The best portable Tool kit for trackdays/race weekends

[Crconnor18]

I’ve been itching to perfect my current “mobile” tool kit/cart and looking to see if anyone has perfected the track side tool rig.

Wants:

Compact/ small foot print to take up little space in my little 6x10 enclosed.
On wheels of some sort to roll in & out of my trailer.
Drawers for tool access
Space for some power tools & fluids
Self standing (Not needing a table or such)
Lockable for travel ease


Current setup:

Craftsman 12 drawer top box strapped on a HF 3-shelf red metal cart. Bottom 2 shelves hold fluids & power tools.

Prospects:

Milwaukee pack out

Beta tool trolly (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Beta-15-...7S-G/305573542)

Beta tool cart (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Beta-21-...1H-O/305572111)

HF 5 drawer cart (https://www.harborfreight.com/30-in-...BoCoMgQAvD_BwE)

I understand a number of these are big money boxes new. Heck I may even just get a welder and fab something up and very much not opposed to buying second hand. I don’t want to have a larger foot print than what I already have as I’m limited within the trailer. I’m probably going to binge a number of supplies I don’t need to bring with me to allow a smaller box.

Anyone have the “hot setup” for track side tools?

[number9]

I’ve been itching to perfect my current “mobile” tool kit/cart and looking to see if anyone has perfected the track side tool rig.

Wants:

Compact/ small foot print to take up little space in my little 6x10 enclosed.
On wheels of some sort to roll in & out of my trailer.
Drawers for tool access
Space for some power tools & fluids
Self standing (Not needing a table or such)
Lockable for travel ease


Current setup:

Craftsman 12 drawer top box strapped on a HF 3-shelf red metal cart. Bottom 2 shelves hold fluids & power tools.

Prospects:

Milwaukee pack out

Beta tool trolly (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Beta-15-...7S-G/305573542)

Beta tool cart (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Beta-21-...1H-O/305572111)

HF 5 drawer cart (https://www.harborfreight.com/30-in-...BoCoMgQAvD_BwE)

I understand a number of these are big money boxes new. Heck I may even just get a welder and fab something up and very much not opposed to buying second hand. I don’t want to have a larger foot print than what I already have as I’m limited within the trailer. I’m probably going to binge a number of supplies I don’t need to bring with me to allow a smaller box.

Anyone have the “hot setup” for track side tools?

Holy shit, Home Depot sells Beta now?!

[Kurlon]

I've seen some nice cart setups, I've coveted them... I carry a toolbox and multiple totes, pain to haul out in multiple trips, then haul back at the end of the event, unload at home... blah blah blah. This last year I started looking at what I'm shuffling around and realized that a lot of what I've been lugging never actually gets used. So I've stopped bringing it. My toolbox is a bit lighter, I have a chemical/etc tote that I don't bother dragging out to the garage, it's got me questioning if I 'need' a full cart now? I'm curious to see what you end up going with, might follow suit if I think it'd work in my rig?

[RandyO]

I have a Montezuma Triangle box, I like it over a drawer box for the most commonly used tools, I plan on more Montezuma storage. My understanding, that Montezuma either mfgs or used to mfg, Snap-On boxes

https://www.montezumastorage.com/

[keeena]

I have had this for years. Being a tool junkie i've wanted to get a bigger rolling cabinet, but honestly this thing fits the bill very well: great value ($90 vs. $600 for the Beta) and quite compact given what you can fit in it. I'd give it a quick look.

Stanley Cantilever (fixed link)

Bottom: 4x of those plastic parts organizers with a ton of hardware (nuts and bolts), FSM, hammer, cordless drill/impact, chain tool, basic spares (bars, pegs)
Middle: zip ties, wrenches, screw drivers, pliers, tape, blow gun bits, safety wire, PB front stand pins, drill bits, hex bits, etc...
Top: multiple socket racks with mostly metric sockets, torx & allen, square drive wrenches, extensions, etc...

I leave fluids in a Rubbermaid bin in my pickup bed to keep the stink out of the trailer.

[number9]

I have had this for years. Being a tool junkie i've wanted to get a bigger rolling cabinet, but honestly this thing fits the bill very well: great value ($90 vs. $600 for the Beta) and quite compact given what you can fit in it. I'd give it a quick look.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-...ol-Box-020800R

404 on that link

[golden chicken]

Don't carry full sets of sockets or wrenches if your bike only needs 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, etc.

I know it feels weird to pull out just the ones you need, but it'll significantly pare down the tools if you only bring what the bike requires.

[Vovchandr]

After going through a similar decision making I've realized I don't specifically need a tool cart of sorts for the trailer and it made more sense to get a portable tool box with all the basics where all items already have their place and are organized.

After buying a ~270 piece kit from Husky when it was on sale for $100, and doing a lot of analyzing of kits after I also went out to HF and bought their 301pc to use in the trailer.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechan...hanic+tool+set

Very solid piece of kit that has most pieces I used to bring back and forth to the trailer and back to garage for track days.



It's still not perfect but by stocking just a few more wrenches, picks and other misc tools it covers most basis.

[Kurlon]

Toss all the SAE stuff and halve the weight.

[Vovchandr]

Toss all the SAE stuff and halve the weight.

That's actually a decent point

[number9]

Don't carry full sets of sockets or wrenches if your bike only needs 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, etc.

I know it feels weird to pull out just the ones you need, but it'll significantly pare down the tools if you only bring what the bike requires.

Motion Pro t-handle set for the win.

[sdog30]

https://m.sears.com/Craftsman-165-Pi...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[sdog30]

I have used a set like this craftsman for years. It keeps ask the tools arranged. Pretty much had all you need. The tools it didn't have, like a half inch drive and large socket for the rear Axle bolt, I added to the open space it has for other tools. And it fits great under your bikes belly pan in the trailer. And then on the bottom shelf of the bench at Loudon.

[sdog30]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-...800R/202262088

Then I use this for race specific stuff. Extra parts, knee pucks, retractable cord for warmers in the bottom. Pressure gauge, safety wire, ear plugs on the top.

[OreoGaborio]

I have had this for years. Being a tool junkie i've wanted to get a bigger rolling cabinet, but honestly this thing fits the bill very well: great value ($90 vs. $600 for the Beta) and quite compact given what you can fit in it. I'd give it a quick look.

Stanley Cantilever (fixed link)

Bottom: 4x of those plastic parts organizers with a ton of hardware (nuts and bolts), FSM, hammer, cordless drill/impact, chain tool, basic spares (bars, pegs)
Middle: zip ties, wrenches, screw drivers, pliers, tape, blow gun bits, safety wire, PB front stand pins, drill bits, hex bits, etc...
Top: multiple socket racks with mostly metric sockets, torx & allen, square drive wrenches, extensions, etc...

I leave fluids in a Rubbermaid bin in my pickup bed to keep the stink out of the trailer.

FYI this thing is now on sale for 70.

I'm in!

[MUZ720]

Been using this for a while now and it works well, standard HF quality ,draws slide well, The top was bent slightly out of the box but drawer system locks correctly ... Casters roll smoothly only two swivel i am going to upgrade that. not to big but holds everything I should need for the track. https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-s...ack-64818.html
Edit: The side table is not included and of course costs extra...

[golden chicken]

The Blue Point carts I bought for work had 4 wheel swivel casters. It is useful sometimes but most of the time made me struggle more with controlling the cart when pushing it around the shop. I went the opposite way and added two fixed casters to the one in current use and it really only is a problem if I park it a little too close to what I'm doing and I want to walk in between the car and the cart on the fixed wheel end, and MUCH easier to steer around. Might not be as big an issue if you keep the overall weight of the cart lower than I do.

[Vovchandr]

FYI this thing is now on sale for 70.

I'm in!

Seriously considering picking one up.

Went to the store to discover they are ship-in only unfortunately.

[loudbeard]

Not track tools, but I figured this was a good spot to share the travel tool kit I've built out. Looking at this may give you some ideas on some cool options on a trackside kit. Prerequisite for my kit is it must be carriable as I do a lot of air travel with it. I settled on the Pelican Air 1555 with TrekPak divider system. I *HIGHLY* recommend the TrekPak system, it allows you to very easily build a custom divider system which is nice and sturdy. I was able to configure my divider system where the various kits have balanced the weight and carry is level, albeit a bit heavy (41 pounds.)



I use the Klein Tool Pouches for storing different categories of tools; one for screwdrivers, one for L-keys, one for mechanical, one for electrical. I also found a nice hard case to hold my meter and test probes.



Lastly I have a few kits from Wera Tools; the wrench sets are self-explanatory, the cool stuff are the Zyklops kits. There are quite a lot of different kits out there, I went with 1/4 drive Metric and SAE kits that have 6 point sockets and 50mm bits.

[loudbeard]

A bit further on the Pelican Trekpak...

You don't have to buy a case to get the dividers. You can buy a divider kit and put it in whatever the hell you want. IMO I think it would be perfect to setup in the drawer of a rolling tool box.

[Paul_E_D]

I have found the best thing to be a Williams tool case for the essentials and a rolling bin for the bigger stuff. The huge advantage of a store bought tool breifcase style kit is that you can easily see if you are missing anything at the end of each day. Rolling chests etc, are just messy and inevitably tools get lost.

I think this is the one I got: https://www.protorquetools.com/89-pi...RoCV7QQAvD_BwE

[feralchimp]

LB that setup is satisfying as hell. You done good.

[loudbeard]

LB that setup is satisfying as hell. You done good.

Appreciate it, I've spent many hours agonizing over what to bring, what not to. Arguably I bring too much. The sites I travel to all have 24/7 maintenance staff, they all have roll around tool boxes plus a machine shop.

One of the nice things about the Wera Zyklops kits I have is although they come stocked with 1/4" x 50mm bits that have phillips, hex, and torx. Really the way to look at it is there are 15 slots to put whatever 1/4" x 50mm bits you like. I'm thinking about ditching the 6 phillips bits in each kit to fill with safety torx and/or external hex bits.

[tls25rs]

The huge advantage of a store bought tool breifcase style kit is that you can easily see if you are missing anything at the end of each day.

Agreed on the ability to see if anything is missing but the one major downside to the store bought briefcase type kits is the amount of space they take up for what you can carry.

For tool kits like loudbeard's and the tools I travel with for work, the need to fit more stuff into less space and make it manageable for travel is key. I also have a similar Pelican case (mine is yellow, go figure) but my internal organization is not even in the same league as loudbeard. I could argue that I have more tools at my disposal but it would be nice to organize my collection a little better.

For those who are interested check out the facebook group "tool box wars"

[Crconnor18]

Loudbeard, I think you just won with the best setup. Thank you for this!

Definitely going to steal these ideas and making something like this. Plenty of spare pelican cases at work to utilize as well for something.