Setting up for permanent living on the road, sorting out what I need to take, I have a Jayco, so I need a lot , but of my tools, the one tool I seem to use all of the time is my Verniers, and the tool I lost when I went to Windows 10, is my Auto-cad drawing program. The other tool is of course my battery drill.
PS verniers can measure, act as a center punch, clamp etc. (only joking). My drawing program was great for sketching up, and sizing my projects.
This thread is just for content, the weather is crappy outside.
Radar said
11:54 AM Jun 5, 2018
iana wrote:
Setting up for permanent living on the road, sorting out what I need to take, I have a Jayco, so I need a lot , but of my tools, the one tool I seem to use all of the time is my Verniers, and the tool I lost when I went to Windows 10, is my Auto-cad drawing program. The other tool is of course my battery drill.
PS verniers can measure, act as a center punch, clamp etc. (only joking). My drawing program was great for sketching up, and sizing my projects.
This thread is just for content, the weather is crappy outside.
Pack up your remaining tools and move to Brisbane, it is beautiful today, perfect the next.
Dave1952 said
12:08 PM Jun 5, 2018
My Milwaukee Cordless and Grinder skin are invaluable. Best investment I have ever made.
rockylizard said
12:17 PM Jun 5, 2018
Gday...
Wot tool/s do I miss the most ?
Not any particular one ... but I miss my shed since being on the road full-time.
Mine used to look a bit like this -
Cheers - John
Joda said
12:26 PM Jun 5, 2018
Hi iana, there is a drawing program called draftsight (2D) very similar to autocad which I downloaded, works very well but I,m having a bit of trouble printing out my drawings which I never had with autocad, by the way its free.
John
Mike Harding said
01:00 PM Jun 5, 2018
There are a few free cad programmes around now, this is one I have used in the past - it's simple enough for electronic engineers to do mechanical drawings :) http://www.cadstd.com/
And this looks pretty good: https://www.freecadweb.org/ https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD
I'm in the process of clearing out my possessions and having to make decisions about tools to take - most of my tools I'll give to my son and some I'll keep in storage for a couple of years but these are a few on the list which will travel with me:
Hantek 200MHz storage oscilloscope Fluke multimeter Box of electronic tools, fine pliers, cutters, screwdrivers etc Soldering iron Power supply, 30V 3A Socket set Rachet spanners set Bow saw (So I can pretend I don't have a chainsaw in NSW) Panel saw (maybe) Hacksaw Files Battery and/or hand drill and bits Measuring sticks and their ilk Tape measure 10m Pliers, cutters, craft knife, screwdrivers etc Small vice (I have some larger ones too :) ) Folding vice bench (maybe - depends on room and weight left) Small hammer Lump hammer
And far too much other stuff I have no doubt but... I am an engineer and much of my passtime and pleasure in retirement will be from "make-do and mend" and improvisation. Most of my time will be spent free camped in the forests of Victoria and I really enjoy using the materials around me to enhance daily life and that's a lot easier with tools - although I'm not sure the oscilloscope will help there :) but it will with my main hobby of Amateur Radio.
Excellent thread idea iana.
Tony Bev said
03:01 PM Jun 5, 2018
Hello Ian, snap for the same weather 200 K's south of you
As others have already said, you have brought up a good topic, so thanks for that Also thanks to others for bringing up the Auto Cad links, as I also lost my (yo ho ho and a bottle of rum), version of Auto Cad when I finally went to Windows 10
I also have Vernier's Normal, Dial, and Electronic, but I have never carried them while travelling
What essential tools I carry are:-
Combination spanners up to 24mm 15/16 inch, in a rolled pouch, (good for checking you have not left one behind)
Sockets ½ inch, and ¼ inch set
Small tork driver set, (some bolts/screws on my vehicle are the tork type)
Normal shifter, multigrip, pliers, hammer etc
18 volt cordless impact wrench, (good for removing wheel nuts)
Old 150 ft lb torque wrench, (good for torqueing the Fiat wheel nuts to 120 ft lb)
Cordless hammer drill, (good for coach bolt guy rope anchors)
Small packet of drill bits up to 6mm
10mm masonry drill (good for when you are on a gravel hard stand camp)
Small 12 volt 4x4 type air compressor, (just in case)
A couple of hacksaw blades (can be used as a hacksaw, with a bit of determination)
Screwdriver set in own carry case, (good for seeing and grabbing the one you need)
2 small files, flat and round, with handles
El cheapo multi clamp meter, (good for checking amps if there is any doubt)
Battery volt tester, (good for checking button, cell and 9 volt battery, before using)
Electrical tape, plus silicon tape which is supposed to be good for radiator hoses
Inspection camera, (good or looking around the Fiat engine)
Spare fan belt, radiator hose, fuel filter, and special Fiat fuel filter removal/replace tool
Oil filter, and removal strap, (just in case as Ryco Z141 are usually not an off the shelf item)
Spare (new) windscreen wiper motor, (Fiat windscreen wiper motors are few and far between)
Jumper leads, (just in case, but have been used to jump start others)
Thread tape, (just in case)
Spare repaired radiator (just in case as my model Fiat radiators are few and far between)
!2 volt 40 litre chest type compressor fridge, (in storage under bed, just in case)
El cheapo single burner gas stove, with gas canisters (just in case)
Consumables I carry are Spare el cheapo hearing aids and batteries, plus spare el cheapo magnifying glasses, plus el cheapo ciggy plug type voltage testers I have met up with travellers, in the free camps, who have just lost/broken their hearing aids or glasses, or after jump starting them, they are concerned that their battery is not charging
Desert Dweller said
06:42 PM Jun 5, 2018
Whoops, a double post!
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 5th of June 2018 06:54:14 PM
Desert Dweller said
06:51 PM Jun 5, 2018
Our high leverage after market wheel brace fits the wheel nuts on our car, caravan, camper trailer & boat trailer. Same sized nuts, one essential tool. Simple as!
We carry a small basic toolbox along with a snatch strap, puncture repair kit, jumper leads & an inflatable jack for bush driving applications. RACV Total Care takes care of the rest.
Legal weight considerations apply.
Dave1952 said
02:13 PM Jun 7, 2018
Interesting that some others carry a reasonable toolkit as well.
I also carry:
- two screwdriver sets (one for car and one for van;
- a set of metric and imperial sockets;
- a set of ring/open ended spanners in metric;
- pop rivet gun and pop rivets;
- two vise grips;
- multi grips;
- fencing and insulated pliers
- side cutters;
- needle nosed pliers;
- two cold chisels;
- a 1 inch wood chisel;
- a set of Nicholson files;
- hacksaw and blades;
- offset ring spanners;
- varying sizes of shifters from small to 12 inch
- pin punch and nail punch
- spare 2.5 tonne bow shackles
- zip ties in three sizes
- insulation tape
- 100 mile an hour tape;
- cutting discs for grinder skin;
- a full set of drill bits, including spade bits and a couple of masonry bits;
- a large and a small mastik gun;
- Polyurethane sealant;
- Silastic;
- Liquid Nails;
- spare nozzles for tubes of sealants;
- two Stanley knives;
- spare Stanley Knife Blades;
- screws, both metal thread and woodscrews;
- Funnel
and other bits and pieces as needed.
Dave1952 said
02:14 PM Jun 7, 2018
I also have a claw hammer and a small engineers hammer .
Aus-Kiwi said
04:35 PM Jun 7, 2018
We have an axe/ hamer in one . Chargeable 18v power drill . Kinchrome socket set . 6mm to 18mm ratchet spaners . Two philips and two blade screwdrivers ., Short and 14 inch shifters . The short one is insulated to use around battery connections .
iana said
06:34 PM Jun 7, 2018
I intend to service the caravan on my travels, as well as carry out the numerous repairs that seem to crop up. Trying to reduce my life time collection of tools to just the few bare essentials. So really going to carry the same tools as listed here. It was just that of all my tools the verniers seem to be always in use.
As for the cad program, I really have grown tired of learning all that stuff, so probably won't bother with another program, but I do miss being able to sketch out projects in scale, complete with sizing etc. I have also gone and deleted all of my drawings from the laptop.
My only major projects left to do, are making a cover to go over our, exterior mounted diesel heater, and some method of storing saucepan lids. And apart from making a few storage boxes to take up the last few cubic cm's in the ute canopy, that's about it.
Dave1952 said
05:53 PM Jun 13, 2018
Another thing I invested in is a Syneco combination ladder from Bunnings for $90. Can be a small step ladder, large step ladder or extends to about 3 metres to access the van roof if necessary. Theyre a great invention.
Setting up for permanent living on the road, sorting out what I need to take, I have a Jayco, so I need a lot
, but of my tools, the one tool I seem to use all of the time is my Verniers, and the tool I lost when I went to Windows 10, is my Auto-cad drawing program. The other tool is of course my battery drill.
PS verniers can measure, act as a center punch, clamp etc. (only joking). My drawing program was great for sketching up, and sizing my projects.
This thread is just for content, the weather is crappy outside.
Pack up your remaining tools and move to Brisbane, it is beautiful today, perfect the next.
Gday...
Wot tool/s do I miss the most ?
Not any particular one ... but I miss my shed since being on the road full-time.
Mine used to look a bit like this -
Cheers - John
There are a few free cad programmes around now, this is one I have
used in the past - it's simple enough for electronic engineers to do
mechanical drawings :)
http://www.cadstd.com/
And this looks pretty good:
https://www.freecadweb.org/
https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD
I'm in the process of clearing out my possessions and having to make
decisions about tools to take - most of my tools I'll give to my son
and some I'll keep in storage for a couple of years but these are a
few on the list which will travel with me:
Hantek 200MHz storage oscilloscope
Fluke multimeter
Box of electronic tools, fine pliers, cutters, screwdrivers etc
Soldering iron
Power supply, 30V 3A
Socket set
Rachet spanners set
Bow saw (So I can pretend I don't have a chainsaw in NSW)
Panel saw (maybe)
Hacksaw
Files
Battery and/or hand drill and bits
Measuring sticks and their ilk
Tape measure 10m
Pliers, cutters, craft knife, screwdrivers etc
Small vice (I have some larger ones too :) )
Folding vice bench (maybe - depends on room and weight left)
Small hammer
Lump hammer
And far too much other stuff I have no doubt but... I am an engineer
and much of my passtime and pleasure in retirement will be from
"make-do and mend" and improvisation. Most of my time will be spent
free camped in the forests of Victoria and I really enjoy using the
materials around me to enhance daily life and that's a lot easier
with tools - although I'm not sure the oscilloscope will help there :)
but it will with my main hobby of Amateur Radio.
Excellent thread idea iana.
Hello Ian, snap for the same weather 200 K's south of you
As others have already said, you have brought up a good topic, so thanks for that
Also thanks to others for bringing up the Auto Cad links, as I also lost my (yo ho ho and a bottle of rum), version of Auto Cad when I finally went to Windows 10
I also have Vernier's
Normal, Dial, and Electronic, but I have never carried them while travelling
What essential tools I carry are:-
Consumables I carry are
Spare el cheapo hearing aids and batteries, plus spare el cheapo magnifying glasses, plus el cheapo ciggy plug type voltage testers
I have met up with travellers, in the free camps, who have just lost/broken their hearing aids or glasses, or after jump starting them, they are concerned that their battery is not charging
Whoops, a double post!
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 5th of June 2018 06:54:14 PM
Our high leverage after market wheel brace fits the wheel nuts on our car, caravan, camper trailer & boat trailer. Same sized nuts, one essential tool. Simple as!
We carry a small basic toolbox along with a snatch strap, puncture repair kit, jumper leads & an inflatable jack for bush driving applications. RACV Total Care takes care of the rest.
Legal weight considerations apply.
I also carry:
- two screwdriver sets (one for car and one for van;
- a set of metric and imperial sockets;
- a set of ring/open ended spanners in metric;
- pop rivet gun and pop rivets;
- two vise grips;
- multi grips;
- fencing and insulated pliers
- side cutters;
- needle nosed pliers;
- two cold chisels;
- a 1 inch wood chisel;
- a set of Nicholson files;
- hacksaw and blades;
- offset ring spanners;
- varying sizes of shifters from small to 12 inch
- pin punch and nail punch
- spare 2.5 tonne bow shackles
- zip ties in three sizes
- insulation tape
- 100 mile an hour tape;
- cutting discs for grinder skin;
- a full set of drill bits, including spade bits and a couple of masonry bits;
- a large and a small mastik gun;
- Polyurethane sealant;
- Silastic;
- Liquid Nails;
- spare nozzles for tubes of sealants;
- two Stanley knives;
- spare Stanley Knife Blades;
- screws, both metal thread and woodscrews;
- Funnel
and other bits and pieces as needed.
As for the cad program, I really have grown tired of learning all that stuff, so probably won't bother with another program, but I do miss being able to sketch out projects in scale, complete with sizing etc. I have also gone and deleted all of my drawings from the laptop.
My only major projects left to do, are making a cover to go over our, exterior mounted diesel heater, and some method of storing saucepan lids. And apart from making a few storage boxes to take up the last few cubic cm's in the ute canopy, that's about it.