What tools and other ?

[MikeB_374236518]

I was wondering what I should put in my caravan toolbox. I recently saw a group test of boxed tool sets and when I was in Halfords recently, I picked one up to see how heavy it was. My right hand seems longer now. It seems to me to be over kill as I wouldn't use most of the tools. What is in your toolbox?

Also is a torque wrench really necessary?

A caravanning friend has a second battery he charges in a special battery box in the boot of his car. I like the idea of not having to rely on hook ups. Could the electricity literate please let me know the pros. and cons?

I've bought a water hog and as I have not used a site in this hemisphere I was wondering if you need your own hose to fill it up?

 

[BeemerMal]

Hi Mike, It depends really on what you intend to do whilst away as to what tools you need to take. They can be very heavy and often are unnessesary weight to lug around. Many have a belt and braces approach to carrying everything, just in case. I carry the following:

2 different sized adjustable spanners

Mole wrench

1 set of metric spanners 6mm to 16mm

Pair of Pliars

Philips and Normal screwdrivers

Spare set of fuses and bulbs

Hammer...always a good fall back..lol

Insulating tape

Small tube of Glue

Assortment of screws, nuts and bolts in an old tobacco tin

I do not carry a torque wrench.

One thing to remember if you are in difficulty on site there are usually enough friendly faces around who are more than willing to lend a hand or a tool. We are a friendly bunch???

Be careful if you plan to carry a second leasure battery in your car. It must be properly secured and it also requires venting so the chemical fumes don't get into the passenger comparment.

Normal water collection in the uk is by taking your water carrier to one of the site water points. This can require (but not always) a short piece of hose that fits over the tap and into the carrier...otherwise the water tends to splash all over. You can buy these pipes from caravan shops.

 

[Royston]

I always carry a torque wrench as part of my kit, you can have problems with overtightning your wheel nuts as well as under tightning.

I bought a ABI dalesman many years ago , upon taking the wheels of to replace with axle stands for overwintering, discovered that some of the holes in both wheels where oval shaped , due as I was told by my local garage to have been overtightened, had them replaced since then I have always used the Torque wrench with no problems.

Royston

Royston

 

[rob_jax]

Mike,

Aside from a very small toolkit comprising a screwdriver with interchangeable bits, one set of adjustable grips, and a DVM (someone else always seems to have an electrical problem), I take the view that anything that I need is usually available from the local Halfords or B&Q, or Gamma in Holland, Leroy Merlin in France, etc. We do have an Eriba, so things don't break or fail.

I use one of the extending handle wheel-nut braces for both car and caravan. It's quite easy to teach yourself the "feel" of the correct torque if you have a quality torque wrench at home - and unless your torque wrench has a calibration certificate (probable cost in excess of

 

[Lol1]

I saw that test too and wondered exactly what the author did on holiday! I keep a basic kit, designed to get me through on an emergency principle, As Rob_Jax says, there is usually a local B&Q or Halfords if you need more.

Insulation tape/duck tape.

Screwdrivers posi and flat blade.

Ring spanners with one open end, various.

Snips.

Pliers.

Water pump wrench.

Technicians Hammer.

Stanley knife.

Multimeter.

Various self tapping screws and bolts/nuts.

All fit into a small tool box, and kept out of the way.

Not sure quite what you mean by filling the water hog, but if it's the short piece of hose that connects to the site tap your talking about, then yes, you will need one as a lot of sites do not supply it.

If you don't use mains on site, then a second battery in the boot of your car is a great idea, just bear in mind that most sites do supply hookup and it is often included in the price.

 

[MikeS1]

PCV did a feature on this. There's a summary here on the website

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/features/touring-tools.html

 

[MikeB_374236518]

PCV did a feature on this. There's a summary here on the website

]http://www.practicalcaravan.com/features/touring-tools.html

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/features/touring-tools.html[/quote
Thanks every one for your replies . The link Mike S gave is quit a long list, don't think I know how to use some of them, no torque wrench mentioned.