craigjacob1

I have seen an attempt at starting this thread a few times, but the ball never seems to get rolling.

The items listed are intended to fit inside of a tool box.

I would just like to share my opinions for an ideal XJ trail or roadside tool kit. Many of the listed tools I own, and am confident recommending to anyone.

It is actually less expensive to buy sockets and wrenches in sets, then just leave out the items that you may not need. All of the pictured items carry a lifetime warranty.


Snap On FX80A 3/8" Locking Flex Head Ratchet - $100 ish used.
I opt to carry a high quality 3/8" drive ratchet with 3/8" sockets, 3/8" breaker bar, and a 1/2" breaker bar for the axle nuts.
A spare rebuild kit for this ratchet is $15, and takes up very little room.





TEKTON 47926 13 Piece 12 Point Deep Metric Impact Socket Set -
TEKTON 47921 12 Piece 12 Point Deep Standard Impact Socket Set
$35 each on amazon. Very highly rated.
At home I use 6 point chrome sockets whenever possible, but I think 12 point sockets are a better option for a road side kit. They are more versatile than 6 point, and far less likely to break than chrome 12 points.
Deep 12 point sockets will work 90% of the time. Wrenches will work for the other 9%




TEKTON 2905 3/8-Inch Drive Manual Hand Impact Driver Around $15
Not 100% necessary, but very useful in the right situation.






Snap On 207EFTXYSE 7 Piece 3/8 Stubby Torx Set $125 used
This is only torx set I am actually comfortable recommending to anyone.





GearWrench 35720 20 Piece Ratcheting Combination Wrench Set You can find them for around $50. The 1/4" doubles up as a low profile bit driver as well.






Snap On SGDMRC44 Ratcheting Screwdriver Expensive, But Worth Every Penny.
You can get more torque out of this than the stubby version.
They also make a longer shank for the screwdriver that is slightly more useful.




Knipex 86 03 250 10" Adjustable Pliers Takes the place of an adjustable wrench




Knipex 87 01 300 12" Cobra Pliers




Knipex 74 01 200 8" High Leverage Diagonal Cutter



Other Useful Items:

3/8" and 1/2" breaker bars - smaller breaker bars with a cheater bar will make the set more compact. Just about any brand will work

3/8" Drive Universal Joint - If you get one for a high quality impact joint it will probably last forever.

3/8" Drive Extensions 12" and 6" should be a nice combination - Again I recommend impact extensions

3/8" Drive to 1/4" Hex Bit Adapter

36mm Socket

13/16" Spark Plug Socket

Screwdriver Bit Set (or screwdrivers) - Phillips #1 #2 #3 / Flat Tips / Smaller High Quality Torx Bits.

1/4" and 5/16" Nut Driver Bits For Hose Clamps

Medium Sized Hammer

Pry Bar

Needle Nose Pliers

Hex Keys or 3/8" Hex Bits Wera Hex Plus / Torx Plus Keys are a great option. Bondhus also makes quality hex keys.

Needle Files



Other Ideas:

Extendable Magnet Pickup

O-Ring Pick

Cotter Pins

RTV Gasket Maker / Sealer

PB Blaster

Flashlight

Utility Knife

Zip Ties

Wire / Wire Connectors / wire crimpers

Circuit Tester or Multimeter

Electric Tape

Fuses

JB Weld

Tire Gauge

Tire Patch Kit

Emergency Bottom Shelf Whiskey


I'm sure I'm missing a few necessary tools.

Please feel free to add any information or thoughts to the discussion!

Martlor13

Dang all the tools you listed at first are what you'd find at a very reputable mechanic shop. You a mobile mechanic? Haha. Very expensive tools you carry around. Me, I just have a kobalt tool set and a few extras. Covers most things I would need. If not, all those favors I do for my friends better be repayed! Haha!

I have a box that's in the back of my jeep with all fluids, tarps, belts, tape, and a few other odds and ends. That's the extent of what I got.

Motojunky

I was just thinking about this very thing. I put a bag together with tools from my garage box and have been running out to the Jeep from time to time to grab tools that aren't in the garage. I think it's time to put a dedicated kit together to keep in the Jeep so I can keep my primary tools where they belong. I appreciate good tools, but don't want to spend big $$ for this application. I have a 1/4" Kobalt socket set that someone gave me years ago and I've been impressed with the level of quality. A quick look, shows this set on sale:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-138-...-Case/50200791

It seems like a decent starting point and is inexpensive (sale ends today). It's certainly not complete.

craigjacob1

A kit like this is also great for the scrapyard. For now I have mine in a 5 gallon bucket organizer, but locking them in a box is a much getter idea.

Less expensive tools will certainly get the job done. You could go with a pittsburgh ratchet as long as you use the breaker bar to loosen the stubborn fasteners.
If I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere I just like the idea of having tools that are less likely to fail. The snap on 3/8" ratchet can probably handle as much stress as a lot of cheaper 1/2" ratchets.

The 3/8" 12 point deep sets will cover almost everything. You could get shallow / deep / 6 point / 12 point based on what you need to carry, but they are about $5 each when purchased individually. Eliminating the 1/4" and 1/2" sets decreases the bulk of a tool kit.

I don't think pittsburgh makes a 3/8" 12 point deep impact socket set. The tekton sets are usually in the same price range, but have extremely high ratings. They also don't skip sizes, and come with the cases. The tekton sets are made in Taiwan.

The gearwrench set is actually a good deal at $50. A regular set of combination wrenches would work fine, and would actually be more reliable in the long run. Ratcheting wrenches are just easier to use.

As for the ratcheting screwdriver... The snap on is the only one I have owned that I haven't broken. It also has a water tight removable end cap for storing extra bits. You can also put your we*d in it. It won't fit into every spot, but I think that having the option for multiple bits makes up for it. A non ratcheting bit driver works too.

I listed the knipex pliers because a good portion of the time you grab pliers you're already in trouble. The cobra pliers for example can grab onto a socket if your ratchet breaks, or remove a severely rounded bolt. If you go with the knipex adjustable pliers they will probably be used more than anything else in the kit.

+1 that looks like a pretty good set for $70.

Motojunky

I agree. For me, and for this application, it's about a balance between cost and tools that I'm confident in. I am not confident in Pittsburgh tools for the most part.

You got me thinking here. I kinda got away from a lot of car/truck fiddling in the early 90s as I got heavily into motorcycles. 1/4" are always my go to there, and have become my preference for any work that doesn't require larger tools. I probably don't need 1/4" in my "travel kit." Same with most of the 1/2 stuff.


Pliers are a funny thing. Before you've really learned how to wrench, you use them in all the wrong places and often cause trouble. When used at the right time, they certainly are a critical tool to have.

I grabbed it on the way home yesterday just because it was marked down so much and the sale ended yesterday. If I decide it's not the right set, I'll take it back. With that in mind, I haven't even opened the box. I gotta make time to sit down and decide exactly what I want to carry.

Pelagius

I like how the OP included pictures and what he would use each took for and why it was in the kit. I lets people pick the quality of took they are comfortable with and also personalize the kit to the type of wheeling they do. Lots of good information, Thank you for taking the time to write it up!

Joshua White

Agreed, for folks looking to either do a sanity check about what they already have and why or the newbie just starting out this is a great visual.

Martlor13

Pittsburgh gets a bad rap, but honestly they aren't that bad. Their "pro" lineup is actually pretty decent. Made in Taiwan and not China like their regular line. We have quite a few of their tools on the shop. All have lasted great. Check out the reviews of their impact sockets. Not just on their website, but tool review sites and youtube. You'll be surprised how good they actually are. They skip a couple sizes, but for the price you can't beat them. I actually have a set of them and the tekton as well. I love both and they get used on a daily basis.

Motojunky

I have no experience with the pro line. It's good to hear that they may be decent. I had a couple of bad experiences with the standard line a long time ago and never looked back. I'll take a look.

TimV

A few thoughts to toss in here:
May be wise to be certain the necessaries for CPS replacement are included. ie E12(?), universal, and 3 feet worth of extensions.
Same thinking for hubs, 12 point 13mm(?).

jordan96xj

I try to carry what I need for a CPS swap, but what would the E12 be for? (just want to be sure I'm not missing something).

TimV

Seems somewhere I got it in my head that the CPS had the reverse torx bolts on it. From reading threads seems 11mm or 13mm depending on year?

investinwaffles

After having my XJ broken into several times, I only keep harbor freight tools in there any more. Plus all the tools you listed are probably as expensive as my entire rig, lol

- 12pt metric and imperial Sockets + 3/8 ratchet
- Torx, Philips, and flat head bits + ratcheting screwdriver + ratcheting right-angle screwdriver ($2 at harbor freight)
- Assortment of cheap pliers, side cutters, and a vice grip or two
- Hammer
- Big sturdy flat head for prying
​​​​​​- Starting fluid (also handy for re-seating a tire bead)
​​​​​​- Blue and Red loctite
- Zip Ties, bailing wire
- assortment if ratcheting straps, tow straps, and bungee cords.

​​​​​​
Probably less than $100 all said and done from Harbor Freight

I do also keep all critical engine sensors, fuses, bulbs, and a well hidden stash of money in case I need to bribe anyone for a ride/other reason. When you loose your wallet and are out of gas, you will learn that lesson the hard way, lol
​​​​​​

Rock Toy

I check out my Cherokee before I hit the trail, if something needs fixed I fix it. For trail repairs I carry open box end, and half, and 3/8 drive sockets. I also bring an assortment of screw drivers, pliers, hammer and chisel. Recovery equipment, hi-lift, impact wrench and C02 tank for tires and air tools.
They are cheap tools but do the job. I also bring wire ties, electrical tape, battery post cleaners, tire plugs, valve stems and cores.

Rogue4x4

Have watched this thread for a minute. Wanted to see where it went before offering my pair of coppers.

@craigjacob1

I can't argue with your tool selection. It is nice. I wish I could afford to stock my XJ with such a lineup. However, I can't in good faith do so. Maybe for my work box, but not my portables...

I do like how you addressed this in your second post...and I do, again, agree...better to have a tool you can depend on, especially in a pinch.

So I see your point, and agree to a certain extent...but that said, maybe picking one or two key components like a good ratchet or breaker bar is a great idea, the rest is negligible. Certain things that get used a lot, I see it.

Here's my story. Back in the day, when I started out wrenching my own rig, I was on a serious budget. Had child support, a mortgage, bills, blablablah....and I decided a Jeep was a good idea in all of this, haha...I had given up wrenching for a good many years at that point. Until I got my XJ.

So, the reasons I started wrenching again were:

A. I was trying to save money by doing it myself vs. taking it to a mechanic.
B. When I got my XJ, I wanted a project anyways.
C. Wanted to make sure it was done right from the get go.
D. Pride of ownership, and being able to say, "Yeah, I did that"
E. I really, really, missed working on my own cars.

By that time however, a lot of my tools had been either lost or stolen, I was on a shoestring budget, and wanted something that would cover all my bases, for the most part, all at once.

I got a HF 301 piece mechanic's tool kit. It had 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" drive sockets, in shallow and deep, as well as 6 and 12 point. Also had allen, torx, and square-bit sockets in those drives. All basic extensions, elbows, and adapters. Some combo wrenches...common sizes. Full handled screwdriver set, in flat, Phillips, torx... plus free Allen wrenches in SAE and metric, slip joint pliers, channel locks, linesman pliers, needle-nose, crescent wrench...just about anything you'd need, want, or would never use...LOL

It was my main toolkit for years. I used it in my garage, at the salvage yards, on the trail...you name it, it went there. Best part was, it was all in one blow molded case, so you knew when something was missing, instantly. This appeals to my inner OCD, haha

I have only broken a couple of things in that kit. All my fault. Either using tools other than intended, such as grabbing a screwdriver for a prybar, or busting an extension on a rusty bolt in the JY, or using a 3/8 ratchet for a 1/2" job...has been the ONLY time I've broken anything from that kit. Over several years. Of hard use. All of which got replaced. Lifetime warranty.

I liked the kit kit so much, I got a second one...why? The original blow molded case had plastic tabs to close it. One broke. So, I took it to work. It now resides in my Snap On toolbox to this day. Still going strong. The new one is in the back of my XJ. I've barely used it, but have faith that it will be just as good, if not better...the tooling has a better feel to it, and the blow molded case has buckles made from metal now.

I also have a Kennedy tool box I got from my pops way back when, a simple tool box. In that I put Vise Grips, Channel Locks, pry bars, hammers (dead blow, mini sledge, ball peen), ratcheting combo wrenches in SAE and metric, and all the miscellaneous things like electrical, etc...

Then I have milk crates. These only go with on the trail. They hold my spares, fluids, electric impact and sockets, and anything or everything else you can think of...first aid, trash bags, toilet paper...and I haven't even gotten started on camp gear yet, haha

My point is this...The 2 boxes (listed before the milk crates) is the majority of all I ever have needed, both in my driveway, and anywhere else. Between the two, I have EVERY tool you could want....
....for ANY job. AT ALL TIMES. The smaller box even has the bigger sockets for things like hub nut or pinion yoke...it was put together over time.

All that, for not much coin. Has never let me down, over many years.