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… but when you need them, they make all of the difference in the world. I hate to say this, but half my tools are falling under this category. Then there is another; tools you don’t really need but they sure make the job go easier, and a little faster. I was going to buy a few recently and it keeps coming into my head that it will probably take me years to get my money back, as of now, I am just making my day easier.
Right now I’m looking at some hub tools, like the OTC 6575 Hub grappler, might even step it up to the H hydrolic unit. I do hub bearings about once or twice a month. The main thing about a hub kit is the adapters, and the right one’s. The second advantage is that I can do the job on the car. The thing is, that is between $400-800 for this setup. Right now, we have a shop press, a crap one, but it works. Most of my adapters are old races and some other tools really made for other thigns and I can improvise. Hub bearings as any pro knows, sometimes they are gravy, but sometimes they are a royal PITA.
I have some tools like a port-o-power and a really big slide hammer as well as some otheres, that I might not even need but once a year, but when I need them, I’m glad I have them.
Anyone want to list some tools in this category?
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[quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=127874]Then there is another; tools you don’t really need but they sure make the job go easier, and a little faster. I was going to buy a few recently and it keeps coming into my head that it will probably take me years to get my money back, as of now, I am just making my day easier.[/quote]
Considering that in this job, time really is money, any tool that makes a job go faster makes the return on investment come sooner than you think. I think that I’ve cost myself some money by actually having those tools that make a job go faster. I have a couple friends in the shop that I will loan tools to without hesitation. I’ve helped them get a job done fast enough they get to pick up the next gravy job I could have snagged had I just got my own work done first and then loaned them that tool.
Excellent point. Get the “PITA” job done and over with so you can get onto the next job, so not only does it save you time and make your money faster but gets you the next job, making more.
Recently I had a u-joint replacement on a titan. One side went fine but due to the shape of the other side, a vice would not work, nor would the press. It pays 1.5 and well, I was 2hrs in and finally got the U-joint/ball joint tool and zipped right through it. Went from PITA to gravy.
First I want to show you another bearing tool option that is better and cheaper than the HubTamer, but needs a couple extra pieces to truly shine. It starts with This Baum Tools wheel bearing kit, and then you want to add on a large roller bearing and some appropriate washers to avoid the inherent Galling that would occur under the nut as you tighten it. The HubTamer also neglects to come with a bearing and could be improved with one as well. The luxury add-on is a puller to remove the inner race that’s stuck on your hub, which comes right out of the HubTamer kit along with the small Steel disc to put between the hub and the puller’s forcing screw. I’ve also got a super long forcing screw that I never need and don’t recommend seeking out. Tools used to operate the tool are a 1/2″ breaker bar with a 1 1/2″ shallow socket and a 1/2″ ratchet with 1 1/4″ deep socket (both 2ft handles).
Here is what mine looks like compared to the stock set:
The reasons this setup is better than the HubTamer are few but important. Foremost, the forcing screw is larger, tougher, and has massive threads compared to the OTC screw (which I’ve seen fail during a job multiple times). I’ve been using this tool for 7 years without a failure and have only had to do some minor/basic cleanup of thread galling on the screw a couple times to keep it working like new. The other reason it’s better is it contains far less pieces and takes up less space while still doing the same job more easily.
My on topic contribution is my transmission drawer. It’s a $3000 drawer that gets rare use but one you’ve got a transmission open on the bench, holy good god damn do these tools keep me fearless. They will pull anything apart with incredible smoothness and precision. It’s the complete set of Snap-On CJ series interchangeable bar and jaw type puller sets and bearing separators. I always wanted them and about a year ago they came around on sale so I pulled the trigger because the sale shaved about $600 off the price of all of them.
Here is a video showing the 3 jaw setup in action at about the 3:00 mark:
Thinking about buying a Modis myself although I think I would rarely use it especially in the diesel field I think it will become incredibly useful with the aftertreatment add ons that we rarely get any information on till they have been out for 6mo to a yr.
The MODIS actually has software support for commercial trucks and its scope is a universal fit for anything with a license plate on it. Be careful not to buy the first design of the MODIS though. It’s not bad, but they updated the hardware and made it a little faster in 05ish. You can see the difference in the case molding around the screen. They’re not without their flaws and quirks though. Updating the software is stupid expensive. For the car market, you’d only need to update the software every three to four years. Three to four years is about when new car warranties start expiring so then the software becomes relevant. Mine has a bad tendency to go all the way back to the root menu if I try to go back to the drivability menu options from the PID data. The scope can skew DC voltages into the negative range. I basically got burned buying mine used off eBay, but I’m still happy to have it on hand when needed and I’ll get it fixed when I can afford to. If you’re going to try eBay, there’s a guy that sells them refurbished with updated software for around $2500 a pop. I didn’t have that much to spend at the time, or I’d have went for one myself.
I plan on buying a used one off of a tool truck. I do not see me using the other features of it as they do not do Big Rigs and that is what I work on currently. I am mainly buying it to have a reasonably indestructible 4 channel scope. To get one that hooks to a laptop it will cost slightly less. While the added features of the Modis will be nice I doubt I will have any use for them outside of fixing family and friends cars. There is little to no information on Big Rigs and using a scope that I am aware of. While the scan tool we have allows you to monitor a fair number of voltages you can not measure amperage and you also cannot look for noise on a wire. I wanted 4 channel for that reason so i can overlay voltage and amperage in real time and also compare and contrast sensor values.
I just picked up an OTC EVAP leak tamer. I think it qualifies as an expensive tool, with limited use, but when you need it, you gotta have it… Finding pinhole leaks without one is damm near an impossibility…
P.S. Mr. Snappy has me really drooling over a Solus Ultra… New for $2800, No keys, Ya get the next years update for free, has 1 year free fast track…. I am also stuck with a sub-par MODIS….. Still does the bi-directional stuff and has the lab scope, but has a dim screen and for some reason won’t read live data… Snappy says it will be $1000 to fix… 🙁
JMHO
-Karl
Our shop uses that LeakTamer and it’s been working great for years. We also got a Solus Ultra recently and it is really nice compared to the Solus Pro we replaced with it.
[quote=”Fopeano” post=128041]Our shop uses that LeakTamer and it’s been working great for years. We also got a Solus Ultra recently and it is really nice compared to the Solus Pro we replaced with it.[/quote]
That is great to hear… Snappy told me he sold 10 of them and has had no complaints….
I had the opportunity to buy a 1st GEN Verus for $1300 with the latest software, but after reading online about all the problems, the slow speed and techs regretting they traded in a Modis for it (and wished they had their Modis back) I decided to pass…
🙂
-Karl
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