyone to compete with, I just take pride in my tools. Everytime I grab one I am happy because I know how much time I spent researching them to decide what was best for me. I need some new screwdrivers and couldnt decide so I just ordered two different Felo ones, a Wiha and a Wera. Having the nicest tools that never let me down is what keeps me from going insane when working on things.


Some people believe in clean clothes and a shower everyday, some people dont. Some people clean their cars/trucks, others dont. This is just another one of those things. No right or wrong way, just don't make excuses or criticize others for their methods/outlook on the issue.

 

[zmotorsports]

Exactly. Its fine if you're the employee, but if its your shop and your tools, it portrays an image of your level of professionalism.

People judge you buy your knowledge, then your tools/workspace. You can have the dirtiest shop in the world, but if you know your stuff people will take their vehicle to you over the guy with shiny new stuff that doesn't know anything. At the same time if the guy with a clean shop knows his stuff, they tend to attract some more "important" business. i say important because usually the people that care about your environment are people that are loyal or have a big fleet. The ones who dont care are one time customers.

Thats not for all people, but enough to make a difference.




You have plenty of time to wipe down your tools at the end of the day. or keep a rag there and when you put the tool away you wipe it down. It takes an extra second. It will save you more than that the next time you go looking for it, or you grab it when its full of floor dry and get something else dirty, or your hand slips and busts a knuckle.

Dont make excuses, if you dont care to clean and organize your tools that is fine. But dont blame it on not having time, theres always time, if you wanted them clean and neat you would make time.

When I am in an absolute rush I throw all of my tools in the bottom deep drawer of my box which i leave empty for this purpose. Then the next morning I will quick clean them and put them away.

I'd catch the 40 gallons, instead of laying in it. While I realize there is not always an ideal situation, some people prefer to use time as an excuse. There isn't one for sloppy work. if you want to be technical, you could cross the wrong guy at the wrong time and get in trouble. WIDNR requires spills over 5 gallons to be reported. Not saying it will happen, but rather taking the time to collect it keeps everyone happier. If you came to fix my telehandler and spilled 40 gallons everywhere I would question your competance as a mechanic. That amount of fluid will have some way of prevention for spills.

Again not picking on you, but I know plenty of mechanics who don't care about cleanliness and make excuses for why they work the way they do. Then i know plenty of mechanics who never get dirty working on tractors all day and get done just as fast. in addition the clean ones rarely see repeats while the dirty ones do, generally the dirtiers ones like to cobble to get it done quicker too. Taking the extra minute to measure the new hose the proper length or route it the proper way doesnt matter to them because they dont care in the first place.

Again, just a stereotype, but often the case.




I've had many take an interest in mine. I don't have a service desk or anything. They walk in and see what I'm working on. With the tools all clean organized and put away, aside from the few laying on top of the box for the project I am working on, they see how neat I like to work. The absence of floor dry everywhere, and dripping frame rails also entrigues many. I prevent all spills if possible, if not, I brakleen right away and throw down the floor dry, then clean up the floor dry immediatley.

I have some customers who want to help, and I often yell at them if they ever try putting a tool away. I generally hate letting them help because they open every drawer trying to find something and usually yank it open and slam it shut like its their dads old craftsman. Then everything turns into a mess inside the drawers.

I have a different outlook though and respect that others are different. I don't have anyone to compete with, I just take pride in my tools. Everytime I grab one I am happy because I know how much time I spent researching them to decide what was best for me. I need some new screwdrivers and couldnt decide so I just ordered two different Felo ones, a Wiha and a Wera. Having the nicest tools that never let me down is what keeps me from going insane when working on things.


Some people believe in clean clothes and a shower everyday, some people dont. Some people clean their cars/trucks, others dont. This is just another one of those things. No right or wrong way, just don't make excuses or criticize others for their methods/outlook on the issue.

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

Mike.

 

[braol]

I would say enough of it is more a matter of the auto techs "**** swinging" as one other guy said, and the heavy techs worried about getting the job done.

Around here though, the heavy/diesel/ag techs are about half and half. Many have the skinny tall craftsman box overflowing with tools. The rest have nicer big boxes, many have a large triple bay with top chest. The bottom line is that you need a lot more tools for heavy/diesel. Many auto techs have more tools than they will ever need. Most could work out of a tool cart. A lot of the reason also comes down to the older guys working there, theres enough 50-60+year olds still in these shops.

Lets face it, joe blow doesn't need his car back immediately, theres new cars everyday, loaner cars, and most people have multiple cars.

Heavy equipment on the other hand has to be running. Theres no excuse for downtime and theres rarely loaners available, if their is, they are pricey.

I wont say you cant have nice boxes in heavy shops, diesel shops, farm shops, etc. I have mostly Snap-on, Matco and german brands with the rest being craftsman in a big snap on box. My box doesn't leave the shop, my tools will on occasion but if I know that I am going to work on a manure pump or something, I leave the nice tools in the shop and grab the harbor freights.

Its more about pride and care. My tools are also my hobby so I put the extra effort into not loosing them and keeping them nice. It doesn't take much extra effort and that kind of attitude keeps the project your working on clean and repaired well.


One other thing to mention is that you are more likely to see a wrench flying in a heavy/diesel shop than an auto shop. Lots of things dont like to move, or like to crush you.

I am an auto tech and it would take a gigantic cart for me to be able to work out of a cart. I dont use every tool I have everyday, but i dont own any tools I dont need to do my job.

And a lot of people want there car repaired in a timely matter whether they have multiple cars or not. A lot of people commute fairly long distances or work out of their cars.

 

[pop pop]

I always meant to ask this question cause no matter what shop I go into, it always seems to be the same. I can walk into a car dealership repair shop or just an indepentant shop and see nothing but snap-on tool boxes with the latest and greatest "limited edition gold trim" or the chrome wheels on shocks and springs, all nice neat chrome tools in perfect condition. But when I walk into a heavy equipment shop or diesel shop, I just see any random box that could be bought at any parts house and tools that were bought from sears, tractor supply, napa, etc... I work at an equipment shop and I have a plain jane craftsman box, and its filled with sears, sunex, kobalt, and other cheaper tools that never let me down yet and get the job done. My exuse is that I am a road tech so I just cant see myself lossing an expensive tool in the mud.

I know snap-on, mac, matco, armstrong makes great tools and I do love their ratchets, and I have no doubts that almost every mechanic has at least some tool truck tools in their box, but why does it seems the auto guys have sooo much more? I know with heavy equipment repairs tools get beat on and abused more often, but I see more old beat up harbor freight or craftsman stuff in any one guys box than any auto shop would have total! Just wondering if anyone else noticed the same?

It's because when you carry your auto to a service shop you hear "they all do that" so no one is using the tools.

 

[durallymax]

I am an auto tech and it would take a gigantic cart for me to be able to work out of a cart. I dont use every tool I have everyday, but i dont own any tools I dont need to do my job.

And a lot of people want there car repaired in a timely matter whether they have multiple cars or not. A lot of people commute fairly long distances or work out of their cars.

I guess I was more referring to a lot of the import shop mechanics I know, they say they really don't need much. Anything else they need the shop generally has.

For domestic dealers I could see it more. I'm the same, I have a lot of tools I dont use often but need them when i need them. Many of the tools I have just to make life quicker. I could get by without, but why?

Consumers want their cars repaired yesterday. I wish more auto dealers were like the construction and trucking industry. The thing is, the dealers dont treat them that way. They allow a lot of time and book their schedule out far. They have a couple priority customers, but for the most part there is not the urgency adressed to their vehicle as there is in the ag, construction and mining. I haven't been to an auto dealer that offers 24/7 service and parts. let alone one that plain and simple offers parts. That alone tells me they dont expect to be fixing cars fast.

I can call the CAT dealer and have any part I want in under 24hrs, many are in stock. Yet i call the GM dealer for a flywheel bolt and they dont stock enough of the $2 bolt to even let you do one flywheel. Instead you dance around to 3 different dealers getting a couple bolts at each. I always have to make sure to get my auto parts during the day because none are open past 6 most close by 5. Semi repair shops around here are open 6am till 1am with some open 24hrs. The CAT dealer has someone there until 10pm but offers emergency parts service as do all of the ag dealers. Not only that, the ag dealers let you or their emergency person rob whatever parts are needed off of a new machine to get yours running.

Im not disagreeing with you that people want their cars fast and many depend on them to make a living, but there is nowhere near the amount of effort placed on urgency as there is in the ag and construction industries. The mechanic for our Claas dealer that we call in when needed is lucky to see his bed during harvest season. But he likes doing it. A $500,000 forage harvester going down, with 8 other people sitting idle in their equipment waiting for the forage harvester to be fixed while rain is on the horizon and hay is on the ground, is a much more urgent situation than making sure John doe can make it to work without renting a loaner car or taking a cab. I'm **** about working carefully, neatly and cautiously but when that chopper goes down, its no holds barred. Whatever it takes to get it running, sometimes that means driving 5hrs away for parts, or improvising with many interesting things found laying in tractor/truck cabs. I remember bolting a discharge spout back together with bolts we removed from components on the trucks. I enjoy it, much bigger rush than I can get sitting in the shop.

 

[mech-tech]

As for the time issue, I seem to work for a company that is out to make a name for themselves, by that I mean, do jobs out in the field that no one else will do a.k.a. entire hydraulic system repair, which explains the slow hydraulic leak which the customer didn't listen to me when I said "it will probably keep leaking". Another problem I run into often is the "ya done yet?" customers, again my employer under bids every job to get the work, so the customers expect a miracle fix in a few minutes when the shop down the road said it was a full days job. also, I love clean tools too, but it cant happen every time. Which is one plus for the cheap stuff, they are finished rough which tends to give better grip in the nasty messes.

Now that I think about it, I was only talking about hand tools when I started this thread. When it comes to impacts, ingersoll-rand is the only one I get. My bolt extractors are of at least Proto quality, and swivel impacts are sk. I notice my shop tools are the better stuff, my road tools are the cheapies.