how are your tools organized? (1 Viewer)

[Brandon Ryder]

my tools are getting unruly. i basically have two bags that i carry around. my small one has my sockets and most commonly used stuff and my big one has the extended socket sets, hammers, 1/2" stuff, specialty tools and big sockets, etc... my torque wrench and breaker bar also are loose because they don't fit in anything. and besides this ive got a husky box with stuff like a grease gun, fluid transfer pump, wheel chocks and more.
i don't have a garage right now. im in between houses and will be that way for a few more months. that said i still kinda want a small tool chest for the back of the cruiser that i can later use on a bench top.

how do you organize your tools? do you have a good system or clever idea? how do you carry your tools in the vehicle? how do you organize them in your shop/ garage?
let me see your system!

 

[Camper Dave]

I do not have any clever ideas, but I do have a GO TO tool box that goes with me on all off road trips in the fj40 or jeep. We visit places that are 10-20 miles off any main road. The most important thing you can do besides travel with another vehicle is to have a decent tool kit that can get you home.

I really like large tool bags with smaller tool bags with wrenches, sockets etc. The downside of that is taking everything out to find what you need. I have been using an old cantilever tool box for two years and love it. You can open it and see every thing at a glance. It is heavy and it is always strapped down.


Garage:
1) tool chest with new parts such as electric connectors, belts, hoses, gaskets, nuts, bolts, filters, snap rings, etc.
2) tool chest with the good tools
3) shelves and cabinets filled with parts and crap I need to get rid of

This is the GO TO Box

 

[richardlillard1]

This works well for me.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

I'm going to roll with this and see how it works. tried to buy a craftsman but lowes couldn't find it in their shelves.
a 12" deep chest fits behind the 3rd row. anything bigger would be too heavy anyway. i need it to be easily moveable to another vehicle or to where I'm working.

 

[Camper Dave]

I'm going to roll with this and see how it works. tried to buy a craftsman but lowes couldn't find it in their shelves.
a 12" deep chest fits behind the 3rd row. anything bigger would be too heavy anyway. i need it to be easily moveable to another vehicle or to where I'm working.

View attachment 2284444

Very nice box for easy access to the tools. Make sure you strap that bad boy down and your golden.

 

[John McVicker]

Home - Adventure Tool Company

adventuretoolcompany.com

Tool bags from Adventure Tools. Great bags, good assortment, made in USA. Good people, owns and drives 60.

 

[gnob]

I worked out of a box similar to yours for years.
I recommend using some sort of socker rail as well.

 

[wapitimud]

the metal accordian-top-type reasonably-sized toolbox has been used in the field for mechanics in the military for a few generations now, and is the proven way to go.

If you're going to use a bag for serious mechanicing, it'll get greasy, dirty and torn quite quickly.

Pretty much what camper dave had there, but with less clutter

I would have consumables and spare parts in seperate bags or boxes to keep organized. Ammo cans are available in various sizes for the consumables and spare parts, they are waterproof as well.

The scope of work here is for a set of tools for field repair. That's different than a small roll of tools for evening offroading, or tool chests in a shop/garage.

 

[ntsqd]

There is a very old thread on Expi Portal that has a lot of great ideas for carrying and organizing tools in a vehicle. Tools storage

I dislike rattles & noise, so no loose tools in boxes or bins for me. Some tool kits come in a form-fitted blow-molded case. Those are a HUGE space consumer! I throw most of them out.

Tool rolls in soft tool bags for vehicle tool kits are my preference. I use a friend's suggestion and put all like sockets on a piece of all-thread (1/4 drive metric 6 pt., 3/8 drive SAE 12 pt., etc.). I weld a hex nut onto one end and use a wing nut on the other. Works extremely well, sockets do not rattle, and each of those socket 'columns' fit in a tool roll. I ended up with a 1/4 drive roll, a 3/8 drive roll, a 1/2 drive roll, a pliers roll, and two combo wrench rolls: Metric & SAE in my race/chase/long trips tool bag.

In the garage I have a traditional tool box. OF all of those I've only ever bought one new. The others came from mechanics moving up or CL or similar.

 

[Road Apple]

I like tool rolls for wrenches and general tools. Also like to use socket organizers. No rattling and I know where each size is at a glance.

Best Socket Organizers: Keep Everything In Its Place

If you want your workbench to feel less chaotic, check out our review of the best socket organizers to keep your sockets neat.

www.carbibles.com

 

[Eyedaho]

I have several old cantilever style boxes that I've picked up for ~$5 at yard sales over the years, that I use in my garage for various types of tools. I have one for plumbing, irrigation, electrical, etc. If I were in your shoes, I might pick up a couple of cheapies like that to use as portable tool boxes now, and then transition them into more specialized purposes down the road when you have more of a home base/shop.

 

[1911]

how do you carry your tools in the vehicle?

In a Con-Ferr locking box:

Inside, I divided it into sections with pieces of wood. One end is used for my auxiliary fuse block, the rest is for tools. I have smaller hand tools in a canvas G.I. surplus tool bag to keep track of them inside the Con-Ferr box, and still have room for larger tools like a breaker bar and a pry bar, an air impact gun, oil, spare parts, etc.

how do you organize them in your shop/ garage?

In a couple of stacking/rolling conventional tool chests. Each drawer has a different purpose/related contents.