Working in small business, spread out over two locations, we end up doing 99% of our maintenance and repair on our own, whether it's plumbing, electrical, natural gas, structural, carpenter work, tractor, generator, truck mechanic, welding, etc.... heck I even do the bulk of the IT work in addition to working on everything else a small business needs, sales, hr, planning, management, research, marketing etc. Almost the same kind of stuff you'd face on a family farm.

Winter time means more maintenance issues. Issues that usually have to be addressed right fucking now. I'm trying to get all of my tools reorganized. And given the nature of my work, basically I work out of the back of my pickup truck with a locking tonneau cover.

Right now, I've got the majority of my tools contained in two tool totes (one is a husky, the other is more of a soft tote). The primary soft tote is loaded with so many tools, it tends to fall over and needs to be lightened. Then I 've got most everything else in 2 husky canvas tool bags, and stuff like pipe wrenches and circular saws stay in a plastic trunk in the bed of the truck. The whole thing turns into a giant cluster fuck almost overnight when we have issues that pop up.

How do professional maintenance guys sort and organize their tools? I've seen welding teams with their own golf cart rigged out with enough gear to handle 99% of the problems, but being small, we don't have teams.

I guess I'm looking for organization suggestions for a one man fix it team.

When I need to be mobile I generally kit out bags by "type."  I've got a household wiring bag, a plumbing box, a mechanic bag, a cordless bag, a fastener/consumable bag organized in stanely containers (also by type, like electrical connectors, nuts/bolts/faseners/ etc).

Most issues that pop up I can grab 1 or 2 bags and have everything I need.


My maintenance guys each have an electric buggy with a roller chest on the back.  90% of what they need for most issues fits in the tool box.  The other 10% down in the shop in joboxes or whatever is just a cart ride away.

Add some five gallon buckets that could be used to ferry tools or debris etc...

Have a bag for each style of work.



The guy I did labor for and I finally gave up on being tough guys and put all the tools sorted by job style in different rubbermaid tubs and hauled shit around on a handcart.  It made clean up a freaking snap.  Tools come out of the bin, go in the bin, on the cart, slammed in the truck or conex and bam, gone.

kennedy boxes for precision tools, old kennedy boxes for everything else. (Kennedy still makes precision/machinist boxes in the USA, but sold out rights to cantilevers and fliptops to homak overseas. still a decent product)

I have one large kennedy machinist box at about 100 Lbs with all precision tools, mics, indicators, etc (all starrett), one cantilever with electrical tools (weller soldering iron, simpson analog and fluke digital meters, crimpers strippers, etc), one flip top with 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" drive sets, allen plugs, wrenches, extentions. one flip top with brass wedges, softeners, punches, transfer punches, chisels, hammers, deadblows, etc.
one for plyers, channellocks, vice grips, screw drivers, pipe wrenches, etc.
depends on what your working on really

Sound like you need a new primary tool bag. If it can't stand up straight then that's where most of my issues would come from.

I'm in a similar predicament. Small family buisness and I need to Be able to fix anything.

My biggest suggestion if get a more rigid primary and also buy a "megapro stainless screwdriver"

Yes, I either need to thin this bag down or move to a bigger bag. Like I said, it dumped out in the bed this morning and I just realized I'm missing my needle nose pliers.

Chest is out. Our buildings are 100ft long with walkways as narrow as 16 inches. I hate walking up and down those things to get a wrench or screwdriver out of the truck.

Get an arcteryx ruck....ILBE too.



Oh yeah, you'll need a plate carrier also.

*bump*

This. Before I moved to an office position I carried 6 of these in my pickup organized by the type of work I was doing. The 5 gallon bucket organizers are good also for long tools, too deep for some things.

I keep the stuff I didn't use as much in pack rat slide out toolboxes and chest tool boxes. All the tool bags and parts fit in the compartments on my utility bed. the chest boxes, welder and pack rats went in the bed.

Tool Kit People

I have a large engineer's kit that is too damn heavy.  Shit is real bad when I need to break it out.  Mostly I use a small kit with a shoulder strap that takes care of 95% of the things I need to do in a day.

Then there is a Pelican case with non-magnetic tools.

Radiation measurement gear.

Fluke meter.

Hepa anti-static vacuum cleaner.  

Yup, I am the typical arfcom printer repair man.