what tools to take with you

[GWRam]

We will be picking up our new Big Country 3070 in about ten days. I want to assemble a tool kit to have in the coach at all times,(Murphy was an optimist). What do you guys suggest? I don't even know if this unit will be metric or sae. Will it have allen screws or torex, philips or square drive. If it was a standard house I wouldn't even ask but this is our first rv and I'm not sure what is needed tool wise.
Thanks in advance

Most socket sets I have don't include a 1 1/16 socket. You will need a 1 1/16 socket to winterize your suburban water heater and or change/check its anode rod. If you have a suburban, other brands I don't know the size of drain plug.

 

[Westwind]

Here is one that I have used over and over - I carry a lot of screw drivers but this one seems to be the one that I go for each time, it always has a bit that is the right one and they are with me as long as I have it in my hand. The large grip is good for my old hands and allows me to get the job done. It has the bits to fit the square of the RV screws and it does a great job but it's not cheap but well made.

http://megapro.net/rv-15-in-1-multi-bit-screwdriver/

 

[JohnDar]

Here is one that I have used over and over - I carry a lot of screw drivers but this one seems to be the one that I go for each time, it always has a bit that is the right one and they are with me as long as I have it in my hand. The large grip is good for my old hands and allows me to get the job done. It has the bits to fit the square of the RV screws and it does a great job but it's not cheap but well made.

http://megapro.net/rv-15-in-1-multi-bit-screwdriver/

I carry a stubby version of that in my turnout gear pocket. Can't tell you how many times it's been all I needed on the spot.

 

[JohnD]

The only tools that I keep in the trailer is a flathead, phillips and square head screw drivers, a four-way tire iron, and the wrenches for the scissor jacks, awning and my scissor-chocks.

Oh . . . almost forgot the hatchet and bow saw for firewood!

Otherwise, when we go camping . . . I just throw my tool boxes and power tool set in the back of the truck!

I really don't see the need for a 'special' tool box for the trailer.

 

[danemayer]

For me there are 4 key factors in deciding what to carry:

1. How far away from home will be be?
2. How long will we stay in the RV?
3. What am I capable of fixing by myself?
4. How hard/expensive would it be to get a service tech?

When we take off for 3 months and are 1000 miles or more away from home, and the nearest service tech is a couple of hours away through snow-covered mountain passes, I want to be ready to fix most anything.

 

[JohnDar]

The less stuff I have to transfer between home and the rig, be it for a long stay or just to the storage yard for maintenance, is worth having a set of tools in the rig for the rig.

 

[porthole]

The less stuff I have to transfer between home and the rig, be it for a long stay or just to the storage yard for maintenance, is worth having a set of tools in the rig for the rig.

I used to be a Class A new car tech. Obviously that involved a lot of tools. Over the years your home tools increase because you get tired of bringing a lot of stuff back and forth.

Then you buy a boat - no sense dragging stuff back and forth for that. And when you are away from the dock and don't have a simple tool that you really need right now, things can get real expensive real quick. So you end up with a 3rd set of hand tools.

Now - I don't work on cars "other then my own", we don't boat and i still have a "boat load" of tools. But I still carry the basic stuff that will get me by for most trailer repairs. I do carry more then what I listed above, my post was more about basic stuff.
For the truck, if the trailer tools don't cover it, then warranty will.

 

[JohnD]

The way I look at it is this . . .

How many toolboxes do we need?

I keep the trailer-specific tools in the trailer . . . and I throw my regular toolboxes in the back of my truck (I have a topper on it) when we travel with the trailer!

Whey would I need a special toolbox for the trailer?

I'd rather spend that money on new tires to replace the BlowMax tires that Heartland just loves to give us, than to equip a new toolbox with a bunch of tools I already own!

Gee . . . my toolbox's are already in the garage . . . not a big deal to toss them in the bed of my Dodge Ram!

Takes about 15 seconds . . .

That being said . . . I have four toolboxes . . .

One is regular tools . . . screwdrivers . . . pliers . . . vise-grips . . . open-ended wrenches . . . that kind of stuff!

Then I have my electrical toolbox . . . with wire strippers . . . coax crimping tools . . . soldering iron . . . wire nuts . . . that kind of stuff.

Then . . . I have my power tool bag . . . which has an 18-volt rechargable drill . . . sawsall . . . circular saw . . . and battery charger and extra batteries (all of these run off of the same rechargable batteries - I have two batteries).

Then . . . I have my plumbing toolbox . . .

Ironically . . . my entire subdivision was built with the same plastic plumbing that RV's use . . . so let me just say this . . . I am a master plumber with the plastic plumbing system!

Matter of fact . . . about a half an hour ago I just finished fixing a leak under our upstairs bathroom sink!

Doh!

 

[porthole]

I keep the trailer-specific tools in the trailer . . .

Whey would I need a special toolbox for the trailer?

Better the a 1 gallon zip loc bag

 

[JohnD]

Better than a 1 gallon zip loc bag

Now, I did learn a lesson last summer while on the way back to Colorado from South Dakota . . .

I now carry a full 5-gallon can of gas when pulling out in the middle of nowhere . . . which is very easy to do out here in the Wild Wild West!

This is where we ran out of gas out in the middle of Nowhere'sville, Nebraska!



We did enjoy the lunch break . . . TG for Good Sam's Roadside Assistance Program!

 

[mobilcastle]

I carry just about every hand tool you can think of plus a small electric saw power drill,compressor 110V,generator,crimper,pex pipe,DUCK TAPE,eternabond tape,sealants, caulk,bolts,screws,3/8 & 1/2 sockets,filters for truck,jumpers,trouble light, wheel bearings and seal, volt meter,amp meter,solder kit, electric impact gun and more. I like this little saw.http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...ci_sku=15708&gclid=CPe_rMyv2L0CFecWMgodrVIATA

 

[danemayer]

I have a Craftsman Bolt-on Cordless Drill with various attachments including the impact driver, circular trim saw, jigsaw and others. It's very compact and does the job around the RV. While not the biggest magilla power tool, it's a good balance between function, cost and size. Everything stores in a relatively small case.

I bought the kit when Sears first introduced it and had it on sale and attachments were 50% off. Look for a sale.

I think it's also sold under the Black & Decker label.

 

[Capt7383]

I cant thank you guys enough for the info. I know how hard it is to talk about tools. Im gonna pick up the crimper and pex plumbing things. Im sure leaks will develop bouncing down the road. Also gonna spring for a compressor with ten tires total might come in handy. Nice tip on the 1 1/16 wrench too


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[JohnDar]

I used to be a Class A new car tech. Obviously that involved a lot of tools. Over the years your home tools increase because you get tired of bringing a lot of stuff back and forth.

Then you buy a boat - no sense dragging stuff back and forth for that. And when you are away from the dock and don't have a simple tool that you really need right now, things can get real expensive real quick. So you end up with a 3rd set of hand tools.

Now - I don't work on cars "other then my own", we don't boat and i still have a "boat load" of tools. But I still carry the basic stuff that will get me by for most trailer repairs. I do carry more then what I listed above, my post was more about basic stuff.
For the truck, if the trailer tools don't cover it, then warranty will.

We're on the same page! If I plan to do something "special," I'll bring the extra tools required but they don't get left with the trailer.

 

[Miltp920]

Good list. Need a huge tub to carry all of it. I just wrote it all down to check against what I take. I put up a satellite tripod, and a shade canopy so I need a hammer, or small sledge for the stakes. The water heater socket mentioned or a large adjustable and a pipe wrench will get the drain plug out/ tight. I have a small multipurpose tool kit sockets, screwdrivers, hammer, pliers plastic case, nice to not have to dig in bottom of a tool bag. And it stores good and flat. Gloves, including latex for dumping the s****r. Then waterless soap to finish that job. Small axe to make kindling - could double for sledge. I just added my breaker bar and the 6 point socket for my lug nuts I still have the blowmax tires on it. Depends how much storage you have. Remember, you are camping! Fix what you can at home, and prepare just for emergencies.

 

[JohnDar]

Once my rig is on our site, it's there for the summer, 200 miles from home. Unfortunately for me, I can't park it near my house over the winter and working in the storage yard is weather dependent. So I have what I need on board.

 

[NWILSON]

Not a tool but falls under the "Spares" category....Our water pump failed on an outing last year and I was forced to buy a replacement right then. After the trip I contacted Shurflo and received a replacement for the failed pump. We keep the spare in the rig to ward off another untimely failure!

 

[DonnyB007]

Yes, carry the 5 gallons of gas!!!

 

[Seren]

As a newbie, these are some excellent lists of tools needed while RV'ing. Most said that a lot of the tools will be kept at home, however, we will be fulltiming, so we will need to carry it with us. I am thinking a small 150psi compressor, matrix-drill that various attachments can be added, plumbing, wiring kits, VOM, spare fuses, besides milti-screwdriver, and a general tool, wrench kit. any other "must haves"?


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[JohnD]

As a newbie, these are some excellent lists of tools needed while RV'ing. Most said that a lot of the tools will be kept at home, however, we will be fulltiming, so we will need to carry it with us. I am thinking a small 150psi compressor, matrix-drill that various attachments can be added, plumbing, wiring kits, VOM, spare fuses, besides milti-screwdriver, and a general tool, wrench kit. any other "must haves"?

I have a small Sears Craftsman air compressor with an attached 100PSI tank attached.

I plugged it in to the outside electrical outlet on my Trail Runner and it not only popped the circuit breaker in the trailer, but also the protection circuit in my garage where I had the trailer plugged in to.

Nothing else was running or turned on in the trailer.

I unplugged the trailer and ran the air compressor directly from the garage with no problems.