Tools for a diesel tech?

[Farmingmechanic]

Hey everyone! New to this site and first postn. Well I'm in a diesel mechanic course at a local community college. And I would like some help/input from some diesel techs about tools? What do you use all the time? What kinda stuff do you get from HF or some other cheaper store? I have the basic tools, sockets, wrenches, pliers and a 3/8 cordless impact from snap on.... Some snap on but mostly craftsman. So I would greatly appreciate some input! Thanks!

 

[Farmall 1066]

As I've said before, get a good Fluke meter, and learn how to use it. Good test lead kit, amp clamp, butane soldering iron and the best electrical crimpers you can find.

Good set of angle wrenches, a Mico Quadrigauge, start accumulating hydraulic fittings, caps and plugs now.

Not sure where your starting off...but stick to your guns pay wise. As a whole Ag techs are probably the most underpaid of the mechanics.

I assume you are entering the Ag diesel world. 90% of this anymore isn't "diesel" work, but more advanced electrical/hydraulic troubleshooting and repair.

 

[Supe]

This dude is serious about being equipped for the job. You're bound to get some ideas there.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=18897367

The Diesel/Heavy equipment collective hang here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186713&page=266

 

[Farmingmechanic]

Thanks for the advice and help! Oh forgot to mention that I already have a fluke 115

 

[Dirty Diesels]

Hey everyone! New to this site and first postn. Well I'm in a diesel mechanic course at a local community college. And I would like some help/input from some diesel techs about tools? What do you use all the time? What kinda stuff do you get from HF or some other cheaper store? I have the basic tools, sockets, wrenches, pliers and a 3/8 cordless impact from snap on.... Some snap on but mostly craftsman. So I would greatly appreciate some input! Thanks!

Half moon wrenches,

4 way angle open end wrenches,

Compression testing gauges & (adapters both injector & glow plug type).,

Long reach 3/8 & 1/2" drive ratchets,

Crows foot wrenches,

& diesel timing pins, locking plates to name a few.

A set of deep 1/2" & 3/8" drive sockets.

Injector puller/slide hammer set.

Sometimes the need for an inline primer, I use this type..


Wouldn't say I use these tools all of the time but at least 75% of the time.

 

[crewchief888]

Hey everyone! New to this site and first postn. Well I'm in a diesel mechanic course at a local community college. And I would like some help/input from some diesel techs about tools? What do you use all the time? What kinda stuff do you get from HF or some other cheaper store? I have the basic tools, sockets, wrenches, pliers and a 3/8 cordless impact from snap on.... Some snap on but mostly craftsman. So I would greatly appreciate some input! Thanks!

i'd suggest you finish school before you start buying tools,

especially buying guages, timing tools, and compression adapters.

you never know where or what you'll be working on eventually.

(most) dealers and (some) indy shops provide guages, test eq. 3/4" dr ( or 1" dr) impact sockets and impacts.

you'll figure out very soon ( after starting to work) what tools are out there to make that particular PITA job a little faster/easier.

i've been wrenching on const eq for 30 years, approx 1/2 that time as a field service mechanic at various dealers.

i'd suggest after finishing school you try to get on at a dealership.
you'll get factory tech support, factory special tools, and factory training.

30 years of technical training has cost me exactly $0.00,
all expenses paid for by the dealer.
school costs, airline tickets, gas, tolls, vehicle allowance, rental cars, food, and hotels.


just my $0.02

 

[Deadhead]

Another vote on a good test lead set and then continue to add to it.

A good 250 lumen or brighter flashlight, a headlamp, and magnetic LED light.

A good camera to keep in your box.

Fuel/hose crimp pliers. Some of the tanks you will be dealing with will have upwards of 300 gal of fluid in them.

Spend the money when you can and get a real good 1/2" cordless impact gun. IR or Milwaukee

I could tell you a 100 more but I will stop.

I will give you some advice that I hope you take...... take care of your back. I don t care how young and strong you are, everything that you will deal with is bigger and heavier than what most folks are used to and will hurt you in the blink of an eye.

 

[toolslut6.0]

As I've said before, get a good Fluke meter, and learn how to use it. Good test lead kit, amp clamp, butane soldering iron and the best electrical crimpers you can find.

Good set of angle wrenches, a Mico Quadrigauge, start accumulating hydraulic fittings, caps and plugs now.

Not sure where your starting off...but stick to your guns pay wise. As a whole Ag techs are probably the most underpaid of the mechanics.

I assume you are entering the Ag diesel world. 90% of this anymore isn't "diesel" work, but more advanced electrical/hydraulic troubleshooting and repair.

Where I work at I got an ecm brake out harness that has a variety of weather pak, deutsch plugs, and amp connectors. It works great and with a few 10 dollar radio shack leads you can hook it right up to most multi meters. That tool let's you hook into a variety of sensors and harnesses to make diagnosis easy. Best 120 bucks I've spent.

 

[Ruger_556]

Honestly? Absolutely nothing until you finish school and have a job in the industry, you'll figure out what you need real quick from there. About half the time what people recommend to guys still in school are tools I don't have or even use with 3 years of experience working in diesel. There's just so many different jobs and you never know what is shop supplied or not.

You're not going to start out first week on the job rebuilding engines and diagnosing can-bus problems, you're going to be changing oil. If you got filter wrenches and a basic set of tools you're fine.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Honestly? Absolutely nothing until you finish school and have a job in the industry, you'll figure out what you need real quick from there. About half the time what people recommend to guys still in school are tools I don't have or even use with 3 years of experience working in diesel. There's just so many different jobs and you never know what is shop supplied or not.

You're not going to start out first week on the job rebuilding engines and diagnosing can-bus problems, you're going to be changing oil. If you got filter wrenches and a basic set of tools you're fine.

I agree with this.

Although I did get thrown into the fire helping experienced techs with bigger jobs vs. just doing the simple PMs.

You have a good list for starting out, I think. The only thing I would go ahead and grab would be a good strong 1/2" gun and the HF Pittsburgh Pro impact sockets. Those were the tools I brought walking onto the job and I have used the hell out of them.

Everything else is a "wait and see" deal. If you've got techs that will lend you tools, you've got it made till you can lay hands on the stuff you need. It should go without saying don't abuse this privilege...

The other thing I do use a lot of (besides my collection of hammers) are my angle wrenches. I brought a set of the Tektons for doing hydraulic hoses and they are like $45 on Amazon, and work pretty damn well, especially when you consider that they are cheap wrenches.

You also will need to see what work supplies in regards to larger tools and specialty tools. For example, no need for a 3/4 impact right off the bat if the tool crib has some guns and sockets, you can hold off for a little while till you are making some more money and can afford your own.


Also, I use the hell out of HF. Need a tool cart? HF. Need a box? HF. Deadblows? HF. Die grinder and cutoff tool? The composite bodied ones at HF have been excellent for me. Impact sockets? HF Pittburgh Pro. Large angle wrenches? HF. Cheap but decent ratchets? HF. Try to buy the Made in Taiwan tools when you can...

 

[87FoRunner]

I recently took a lot of my chrome sockets home and bought a 301 piece kit from harbor freight. Almost all of my hand tools are HF. I work on sanitation trucks and rarely use hand tools. Lots of hydraulics and electronics.

If you get snap on discount, go for ball peen dead blows, slack adjuster HSA and BSA ratcheting long tools, the square and fork tools, and the extra extra deep 3/4 socket for brake chamber bolts.

A power probe, and the understanding on when and how to use it.

Grease gun. I love pneumatic.

Pry bars. I use craftsman up to 36 inches.

 

[rlebroke51]

most things have been covered but id say electrical tools strippers cutters crimpers mini torch long handle ratchets pry bars BFH. as you work you will find the certain tools that you use the most certain size sockets and such. in my box I have full sets of sockets on the Hansen trays but I have many random sized sockets tucked in for certain uses. like I said the longer you do it the better you will know what you need.

 

[benzoni]

Straight and angle die grinders. If you dont buy your tools now I would recommend setting aside some money for when you get out of school. You may not know what you need now but one thing is for sure, you will need to buy tools. P.S. Some good brand of 3/8 swivel impact sockets are a must have in my opinion.

 

[Farmingmechanic]

Thank you all for the help! And I have to have tools for school, plus I get a student discount on snap on tools.
So far my list of things I have include: snap on 3/8 drive cordless impact, 3/8 impact swivels and deeps, craftsman chrome 3/8 and 1/2 deep and shallow sockets, gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, standard and flex head. Snap on 80 tooth 1/2 and 3/8 ratchet. Snap on screwdrivers and picks. Snap on three piece plier set. Fluke 115 dmm. Klein strippers and crimpers. Husky t handle Allens, snap on 1/2 click style torque wrench. Hf green chisel and punch set.


I think that is all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RedneckWelder]

Don't let the student discounts for SO and the other tool companies (Matco and Mac offer the same) pressure you into spending big bucks with those companies. Even with the discount quite often the tools are still rather pricey.

For example, I don't really buy much SO even though I have the discount...because I work for a Cat dealer, I can buy Cat branded SO tools through them, for about the price of the discounted SO tools off the SEP. And when I go full time, they will set up a tool account so I can buy those tools with deductions taken off my paycheck, so I have "tool truck type credit" right there. Plus we get Medco catalogs at work where I can order many different brands of tools for a decent discount.

 

[rancherbill]

This what one of the local dealers for a big name truck brand wants. They hire foreign workers and this is what they want these foreign techs to have.

In some countries the companies supply different things.

You have to remember these guys are coming from a great distance and shipping their tools might be very expensive. You'll note that impact guns are on the fancy list. Sometimes you have to pull ratchets to start a new life until you get re-started.

REQUIRED or STARTER

Tool box (the bigger the better, on rollers perferred)
Combination wrenches
3/8” to 1 1/4”
8 to 24 mm
Socket sets
1/4” drive shallow sockets 1/4” to 7/16” and 5 to 12 mm
3/8” drive shallow sockets 3/8” to 3/4” and 8 to 19 mm (12 point preferred)
1/2" drive shallow sockets 1/2” to 1 1/4" and 12 to 30 mm (12 point preferred)
Ratchets for all drives (1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2")
2 and 6” extensions for all drives
1/2” breaker bar (24 to 36” long)
3/8” to 1/2" drive adaptor
1/2” to 3/8” drive adaptor
Screwdrivers
8” with 3/8” blade
4” with 1/4" blade
#1, #2, and #3 Phillips
Pliers
6-8” combination
4-6” needle nose
10-12” Channel lock
MISCELLANEOUS or RECOMMENDED

0.0015 to 0.035” feeler blade set
Pry or alignment bar (18 to 36” long)
O-ring pick (single with straight and 900)
Punch and chisel set (7-10 piece)
1.5-3 lb ball peen hammer
3-4 lb shot filled hammer
Imperial Allen wrench set to 3/8”
Metric Allen wrench set to 10 mm
6” steel rule in metric and imperial
12 to 25 ft tape measure (4 to 8 meter)
White paint pen and black felt marker
Flash light
Mirror
Magnet
Gasket scraper
Safety Glasses
Pair of steel toe safety footwear
OPTIONAL OR GETTING FANCY

Gloves (Chemical/Varsol compatible)
Locking Pliers (Vice Grips) 8-10 “ Curved Jaws
Snap Ring Pliers 6-8” Inner, Outer or Combination (no with replaceable tips please)
Vernier Caliper (Dial or Digital)
Magnetically Based Dial Indicator (Analogue or Digital)
3/8” Torque Wrench (maximum torque 100 lbft)
1/2” Torque Wrench (maximum torque 250 lbft)
12 Volt Test Light
Digital Multi Meter (Volts/Ohms/Amps) Auto Ranging with 10 amp minimum
Wire Striper
Wire Crimper
12” File Single Cut Mill *******
1/2" x 12” Round (Rat Tail) File
Utility Knife
12-14” Heel Bar
1/4” Drive Deep Sockets (1/4” to 7/16”)
1/4” Drive Deep Sockets (5 to 12 mm)
3/8” Drive Deep Sockets (3/8” to 3/4")
3/8” Drive Deep Sockets (8 to 19 mm)
1/2" Drive Deep Sockets (1/2” to 1 1/4")
1/2" Drive Deep Sockets (12 to 30 mm)
3/8” Drive Torx Socket Set (T 10 to T50)
3/8” Drive Torx Socket Set (E-6 to E-16)
3/8” Drive Allen Socket Set (1/8” to 3/8”)
3/8” Drive Allen Socket Set (3 to 10 mm)
Stubby Combination Wrench Set (3/8” to 3/4")
Stubby Combination Wrench Set (8 to 19 mm)
Multi-Tip Screwdriver set (Miscellaneous Blade, Phillips, Robertson and Torx bits)
Thread Pitch Gauge (Metric and Imperial)
Thread File (Metric and Imperial)
3/8” or 1/2" Variable Speed Electric or Air Drill
Drill Index Set (1/16” to 1/2" or 1/61” to 3/8”)
3/8” drive standard depth impact sockets (8 to 19 mm)
3/8” drive standard depth impact sockets (3/8” to 3/4”)
1/2” drive standard depth impact sockets (12 to 30 mm)
1/2” drive standard depth impact sockets (1/2” to 1 1/4")
Air blow gun
Tire Guages (two one to 50 psi and one to 125 psi maximum)
Tire chuck
1/2" Impact gun (min 350 lbft of torque)
3/8” Impact gun (min 50 lbft of torque)
1/4" Air powered die grinder

 

[FullFrontal]

I'm new in the field myself(since feb of this year). It's hard to give specifics since everyone's situation is different. I worked at a freight company the first six months out of school, there the whole truck was worked on including the trailer. Now I'm with a manufacturer that only works on their engines. I don't need a slack adjuster tool or race drivers anymore and I don't really strip and crimp wiring much either. However my wrenches and sockets see a lot more use under the hood now, and I wasn't really doing much engine work before(new guys get grunt work like greasing, oil changing, wheel bearings and fifth wheel jaws). So a lot is dependent on where you end up working, you may look back and wish you'd bought xyz tools from the snapon guy when you had a student discount, but you'll also find that you have a lot of things that you don't need/use that you wish you could get your money back for.

Personally, I think screwdrivers are a waste of money, there's very few screws on a truck, hose clamps have hex heads on them and interior panels are mostly torx. Also, (and this is just my personal way) I did away with all chrome sockets and sae tools. Just impacts and metrics because that's all I need for what I do. Don't clutter up your box with things you don't need. I've bought what I need as I go and haven't had any problems borrowing either, just be respectful of what you borrow and clean it before handing it back.

My final input, I think everyone should have channellock 410 or 414 pliers