Aviation Maintenance: November 2012

What tool truck tools are worth the money?

I am of the opinion that it is not worthwhile to buy only or all tool truck tools, but I wanted to offer my opinion on what tools are worth the money you will pay for a tool truck (mostly Mac, Matco, or Snap-On) tool. There are a lot of tools that we as aircraft mechanics can get by without, but sometimes it is worth plunking down for the good tools. I am convinced that the only good reason to spend more money on a tool is that it allows you to do a job better or faster. In other words, only buy tools that help you to make money. I believe that many tools are purchased because of peer pressure or because that is what the older mechanics have. It seems like a lot of guys want to start out with the same toolset as a guy who has been working 25 years. They seem to forget that he probably took at least 10 years to build up that tool collection. The availability of credit from the tool trucks and company sponsored tool credit programs have made it easy for guys to rack up five figures plus in tool debt. All that being said, there are a lot of times when a tool truck tool can save your bacon, or shave hours off of a certain job. I am going to point out a few of the tools that I think are very worthwhile for a mechanic to own.

The general rule of thumb for what to spend money on is this: if it is a hand tool with moving parts or that will be used in spots with clearance issues, the tool truck tools are likely worth the money. If neither of those two criterion exist, it probably isn't. Frequency of use is another important criterion. If you will only use a certain tool a couple of times a year, it probably won't pay to invest a lot of money into it. The final factor is that sometimes innovative tools are only available through the tool trucks (meaning the Chinese haven't figured out how to copy it yet).

I just wanted to highlight a few of the tools that I believe are worth spending in order to get quality. (Disclaimer: I have bought exactly three tools off the truck. I use either Ebay or Craigslist to buy spendy tools.) Our shop is serviced only by the Mac and Snap-on trucks, and the Snap-on Customer service is lacking, so my tool collection reflects that. Some shops have a good Matco or SK or Cornwell guys, so that is a consideration when you are buying tools. If your shop gets good customer service and prompt warranty from one or more of those companies, that can make one tool stand out a little more than the others.

As an aircraft mechanic, one of your most used tool will be your 1/4" drive ratchet. I have a decent collection of them and I have borrowed a lot more. I can tell you that hands down my favorite ratchet is the Mac tools MR4C. Nobody else that I have found makes one that is as small, low profile, fine toothed, and tough. This is the most common ratchet in our shop. There are six of them floating around, with very good reason. If you can buy it with the student discount it is only around $26, but even at $52, this is a must have tool. There are certainly other good options, but I am partial to the 72 tooth design. It seems to have a smoother action, and it can be invaluable in tight areas.

Snap-On Driver

Gearwrench Driver

Another of your most used tools will likely be your ratcheting screwdriver. I highly recommend springing for a fine toothed ratcheting screwdriver. It will save you a lot of frustration and anguish in the long run. The Snap-On screwdriver undoubtedly sets the bar in this category. It has a really smooth action, and the hard plastic handle even stands up to skydrol (nothing else that I know of does). I personally rock the Gearwrench set that I picked up for $17 on sale at Sears. It does everything the Snap-On does, just not quite as well. The reversing switch is counter-intuitive (moves opposite the direction you want to go), the handle is rubber (gets nasty and needs wiped with alcohol weekly), and the butt cap likes to come off at awkward times, but at less than 1/3 the cost of the Snap-On, I can deal with the issues and it was worth it to me.

Another tool that is worth spending for is a good set of 1/4" drive flex sockets. The cheap ones do not last or work as well, and most of them are six point. You will want twelve point in case you work on turbines. The Mac set (which I own) is good quality and very low profile, but sometimes it will not work for cylinder base nuts on reciprocating engines because the socket is not deep enough, so several guys have the Snap-on 7/16" and 1/2" because they are longer and deeper. In my experience, however, the low clearance that the Mac set provides is more important.

Top to Bottom: Harbor Freight, Mac, Snap-On

I have to confess that I don't actually own a set, but the Snap-On 4-way Angle Wrenches are the bomb. I am working on finding a bargain because I borrow them all of the time (update: I found a set of Caterpillar 3/8-7/8 angle wrenches for $74 on ebay. They are made by Snap-On for Caterpillar, but the plating on them is not as good a quality, not a big deal to me considering I saved almost $300!). The 3/8"-3/4" set runs $245, or roughly $35 a wrench! Pretty salty for my taste. These don't have any moving parts, but they are awesome for a several reasons. They are made from better steel than the cheap ones, so they will not spread when you are putting a lot of torque on a nut. The better steel also allows the head of the wrench to be smaller. It is common to see the cheap wrenches (i.e. the Harbor Freight set which I own) have a lot more steel around the jaw, which can be an issue in areas with tight clearances.

Mac and Snap-On wrenches with 15 degree end (Mac) aligned
with 30 degree end (Snap-On)

The thing that really sets the Snap-On set apart from any other in my experience is the angle of the head. A normal wrench has a 15 degree offset on the open end, and almost all angle wrenches have one 15 degree end and one 60 degree end. The Snap-On angle wrench is set up with a 30 degree offset on one end and a 60 degree offset on the other. That really makes a difference when you are only able to move a nut a quarter turn at a time. Word on the street is that Snap-On has a patent on that design, but a company called V-8 tools does sell a 30/60 degree wrench, but again, it seems like their design replaces good steel with bulk, hindering clearance. I think that you could probably grind them down without affecting strength enough to matter to an A&P, but they probably aren't a very good option for heavy equipment mechanics.

Top to bottom: New Snap-On, Caterpillar, old Snap-On

Caterpillar also offers a 30/60 angle wrench, but it is made for them by Snap-On, and I don't know where you can purchase it new. It looks to be identical, just a little less expensive and without the convenient warranty service from the tool truck. Those are probably not going to be a big issue for A&P's because we seldom break wrenches.

The newer Snap-On and Caterpillar wrenches are identical,
but the older Snap-On is slightly smaller headed. I am
guessing that they thickened it up to save themselves
some money on warranties.

These are just a few of the most important tools that will cost you to skimp on. There are many others, but I think that these are the most important. Watch for my breakdown of what tools are not worth buying off the truck.

What toolbox should I get?

What toolbox should I buy?

Mac MB1700 Box with side boxes - the resident land yacht

This will probably be your single most expensive tool purchase. That makes it critical that you make an informed decision about what you will purchase. I will again try to limit my comments to the areas in which I have some expertise, I.E. aviation maintenance and home workshop. My focus is not so much on the brand of toolbox that you buy, but what to look for in a box.

Unidentified Mac Box

Aviation maintenance has a number of distinctives in the tools that are required. First off, we use almost exclusively 1/4" drive tools, and the vast majority of wrenches we use are between 5/16"-3/4". What does that mean for buying a toolbox? It is generally better to have more smaller drawers than to have larger, deeper, drawers and full-width top drawers often preferred by auto and diesel mechanics. It also is not as critical for us to have the weight-bearing capacity that a diesel mechanic might need for his bigger and heavier tools. I definitely think that aircraft mechanics would get along better with cheaper tool boxes than some other mechanic careers.

Mac MB1700 Box with top and side box and side locker

Giant toolbox sample drawer = lots of junk, little tools that get used.

Another important consideration for A&P mechanics is that we often move toolboxes around and under airplanes. I highly recommend skipping the top box. Only one mechanic in our shop has a top box, and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times we have to move his box or take the long way around because it is too tall to fit underneath a wing or tail. Skipping the top box means that buying a larger bottom box is a higher priority. Most of the hangars that I have been in have plenty of room for moving around, and going through doors is also usually not an issue like in some auto shops, so deep and long boxes are usually preferred in aviation. If you don't fill your box with a whole bunch of old parts and duplicate tools, you will be shocked at how much it will hold. The only guys who cannot fit into a 56" box have drawers that look like this.

Snap-On Classic 96 Box - Has not moved in two years

I also believe very strongly in having the top of my box as a workbench. It is very convenient, and in my opinion only requires a modicum of effort to keep tools and junk off of the top of the box. If you top your box with old kitchen countertop, butcher block or whatever, you can beat on, paint, lubricate and wrench to your heart's content without having to worry about your box. I have also seen vises mounted to the top of the box, and that seems to work very well. The only issue I have heard with that is that other people are always using your box.

Mac Tech 1000 Box

I personally recommend buying a 56" long bottom box. I would not really recommend starting out with a triple bank box. In my experience, boxes bigger than 56" almost never move because they are such a hassle to roll around the shop. If you find out that you need more space, you can always buy side boxes. My own box is a 25 year old Snap-On KRL-1000b, and it is 53" long x 29" deep x 45" tall. I like a lot of things about my box, but it isn't perfect either. I bought mine used off of Craigslist for $1100 (the MAC guy offered me $3000 for it on trade, I told him no thanks). The guy had all the keys, and the original receipt! One caveat with that is, if you buy used, have your tool guy run the serial number to make sure that your seller has it paid off, and that the box hasn't been reported stolen. There are a lot of excellent deals on Craigslist, if you have the cash.

Craftsman Pro Box

If you do not have the cash to buy a big box right away, I would highly recommend buying a small, cheap, box that you wouldn't mind using at home in your own shop. You can consistently find Craftsman boxes in the $150-$250 range on craigslist in my area, some including tools, and they make great starter and home boxes. As you make money and buy more tools, you can upgrade to a bigger box. You will also have the advantage of time to evaluate what others have and how well it works. The more on-the-job experience that you have before you make this decision, the more likely you will be satisfied with your final decision. School cannot substitute for real experience.

My Snap-On KRL-1000 Box

I will start off critiquing my own box. What I like about it:

Lifetime warranty (shouldn't really need)

Heavy duty drawer slides (Not as important for A&Ps)

The height (45" is 6" taller than most boxes, better for use as a workbench for me as a 6' guy)

The drawer setup (lots of smaller ones with big ones at the bottom)

Heavy duty casters

The 27" deep drawers are great for space, but probably not for you if you have short arms.

It is still easy to move.

Large bottom drawer is perfectly sized for hanging file folders.

First and last box I will ever buy.

What I don't like about it:

The drawer detents (the Snap-On man replaced all of them under warranty, but they just don't work that well, either too stiff, or they have broken again)

Hard to find side box for a 25 year old box

Back of 27" drawers can be a long reach

That is about it.

Unidentified Waterloo Box

I cannot comment with very much authority on the cheaper boxes because almost everything we have at work is from Mac, Snap-On, and Matco. Unless you are going for a really cheap starter box that you will take home and replace eventually, you will for sure want ball bearing drawers. I actually like the Craftsman grip-latch, and Snap-On slide latch as well. Some of the new boxes have adjustable detents, but how much weight a drawer has in it really affects how the detents work, vs. the drawer latches seem unaffected by weight. I have friends that use and like the Kobalt boxes from Lowes, Harbor Freight boxes, and Craftsman boxes as well. I haven't used them enough to tell what the compromises are with those boxes, and whether or not you can live with them. For me personally, I think a decent box is probably worth it if you are using it to make money. Everyone will offer you an opinion, but don't let yourself get bullied into spending $6000 just for a name. I don't think that you will regret buying any mid-level toolbox, and I don't think that the top of the line boxes from MAC, Snap-On, or Matco really add much value for us as A&P's because most of what they offer is a higher payload, which isn't a big consideration for our tool collection. They are also heavier, which means that they will be more difficult to roll.

Mac MB1500

My experience with all the toolboxes at work has been pretty well positive. We happen to have a Mac man who is very good, so Mac has wound up as the preferred toolbox and tool set. Matco is largely ignored because we don't have a Matco tool truck.

In summation, I think that any mid-level toolbox will serve well, because we as A&P's aren't in our toolboxes as much as auto and diesel mechanics, and our tools are lighter. The more expensive toolboxes don't, in my opinion, add much value for us as mechanics. Big bottom boxes with lots of drawers and no top box are the best option for aviation.

I would love to hear from you guys what box or boxes you have or had, and what your experience with each was. I am especially curious what works well for auto and diesel mechanics.

What tools are the best?

I will limit my comments to my area of expertise, Aviation Maintenance. The first thing I will tell you right off the bat is that it is a terrible idea to buy a huge kit from some tool company. You always wind up with tools that you will not need, and no company makes the best of everything. Not only that, but debt is a terrible idea in a career like ours, especially if you don't have a job where you use those tools to make money yet.

You will need at least a set of basic hand tools to begin with. Hopefully your shop has a required/recommended tool list for you. My recommendation is that you don't buy anything but the necessities until you have at least a month or two on the job to query coworkers and witness firsthand what works and what doesn't. I have seen fellow A&P students make a ridiculous number of terrible purchases from the tool truck just because they are afraid of losing the discount after they leave school. If you absolutely MUST buy tools before you are out of school, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. It will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Talk to your teachers and see what they recommend, google search forums, etc. Your teachers will probably be some of your best resources. I have yet to meet one who doesn't like to talk about his tool collection.

As you start your job, you will find that some tools are really only worth buying if they are Mac, Snap-on, Matco, etc, while others can be Harbor Freight, Craftsman, Kobalt, etc, and it will make no difference at all, except in your own pocketbook. If you are really into status symbols, go ahead and buy all Snap-on or whatever, but if you like to keep your money, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Even if you feel like you need to buy brand-name for a particular tool, Ebay and Craigslist can be your best friends, especially if you are looking for a big ticket item like a torque wrench or a big set of something. One thing that I have noticed on Ebay is that Snap-on especially has the name recognition, and it is tough to find bargains, but many of the better tool makers such as Cornwell, Proto Professional, S&K, etc. do not get as much traffic, and it is easier to score deals. I bought a 7/16-1 1/4 combination wrench set that is Proto professional and every bit as good as Snap-on for $40 including shipping!! You do give up a little bit in tool truck service, but they are really good tools for a lot less than retail. Craigslist is a little bit more hit and miss, but again, it can be good for big ticket items. It takes a lot of patience to decide what you need, and then purchase it secondhand, but it will save you tons of money.

I have been a mechanic for a year and a half, and I still keep a post-it notepad in my drawer to write down tools that I want to buy. I would highly recommend this practice. The rule of thumb that you will see everywhere is that if you borrow something 2-3 times, you need to buy it. Hopefully you will be in a shop where your coworkers are patient enough to loan you tools while you slowly build up your collection. I cannot stress enough how foolish it is to get way in debt when you are beginning your career. Skip the pop and chips on break, drive a clunker, do what you have to do to start saving money so that you can buy your tools with cash. You will thank yourself in a couple of years. Ask for tools or gift cards for your birthday and Christmas presents. I am fortunate to have a VERY understanding wife who allowed me to register at Sears for a whole bunch of tools. I wound up with $400+ in tools and gift cards!! (Gotta marry right for that one!)

All that said, starting with the basics, I will try to walk through different categories of tools and make recommendations in each one.

Tool Box Shadowing with foam

I have seen a few threads that do a decent job explaining how to shadow a toolbox yourself. I just wanted to put it all together with pictures of my project. If you are reading this, then you are in the minority of mechanics. You are probably a little OCD about your tools, and it probably drives you crazy when people "borrow" your tools because they cannot find their own. It takes a certain type of person to put the time and money into shadow their toolbox.

Toolbox Foam

The first step to shadowing your toolbox is to decide if it is practical for you. In my own experience, this is a very critical step that is often ignored in a fever of "look at how cool that toolbox in the Snap-On catalog looks". Simply put, looks are not the best reason to shadow your toolbox. It is a good enough reason for some, but the real reason for shadowing is tool accountability. I am an aircraft mechanic, and for obvious reasons, it is vitally important that we do not leave tools in the aircraft. A secondary consideration is that many of the tools that I buy from the aforementioned Snap-On catalog are very expensive, and I do not want to lose any of them. It also seems to help people to remember to return the tools that they so often "borrow" from my toolbox. Those are the upsides to shadowing. You do give some things up with shadowing - flexibility and space. It is a pain if you need to add or subtract from your tool collection (though I have ideas to help with that), and shadowing requires a lot more space and is less flexible than an open toolbox. I do not have every pair of pliers I own in my box. They simply will not fit in a single drawer of a normal size box. Shadowing also requires either a small monetary commitment and a large time commitment, or a huge monetary commitment and a small time commitment. I probably have about 20 hours in the four drawers that I have done, but it is worth it to me. I believe that aviation maintenance lends itself most readily to shadowing because we have a relatively small, relatively stable tool collection. Auto mechanics have many more specialty tools that they have to add to their collection, and that makes it difficult to keep things fitted. I cannot really speak for other jobs (diesel mechanics, maintenance, etc.), but for home use I think that this is only worthwhile if you are really fastidious. I personally have only shadowed the parts of my work toolbox that I am worried about losing something from because I am highly unlikely to misplace things like my sledge hammer and pry bar (yep, I have them and use them a surprising amount), and I am still adding some specialty tools to my collection.

If you still believe that shadowing is for you, it is time to get down to business. Shadowing a toolbox yourself is a very laborious process, but it is hundreds if not thousands of dollars cheaper than having it done for you. If you are like me, you would rather spend that money on tools that you can use to make money. If you are considering shadowing, keep in mind that it will only help you to find things if you keep your tools put away. I always pile my tools on top of my box throughout the day, and then take ten minutes to put them all away at the end of the day. I have found that this method allows me to keep tools handy and easily found. Having a place for everything really helps things to get put back where they belong.

There are a lot of retail options out there for foam, but most of them run $30+ a drawer. Message boards and forums drew my attention to a Camping Pad that Wal-Mart sells for $7.47, and it should do at least two drawers for the bargain basement price of roughly $4 a drawer!

I promise that I am not a salesman for Ozark trail, but this stuff is strong, lightweight, durable, and best of all, cheap! I have had my main drawers done for a year now, and this foam has held up beautifully (as my pictures will show)! You aviation guys probably know this, and if you are careful enough to shadow you probably wipe down all your tools before you put them away, but make sure you wipe off any skydrol your tools might have. I have not tested this foam to see how it responds, but something tells me that skydrol will eat it just like it does your skin. Ditto for MEK and other strong solvents. The one other downside of this foam is that it only comes in 20"X 72" sheets, so it is pretty likely that you will have to use two pieces in some drawers (mine are 27" deep).

That foam, combined with the black drawer liner that you likely already have, is all that you need to get started.

The first thing that you need to do after you purchase your foam and drag it home is unroll it and flatten it out. This part is frustrating, and you can skip it, but it is kind of a pain if you do not give it at least a week or so to flatten.

After you get your foam flattened out, take the drawer liner out of the drawer you want to shadow and lay it on top of your foam pad. Use a yardstick or some kind of a straight-edge as a guide and a SHARP utility blade, and cut the drawer shape out of the pad.

The next step is to lay out your drawers how you would like them. I put the tools where I wanted and used them from that location for a week or so, just to make sure that it would work for me. Common sense should be your guide here, put your most commonly used tools in front (this is especially important for guys like me who have the 27" deep drawers), but not under the front lip either. You will probably want to leave 1/2" around the outside of the tools and beside the edges of your drawers. You can cut it closer, but it is difficult to keep the foam stuck down if you do. This step forced me to consider what tools I need, and I took all of the tools that I had not used back home. A lot of people have duplicates or triplicates that they do not need, or else their drawers look like this.

It is also important to consider at this point whether or not you will need to leave room for future expansion. It is very frustrating to have a drawer just how you would like it, and then find that you will need another tool that will require you to re-cut the whole drawer! I cannot stress too much how important it is for you to take your time and think through this process!

One thing that has worked beautifully for me and saved me a ton of time was buying Mechanic's Time Saver Socket Holders. I simply cut around the base of the holders, and they look great and still allow me to see if I have sockets missing and also to take my complete set of sockets if I need to go out on the line. My 3/8 drive deep well sockets are just barely able to stand up in the drawer, so make sure that you have the clearance you need! I also had a Lock A Socket Rail, but it was too tall for the deep well sockets, so I use it for the shallow well sockets. I have a cheap metal rail for my 3/8" universal set, and it works pretty well as well.

One other note I wanted to share was that you need to be careful how you store spring loaded pliers if you choose to store them with the handle compressed. If you do not leave enough foam to carry some strength, your handles may compress the slots for neighboring pliers when they are removed. (Voice of experience speaking here).

Locate all of the tools where you want them and then remove the foam and tools from the drawer and lay them out on a flat surface.

Now that you have the drawer all laid out, you can begin to cut. Here is the best way that I have found thus far:

Use needle nose vise grips to grab a the smallest exacto knife blade that you can find. I prefer the vise grips because of their low profile and the ease of changing blades and blade angle. OSHA required note, do not be dumb and cut yourself, and if you do, please do not sue me for telling you how to do this.

Using the exacto knife and a slight sawing motion to cut the exact outline of the tool PART WAY through the foam. The smaller the exacto knife blade you use, the more fine your corners will be. I work my way through the drawer, removing each tool after I cut around it.

After you have cut out all of the shapes in a drawer, go back through and bend the foam slightly to expose the cuts that you have already made,

and use a blade to finish out the cuts you have already made. I like to make my cuts on a slight inward angle in order to firmly grip the tool in the foam. This works especially well on rounded tools like screwdrivers and ratchet handles, etc.

I would hold onto the shapes you have cut out for at least a little bit, because if you want to make a change, the piece you have cut out will fit perfectly back where it was cut from and you cannot even tell that it was removed. I am holding onto my cutouts just in case I want to change things around. You can also cut them in half and use them to make shallower slots for smaller tools.

I also used a 13/16 socket to cut out finger grips around the handles of some of my smaller pliers.

I did not cut all the way through the foam, I just cut the foam on an angle so that the black underneath the grips would not be exposed.

Another way that you can make handgrips easily for screwdrivers or other big sets is to simply cut a long slot in the foam. I filled my slot in the screwdriver drawer with the piece I cut out cut in half.

After you have finished all the cuts, all that is left to do is to secure your foam to the black drawer liner (I found some yellow foam for this drawer). I used spray glue and double sided duct tape. The tape did a much better job, and it is all you really need.

Now all that is left is to load up all of your tools and get to work!

If anybody has other ideas or tips, I would love to hear them. I am always a student! You can email me at jbenz101485@gmail.com or you can just post comments.

Thanks,

Jared