Auto equipment is a major part of the manufacturing and repairing of vehicles. The progress in technology has indeed added a lot of perks when it comes to convenience. Mechanical products are known for their ability to live very long lives. We’ve seen cars that have been in use for decades and still in good operational health, thanks to perfecting the art of auto maintenance. The variations in equipment have enabled mechanics and car enthusiasts to repair almost any damage done to a car, not to mention adding modifications that can even improve its performance. Auto equipment ranges from simple handheld tools like wrenches to huge lifts that can lift heavy trucks with absolute ease and safety.
If you’re thinking about getting into the auto business, you need to take into consideration some essential viewpoints. Being knowledgeable about business and marketing is important, but neglecting the importance of knowledge about basic auto equipment can be a recipe for disaster. A vast array of auto equipment should always be present in any good auto shop for it to be operational.
We’ll be presenting you with the most essential tools and why it’s important to learn about them.
Lifts
Auto mechanics used to dig a hole in the ground to be able to get a look at the car and this process took a lot of effort and money, not to mention the risks involved with getting a car on the ramp with a hole underneath. Inground lifts were the alternative back then and they weren’t that helpful as they required a lot of preparation from excavation to maintenance. More modern forms have appeared that made the process easier. Heavy equipment gurus at HoistNow.com advise taking into consideration the actual application of these auto lifts to know which one would suit your needs. From low-rise frame engaging to scissor lifts, there are 3 main determinants to help you decide:
- Capacity: Depending on the type of vehicle, you may need a 2-post lift to carry up to 9 tons, or if it’s an average vehicle, a low-rise can handle up to 3 tons.
- Height: Depending on the space and the repairs being made, the maximum height of a lift can make a difference. 4-post lifts can raise cars to 14 feet, while low-rise lifts won’t provide much height.
- Speed: This refers to the time it takes for a lift to fully lift a car to the desired height. This only matters in auto shops with a heavy workload, where minutes add up unnecessarily.
Wrenches
You can’t really expect to work on any vehicle in the world without having a good set of wrenches by your side. The variety of wrenches can be confusing at first when you’re still making new purchases; from 6mm to 24mm wrenches are available and used for auto operations. It’s recommended to look for wrenches made with good materials that can last years under heavy punishment, such as chrome-vanadium alloys.
Depending on the types of vehicles you’ll be working on, you’ll have to choose between metric and standard wrenches as every mm can make a big difference. A set of wrenches should always have open-end, box-end, flare-nut, tube, line, adjustable, and flex-head wrenches for the highest amount of versatility.
Screwdrivers
Any mechanical object most probably has screws connecting different pieces together, especially when it comes to auto parts. Screwdrivers are the most basic tools that you should always keep around you. Due to the complexity of some of the required repairs and maintenance that’s done on different vehicles, there is no such thing as a screwdriver that’s perfect for all jobs.
Screws come in different shapes and sizes, making it very important to have a set of screwdrivers that would work for the job at hand. The most popular are flathead and Phillips-head screwdrivers. If you’re looking to up the ante a little, you can go for powered screwdrivers that use electricity to power a motor to quickly unscrew any type of screw in less than a few seconds. They usually use rechargeable batteries to keep them wireless.
Hammers
You’d be hard-pressed to find a manual job that doesn’t involve hammers. The best thing about hammers is that they’re versatile and can be used for different purposes with ease. Auto jobs done on the exterior of the car sometimes require some hitting by the hammer to be properly mended with suitable force. You can also use it to take out anything stuck in the body of the car, or pry a nail off the tires.
Sometimes, components of a vehicle can be jammed with dirt, grease, and other debris; this is when using the hammer to get something like a ball joint off proves to be quite useful. Hammers can be dangerous if they don’t have a good grip and composition. Always be sure to go for rubber handlebars for maximum efficiency. Ball-peen hammers are the most commonly found hammers in any auto equipment toolset.
Electronic diagnostic equipment
Auto electronic diagnostic equipment helps owners and mechanics to identify problems and deal with them while saving a lot of time and effort in the process. Tools like on-board diagnostic scanners use many sensors on different systems in the car to derive important data that can help you repair it efficiently.
An auto shop always has electronic diagnostic equipment to compare the data obtained from it to the standards provided by car manufacturers to ensure that everything is running according to plan. Usually, the type of problems identified using such equipment is electromechanical and electrical. Depending on the type of diagnostic equipment, having some background information on these devices can help both drivers and mechanics straightforwardly tackle issues thanks to their reliability and accuracy.
Learning about auto equipment is the first step toward becoming the master of your mechanical domain. You wouldn’t believe how some simple information about basic equipment can save you hours that can be lost if you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with a defunct car. An auto business involves a lot of technicalities, so you should always ensure that you know the basics before moving on to more complex matters.
Featured image: Gratisography/Pexels
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