Thoughts on this toolbox?

[Beehanger]

im a 60 series owner, been borrwing tools. Need to invest in one, this one seems pretty versatile.

Mechanics Tool Set, 225 Piece

Amazing deals on this Mechanics Tool Set, 225Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thoughts???

 

[e9999]

I got their biggest set. Admittedly, it does have just about anything you'd ever need. On sale, that was very inexpensive for the number of tools included. I figured I'd take it on trips and it might save the day in the boonies some time, having it all there together handy. Except I don't take it on trips and I hardly used it. I think I used a couple of tools from the set 2 or 3 times in several years. I forgot what exactly, but it was an obscure size I did not otherwise have. The full case is so big and heavy it's hard to move around, and the "hinge" on the first case failed right away. OK, that's not the exact one you showed, although mine is likely a superset of yours, but perhaps more relevant, I think the tolerances on these tools are not good. Like wrenches and sockets seemed sloppy when I checked them out. And the quality is overall not great. So that does not make me want to use it. I strongly suspect yours may be the same way.

Now, is it a good way to start if you don't have many tools? I suppose it might be OK, but you may grow tired of them fairly soon if you enjoy serious DIY. Like it may tighten a fresh bolt just fine, but it may round off an old stuck one. You may be better off buying some used but better tools at flea markets etc as you need them, but admittedly that might take a long time and it may not be cheaper. So maybe get that set with the notion that it's temporary, which is OK because it's cheap, and retire them in a while when you are able to get better tools? Now, forcing myself TBF, realistically, I think they may do routine jobs OK for most starting DIYers, but I also think that (mine) is not a serious mechanic tool set. They are marketing them like that, but they aren't, IMO.

 

[Land Shark]

Is this just to go in the 60? If so, there are not really a lot of tool/tool sizes you need and like e9999 sad above buying used quality tools may be a good way to go. If not, then a good "starter" set but I have learned over the years to buy at least the middle quality or more and it's a lifetime tool.

I recently scored big on a warehouse find with lots of good mid grade tools for just pennies on the dollars.

Think about am I going to do much more than general maintenance? If so, then buy the special tools as they come up and are needed. If not, then buy the sizes you need and dont look back (10mm,12mm, 14mm etc) both in wrench and sockets and let'r eat.

 

[ntsqd]

<<<With that I started with an empty tool box, and then put in every tool that I actually used on the vehicle when I was done with it. Weight in those is crucial and by working out of it's tool box only nature selected what I needed and what I did not.

Were I going to buy a tool set, and I have done so in the past, I would buy one of these two as the starting point:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN/5013302107

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN/5013279203

Then scour the wide range of tool roll suppliers for rolls and bag(s), get rid of their plastic box. Those take up too much room and they allow the tools to rattle. I H8Rattles! All of each vehicle's tool kit are in rolls within a soft bag. I string sockets on all-thread and hold them in place with a wing-nut.

 

[EWheeler]

im a 60 series owner, been borrwing tools. Need to invest in one, this one seems pretty versatile.

Mechanics Tool Set, 225 Piece

Amazing deals on this Mechanics Tool Set, 225Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thoughts???

I bought this kit for a work project, and it migrated into my garage and I have been thrilled with the size availability in the socket set. It is worth buying for the selection of sockets and ratchet attachments alone. I would supplement it with better sets of box end wrenches, higher quality pliers and screw drivers from Harbor freight and for under $400, you'll have pretty much everything you'll need except for specialty stuff.

Mechanics Tool Set, 301 Piece

Amazing deals on this 301Pc Mechanics Tool Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Can you imagine one of those sets opening up and spilling in the back of a rig......gives me nightmares just thinking about it

 

[Funner]

Can you imagine one of those sets opening up and spilling in the back of a rig......gives me nightmares just thinking about it

Lol

 

[e9999]

^^^ I think that 301 affair is the set I have. One other issue with that one is that some of the sockets (the Hexes maybe?) are retained under a rather flimsy plastic cover that I don't think will survive very many openings. Once that cover is busted those sockets may end up all over the place. And I think most other sockets are just loose in recesses. I think you need to keep both trays in there to keep things in place. And then that thing is really heavy. OTOH, IIRC it does have a bunch of six-sided sockets which is great.

 

[ntsqd]

+Eleventeen on 6 point sockets! I usually leave the 12pts home in some mostly forgotten drawer.

All of those blow molded cases consume way too much space for what they offer. This is the hand tools portion of my long trip and desert race support tools load-out:

The bundles in the center-left are the wrenches, might be able to make out the "SAE" and "Metric" labeling. There are two of almost all of the sizes.
All of those sockets are now on all-thread like the two sets of deeps next to the loose sockets. I keep the center-right roll at the top of the bag as it can usually solve a simple problem fast.

This is just the hand tools and the total is a lot of tools to be carrying around most of the time, but in the race support role it needs to be able to handle as wide a range of problems as possible.

My suggestion remains to work on your rig from the tools carried in it. If you don't have a tool that you need to do some job then add it to the onboard kit. It is less expensive usually to buy a kit, but that doesn't mean that you have to carry all of that kit with you. If the budget is there I'd really encourage the purchase of better quality tools than HF. The Craftsman kits that I linked above are right there in price.
I've found the Silver "Sharpies" to work fairly well for marking the various rolls with what they contain.

 

[Funner]

95+% of the nuts and bolts on these trucks are 10,12,13,14,17,19mm. You don’t really need a ton, add some bailing wire and adjustable wrenches.

 

[ntsqd]

On the topic of adjustable wrenches, I stumbled onto these when we still had an OSH in the area:

AT210SPUD 10" Adjustable Black Oxide Construction Wrench - Crescent Tools

Count on Crescent Tools to get the job done. Get the AT210SPUD 10" Adjustable Black Oxide Construction Wrench here.

www.crescenttool.com

Just in case it's not obvious, the purpose of that tapered handle is to align bolt holes. These are all that I carry in the race support kit.

 

[Tennessee Jed]

I always wondered what those tapered wrenches were for.

I've never broken a Harbor Freight tool. No problem with using them, especially as backups. I do think HF electronic tools should be tested in the store before you leave - plug it in and run it - I've had 2 different things just not run. But the replacements I got have never failed. Catch as catch can.

Those plastic boxes, however, are the devil. You can't set them anywhere except on flat ground and invariably one side locks the tools in and the other side has them loose, so if you open it upside down, everything spills. Haha, China...funny joke.

 

[2mbb]

I remember this thread about a metric only kit. It doesn't seem that anyone reported they have purchased one though:

Probably the most on-the-go complete tool kit for Toyota's Nissan, any Japanese autos METRIC ONLY

look what I found I found this metric-only toolset Product No.：09014A Product Name：122Pc. 1/4"&3/8"&1/2" Dr. Automotive Tool Set SATA 122pcs Metric only ◆ 10-piece 6.3MM series hexagon socket set (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13MM) ◆ 4-piece 6.3MM series long hexagon socket set...

forum.ih8mud.com

If you are only going to use these tools on your FJ60 and you are keeping it relatively stock (using JIS hardware) then as others have suggested, you may be able to put together a set that is smaller and focused.

This thread shows one ratcheting box wrench that will cover most of the sizes on the FJ60

I finally found the single most useful Land Cruiser/Toyota tool.

Been looking for a wrench like this for a long time for my emergency tool kit. Quad box (4 sizes in 1), reversing, ratcheting wrench 10/12-14/17mm size.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[2mbb]

There seems to be a $35 coupon available (at least in my area). At $114 sale price, how wrong can you go?

Mechanics Tool Set, 225 Piece

Amazing deals on this Mechanics Tool Set, 225Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[e9999]

I have completely -and thankfully- given up adjustable wrenches and often box wrenches now that I have a selection of Knipex Pliers Wrenches. With a couple of those you could forget sockets also, most of the time. Of course, a couple of those Knipexes will cost as much as the whole HF set up there.

 

[Beehanger]

<<<With that I started with an empty tool box, and then put in every tool that I actually used on the vehicle when I was done with it. Weight in those is crucial and by working out of it's tool box only nature selected what I needed and what I did not.

Were I going to buy a tool set, and I have done so in the past, I would buy one of these two as the starting point:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN/5013302107

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN/5013279203

Then scour the wide range of tool roll suppliers for rolls and bag(s), get rid of their plastic box. Those take up too much room and they allow the tools to rattle. I H8Rattles! All of each vehicle's tool kit are in rolls within a soft bag. I string sockets on all-thread and hold them in place with a wing-nut.

what do you mean by "string on all Thead"?

 

[ntsqd]

Stack the sockets top to bottom with a piece of all-thread running thru the centers of them. I weld a hex nut on one end of the all-thread and run a wing nut down the other end to hold everything together and keep them from rattling.

 

[Beehanger]

Stack the sockets top to bottom with a piece of all-thread running thru the centers of them. I weld a hex nut on one end of the all-thread and run a wing nut down the other end to hold everything together and keep them from rattling.

Would this work?

Amazon product ASIN B0029T1XHY

 

[ntsqd]

I used stainless all-thread so that I wasn't welding on plated steel, but yeah, that would work. Depending on the length of the socket stack you may need one of the longer options. I cut them down to just a little longer than was needed, and the cut end is the end that gets the hex nut welded into place.

 

[e9999]

FWIW, I would not go the allthread route myself. I would not want to have to remove a bunch of sockets to get to the middle one each time (since clearly it would always be in the middle in my case...). And then put them back all on there again. And have to screw the end nut on. And all over again every time I need one. I think a rack or pouch system where all the sockets are individually held is a better system -for me-.