Why are American's tool boxes so big?

[Brownsfan]

Here's the real story:

A mechanic breaks his bank account buying thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tools and more tools and even more tools and bigger tool boxes and then more tools to fill the monster tool boxes so he can break his back to work on F350s and Saturns and S4s all day...just to make a living.

Idiots. That's my point. You can make the same living, or more likely even a better living, as a manufacturer specialist. Your income won't be offset so much because you won't be spending as much money on tools that you don't need and tool boxes that take up too much space.

Someone said it earlier: here in America, bigger is better. Not more efficient is better. No wonder the rest of the world dislikes Americans and our attitudes.

Ok smart ***. Using your logic. Why would you buy a more expensive car that gets you from point a to point b when you can MORE efficiently do the same thing in a car that costs MUCH LESS? Because that's the car YOU wanted and that's the box THEY wanted. I can get by with the box I have right now but I want something nicer and bigger so I can have a more organized box and a bigger work surface. Therefore working more efficiently.

 

[spoon671]

^^ I do agree with you. Admittedly, my choice in personal vehicle isn't the smartest. Half the guys here drive something they love to drive, regardless of fuel efficiency or maintenance costs. I'm not alone on that one.

If I cared about maintenance costs, I wouldn't be rebuilding an FJ40 either. I'm American, after all. So I understand what you're saying.

Those thumbs oughta get snapped off.

 

[flyingtpot]

Ok smart ***. Using your logic. Why would you buy a more expensive car that gets you from point a to point b when you can MORE efficiently do the same thing in a car that costs MUCH LESS? Because that's the car YOU wanted and that's the box THEY wanted. I can get by with the box I have right now but I want something nicer and bigger so I can have a more organized box and a bigger work surface. Therefore working more efficiently.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Why are our tool boxes so big?

It's like the average American mechanic can't get by without a 54 in or bigger box. Foreigners seem to do just fine with little 26" boxes. Do American shops require its mechanics to have more tools? Are foreign shops providing more tools to its mechanics? Could it be we have a greater variety of cars, so our mechanics need more tools? What gives?

More power tools (I hope). Nick don't work like that!

(disregarding specialty tools of course)

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Good question... Some Techs need a place to stuff a whole shop of special equipment, along with five drive sizes in both chrome and impact, air tools, and diagnostic equipment; for a start... The trick is to keep it neatly organized so there is no hunting for a tool.. The tool box also serves as a vault to deter theft... That big tool box comes in handy..

 

[BDT/NWMN]

It's because we need both SAE and metric tools. Imagine how much all of us could've saved had we gone metric like the rest of the world?

Also, we are a consumer society. We like extra tools to make life more convenient. We could get by on less tools, but we don't want to.

Going with the metric system was pondered after WW2... Someone sure threw a SAE monkey wrench into that deal...... Sure wish that wrench had been locked up in a toolbox back then. .

 

[SantaAna12]

Apparently you tried, but they they ended up in Europe instead.

Hahahahahahahahah. For an Englishman, you have a pretty good sense of humor! However, your joke toolbox is pretty damn small if you have to use the average Americans lack of geo skills! Hah!

To Spoon: Just can't help yourself can you?

To the guy that had the Roadrunner (6pack) and the Prius: niiiiiiice! But he is not worth your time.

Anyone consider why Cato has yet to weigh in?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Hahahahahahahahah.

Anyone consider why Cato has yet to weigh in?

Stepped into the left side locker to make a phone call, and the wind blew the door shut...

 

[SantaAna12]

Stepped into the left side locker to make a phone call, and the wind blew the door shut...

It's the weekend too. He might be in there awhile.........

 

[brass89]

A lot of it depends on the tools I'm sure. I can't say since I don't know what other countries use (imagine mostly if not all metric). American techs have to have standard and metric and we have a whole variety of cars we have to work on. Not to mention as time goes on, everything requires a 'specialty' tool of some sort. It wasn't good enough to have a set of basic tools, then we moved to things like drivebelt kits with various fittings. Then we had to have a special cam style belt installer for belts without a tensioner on maybe 1 or 2 models. No the tool isn't huge, but it's just one more example of 1 tool for 1 job scenario. It adds up. Pretty soon you have an entire drawer full of quirky **** that while necessary, only does 1 specific task because some engineer had a brain fart that day.

 

[quasijr]

This post is a joke.
When I went to trade school (late 70's early 80's) I had a instructor from the Netherlands, all shops there were affiliated with one specific car manufacturer. He belonged to a that guild & was well versed in that manufacturer. His was Mercedes.
When he emigrated to Canada and worked at a Mercedes dealership here he could not believe how narrowly focused he had become, & was not very adaptable to certain situations.
He then commented that Canadian mechanics were much better because of lack of specialization to a brand & much more adaptable faster & much more thuro. He said this was much more evident in electrical & electronics due to us having a understanding in both North Americian, DIN & Japanese wiring. Though he still went on about how wasteful we are.
Moving forward, in todays automotive world most cars are supplied by only a few specific parts manufactures, ZF transmissions. Guttrag differentials, Bosch fuel injection & a few interior companies like Mannismann or Johnson Controls plus the consolidation of a lot of these companies. So almost any competent automotive mechanic can work on any brand

 

[Fretters]

Hahahahahahahahah. For an Englishman, you have a pretty good sense of humor! However, your joke toolbox is pretty damn small if you have to use the average Americans lack of geo skills! Hah!:

Probably wasn't any lack of geography skills I was implying, (it's been a while since I made that quip, so my memory could be fuzzy. ). I was more likely working along the lines of the old wartime saying:

"When the English fire, the Germans duck. When the Germans fire, the English duck. When the Americans fire, everyone ducks."

Saying that though, I could have been implying that you couldn't find your arses using both hands and a map.

 

[SantaAna12]

Onward into the breach! Very dam plucky!

Well, we could have an honest.debate of our two Countries differing Engineering skills, but this ain't the place. I will let you off the hook.....seeing as we have a "special relationship." BTW, isnt it time for the pub?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

This post is a joke.
When I went to trade school (late 70's early 80's) I had a instructor from the Netherlands, all shops there were affiliated with one specific car manufacturer. He belonged to a that guild & was well versed in that manufacturer. His was Mercedes.
When he emigrated to Canada and worked at a Mercedes dealership here he could not believe how narrowly focused he had become, & was not very adaptable to certain situations.
He then commented that Canadian mechanics were much better because of lack of specialization to a brand & much more adaptable faster & much more thuro. He said this was much more evident in electrical & electronics due to us having a understanding in both North Americian, DIN & Japanese wiring. Though he still went on about how wasteful we are.
Moving forward, in todays automotive world most cars are supplied by only a few specific parts manufactures, ZF transmissions. Guttrag differentials, Bosch fuel injection & a few interior companies like Mannismann or Johnson Controls plus the consolidation of a lot of these companies. So almost any competent automotive mechanic can work on any brand

What did your instructor have to say about the hydraulic flow meters used on the ag and construction equipment,, our 1" drive impact wrenches, 30" tool boxes dedicated to gear pullers and porta powers, and a host of other tools that have yet to be envisioned in his thoughts??

 

[joecon]

I have a question why do you care how much someone else spends It dose not cost
you anything.
But more on track when I started as a mechanic I had a 6 drawer chest it was
the sane as everyone else now I have a room filled with tools.I do have more
than I need but I work with people who have small boxes and they do not have
the tools they need to do the job sometimes those tools are supplied by the shop
sometimes not so they end up doing things like beating axle nuts off with a chisel
and then the next guy is screwed.The way shops work in the states and the way
they work in Europe are quite different also is the level of compensation the US
is a much more affluent traditionally than the rest of the world so our cars are
bigger our houses are bigger and our toolboxes are bigger.If it is easier it is faster
and time is money, it is also the most important thing you have,you only get so much.

 

[quasijr]

What did your instructor have to say about the hydraulic flow meters used on the ag and construction equipment,, our 1" drive impact wrenches, 30" tool boxes dedicated to gear pullers and porta powers, and a host of other tools that have yet to be envisioned in his thoughts??

He was actually my transmission instructor at trade school.
Never really got into the tool conversation except about going metric in Canada at that particular time & how much more accurate it was.
This was also reinforced by my instructor for automotive machining at the time.
Remember this was in late 70's early 80's

 

[Tronyadorable]

Probably wasn't any lack of geography skills I was implying, (it's been a while since I made that quip, so my memory could be fuzzy. ). I was more likely working along the lines of the old wartime saying:

"When the English fire, the Germans duck. When the Germans fire, the English duck. When the Americans fire, everyone ducks."

Saying that though, I could have been implying that you couldn't find your arses using both hands and a map.

A statement worthy of video evidence !

 

[epossum]

Maybe because we have bigger tools?

As we become older and wiser we find we want to make working on our stuff easier which requires more specialized tools, plus we have a lot more stuff we have accumulated that needs to be worked on.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

He was actually my transmission instructor at trade school.
Never really got into the tool conversation except about going metric in Canada at that particular time & how much more accurate it was.
This was also reinforced by my instructor for automotive machining at the time.
Remember this was in late 70's early 80's

Too bad that North American production didn't align with those instructor's thoughts on metric three decades earlier...

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Dahym; just figured out why we never switched to metric after WW2... Dern bolt and tool companies were in kahouts to sell twice as many tools.. and bigger tool boxes to hold them

 

[Ricky112]

I get told in the shop that i need a bigger box because i store tools on top of tools.. sure, having a nice big snap on box would be nice but having an extra 6-7k in my bank account is nicer


Or maybe im just cheap lol

 

[maico]

how many trucks do Europeans work on? almost none, they don't have them, we work on most of what they do plus full size trucks, and many techs in shops have worked at a place where we had to maintain a tow truck or a plow truck, all this adds up after awhile, and well like any other man, I like shiny things

Eh ? There are 4x4s and SUVs parked on every street in the UK. As for commercial vehicles per head I would imagine the figure per head is similar.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I think for Americans it has to do with consumption to some degree. We don't borrow well and certainly want to have the things we need. We just plain and simple don't do small space well because our culture isn't like that. Not being mean in any way, but we wouldn't do well in a place like Japan where overcrowded is an understatement. We have just adapted that mindset and viewpoint across many different functions of daily lives.

 

[Toolhorder]

Ego and a tax code that makes tools a deductible expense for professionals.

It's a government supported entitlement / welfare program for mechanics.

writing off a business expense is not welfare. That's a pretty twisted view...

 

[maico]

U.S. and British aircrafts carriers


Compensating for something America?

Yeah, weak allies.



.

There are two enormous Queen Elizabeth class carriers currently being built in the UK

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=q...C-qy7Qa5l4CgBg&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1858&bih=1005

 

[AndrewV]

Good first post gasman.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

It amazes me that I see guys that have $10-20k tool boxes and they use them to store garbage in them, like aerosols, nuts, and bolts, spare bits and pieces.....Tool Boxes are for tools........... Organizing a tool box goes a long way in additional efficiency.

Aerosols, cleaners, etc is for cabinets, and nuts and bolts are for bolt bins.

My boxes combine at about 8 feet wide, [2x 40" boxes + side cab] I don't think of it as big, per se, but fits my needs. Some of those needs are quick access to supplies, we have nut and bolt bins but they are on the 2nd floor of the shop [don't ask why, Lol] as we make commission and time is of the essence so yeh, I'm that guy with a hardware, aerosol, zip-tie collection in his box but there is a practicality and a necessity to it another aspect is mis-use [i'm being polite] that is when I wrangle a can of brake cleaner from the front desk [it's a "controlled substance at my shop] if I don't keep it in my box or otherwise hide it then it will "disappear", into the cosmic vacuum.

 

[flyingtpot]

To Spoon: Just can't help yourself can you?

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I'm in the minority of liking a smaller and better organized box. Tried a 44" and just didn't like how much real estate it took up to hold the same tools, so I sold it.

I've packed more (quality) tools into a service cart and 26" Craftsman stacker than previous coworkers had in their 56" boxes. The last two shops I've been in, I got the "When are you going to get a REAL box?" from coworkers.

I'm hoping after I find a 31" roller to go with my Snappy top box and Mac locker, I'll finally be done with buying any more tool storage (well, maybe throw a Sunex pry bar holder on the side ).

 

[Deadhead]

What did your instructor have to say about the hydraulic flow meters used on the ag and construction equipment,, our 1" drive impact wrenches, 30" tool boxes dedicated to gear pullers and porta powers, and a host of other tools that have yet to be envisioned in his thoughts??

Exactly my thoughts.
I get to see AG equipment from the 50's all the way up to present day. So that's SAE and Metric tools needed. My SAE wrenches go up to 2", most folks have never held a wrench that big, or maybe never seen one. Let alone having to deal with storing them in a toolbox.
Its different strokes for different folks. I would hate to know that I had to get up tomorrow and work on any brand of front wheel drive car and likewise for some of you guys having to work on a muddy tractor or combine broke down in a muddy rice field.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

I'm a general mechanic, as it goes, but have a good background in Imports so while I have tools for Jap/Euro I have to cover lots of other ground as well. I have one 4" x 36" drawer for brakes, one for cooling systems, one full of pullers and one for bearings and seals. Then 1 for metric sockets and one for SAE. I have 2 more drawers for wrenches 2 drawers for special tools then some hardware and supply, and a mini machine shop the rest are inhabited by PHSP pliers/hammers/screwdrives/prybars. Have also worked on Toyota and Audi plus A whole buncha buncha. SO THERE! I'm trying to pay the bills.. if I could specialize I would, I'm sick of this technical apocalypse confrontong me daily, Lol.

 

[hoston23]

I have 2 pretty big Mac boxes. one is a 3 bay 6 foot long. the other is a 2 bay 4 foot with a top chest and sister lockers. I also have a snap on cart, snap on epiq cart, and a very small snap on box. I am extremely organized but I need huge boxes because I have so many tools. I'm not your standard metric or SAE mechanic. I have to have it all for what I do

 

[Skin]

There are two enormous Queen Elizabeth class carriers currently being built in the UK

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=q...C-qy7Qa5l4CgBg&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1858&bih=1005

Eh, 'Murica has 10 Nimitz +1 Gerald Ford class which are all substantially larger (100 tons) and they have provisions for twice the aircraft. The latter class also cost a few billion more than what both combined QE are budgeted for.

 

[Flivver250]

All of the really cool vehicles and classics are SAE. That said, most commercial US mechanics now work flat rate hours and in order to make the big bucks they buy every labor/time saving tool. Minutes wasted digging for a tool is not acceptable. Not speaking for England, but I have lived OCONUS for the last 20 years and many countries I have lived in do not view mechanics as a skilled profession and they pay poorly. Mechanics rely on a handful of cheap tools and take a lot longer to perform diagnostics and repairs. While the US has some bad shops for sure, on average the shops in the US are highly skilled and motivated and turn out great work quickly. Every large dealership has a few mechanics that are earning professional wages to rank right up there with some Ivy league pay checks. US made tools are a forever investment and most of us tool junkies look at our tools like money in the bank. I no longer work as a wrench but I have a home full of tools that would probably not fit in most European garages. Bottom line, our tools are worth collecting.

 

[Herod]

Americans have big tool boxes because Americans have big peckers.

 

[Jarhead0408]

I guess that's why my wife bought me a Snap-On mini chest???

You think she's trying to tell me sumthin?

 

[rhandwor]

The US auto makers like GM slip in new style bolts which you need a tool for to get you to their service center. Basically a money making idea for the company.

 

[dnschmidt]

Why do Americans drive Suburbans? I suppose because they can. I live in Phoenix where snow and ice doesn't exist. But, at least 25% of the vehicles on the road here are four wheel drive trucks and SUV's and since they are equipped with mag wheels it's unlikely they are ever going to go off of Bell Road. Are these a total waste of gas and resources, you would be hard pressed to answer no. If you have been brainwashed since birth to believe that bigger is better you believe it. Why should tool boxes be any different.

 

[Exceller8]

I have at least 10x more tools than I really need. Why? Because I love tools and I need a big box to store them all in.

 

[Tucko]

Why are our tool boxes so big?

It's like the average American mechanic can't get by without a 54 in or bigger box. Foreigners seem to do just fine with little 26" boxes. Do American shops require its mechanics to have more tools? Are foreign shops providing more tools to its mechanics? Could it be we have a greater variety of cars, so our mechanics need more tools? What gives?

I have no idea. I just wanted to say "Hooray for Alhambra, my hometown!"