First published: 25 June 2021 @ 6:00 pm
These days, they equip most of the vehicle repair shops with lots of hand tools for day to day activities. We can find vehicle repair hand tools in hardware stores and can make the vehicle repair shops run more efficiently and effectively.
The use of these power tools saves time and also ensures a good quality job. These tools are not expensive and are readily available in the market.
Some of the most common hand tools for automotive repairs include wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, hammers, ratchet set and other small tools.
These basic tools are ergonomic and also made from quality materials to ensure they last for a long time. This article discusses some of the most common hand tools in a vehicle repair shop.
Vehicle repair shop is an establishment where automotive service technicians and mechanics repair and maintain vehicles. These shops offer services like general maintenance, mechanical repairs, paint jobs and modifications of vehicles.
Most of these shops provide these services to individuals or organizations at a fee. In order to provide quality services, they equip vehicle repair hand tools that are used in different repair processes.
The common vehicle repair hand tools in a vehicle repair shop on a regular basis include:
1. Hammer
This tool is for drive nails into wood. Automotive service technicians and mechanics can also use it to break open objects such as concrete blocks and rocks. The hammer is long and light so that it can easily drive nails into wood or break up hard objects.
A good hammer should have a smooth handle and a head made from quality materials such as metal or wood.
2. Hacksaw
This tool is for cutting materials using a blade that is attached to a handle. The blade of the hacksaw has teeth on both sides of the blade which enable it to cut through objects such as metal, plastic and wood with ease.
3. Hose clamp pliers
We commonly know these pliers as hose clamp pliers because they are for fixing hose clamps on hoses. They have adjustable jaws which enable them to open and close depending on the size of the hose clamps in need of fixing on hoses.
They have a gripping surface at one end which is flat and wide while the other end has jaws which we can adjust depending on the size of the hose clamps.
4. Socket wrench
This tool is for removing and tightening bolts. It has a handle and a hexagonal shaped head which is flat on one side and tapered on the other side.
The hexagonal shape enables us to use it in different positions to tighten or loosen bolts. We use the socket wrench for automotive repairs, especially to perform mechanical tasks such as oil changes, battery replacement, tire rotation, brake repair and others.
The socket wrench has two types: the standard socket wrench and the ratchet socket wrench. The standard socket wrench does not have a ratchet while the ratchet type has a ratchet mechanism that enables it to turn easily without users’ need to exert much force.
This mechanism allows the automotive service technicians and mechanics to work fast since it does not require much effort by the user to turn it from one position to another. It also allows for easy removal of bolts because we can rotate it without exerting much force on the bolt or nut.
5. Sockets
The cylindrical tools are for different hand tools like ratchet set, wrenches, and others. They make them from quality materials such as metal and plastic and have holes at both ends of the cylinder that enable them to fit over the nuts and bolts.
They come in different sizes to fit over different sized nuts and bolts. Automotive service technicians and mechanics use sockets in a vehicle repair shop to perform tasks such as oil changes, battery replacement, tire rotation, brake repair and others.
6. Wrenches
We also know these as spanner or adjustable wrenches. Automotive service technicians and mechanics use them to tightening or loosen nuts and bolts. They have a shape that is similar to the socket wrench but are smaller.
They have a handle and an adjustable head that we can adjust depending on the size of the nut or bolt being worked on. The adjustable wrench has two types: the open end wrench and the box end wrench.
The open end wrench has jaws at one end while the box-end wrench has jaws at both ends of the tool.
7. Screwdrivers
These tools are used to drive screws into objects such as wood, plastic, metal etcetera. They have flat surfaces with pointed tips which are used by automotive service technicians and mechanics to drive screws into objects with ease by turning them clockwise or anticlockwise depending on how they were designed to work by their manufacturers.
The screwdrivers come in different shapes and sizes that can be used for different purposes like removing batteries from laptop computers, tightening light bulbs in vehicles etcetera.
The screwdrivers are made from quality materials such as metal and plastic and come in different shapes and sizes.
8. Pliers
These tools are used to hold objects firmly so that they can be worked on using other tools. They have a gripping surface at one end which is flat and wide while the other end has jaws which can be adjusted depending on the size of the object being held firmly.
The pliers are made from quality materials such as metal and plastic and come in different shapes and sizes depending on their purpose of use. They are commonly known as adjustable pliers because they have a mechanism that enables them to be adjusted depending on the size of the object being held firmly by them.
This adjustment is done by moving a screw located at one end of the pliers handle up or down so that it grips firmly onto an object whose size is not known.
The pliers are used in a vehicle repair shop to perform tasks such as changing tires, removing and tightening bolts, holding objects firmly for easy removal or tightening of nuts and bolts etcetera.
9. Vise grip pliers
These pliers are commonly known as vise grip pliers because they have a mechanism that enables them to be gripped firmly when they are being used.
They have a gripping surface at one end which is flat and wide while the other end has jaws which can be adjusted depending on the size of the object being held firmly.
The vise grip pliers are made from quality materials such as metal and plastic and come in different shapes and sizes depending on their purpose of use.
They are commonly known as adjustable pliers because they have a mechanism that enables them to be adjusted depending on the size of the object being held firmly by them.
This adjustment is done by moving a screw located at one end of the plier handle up or down so that it grips firmly onto an object whose size is not known.
The vise grip pliers are used in a vehicle repair shop to perform tasks such as changing tires, removing and tightening bolts, holding objects firmly for easy removal or tightening of nuts and bolts etcetera.
10. Hydraulic Jack
Hydraulic jack is one of the most commonly used tools in a workshop. The hydraulic jack consists of a piston that moves in a cylinder, and both ends of the cylinder are sealed by caps or pistons.
The hydraulic jack is usually driven by an electric motor or engine through the control valve and power transmission belt to achieve a pumping action, to ensure that the piston head can move up and down smoothly.
Then, to move up and down on both sides of the movement at both ends of the cylinder (through lifting cylinders) to achieve lifting work, so that it can be used for lifting heavy objects.
The hydraulic jack has good adaptability, easy to use, safety and reliability.
It is widely used in factories, mines, engineering sites and garages for lifting work in various industries such as machinery manufacturing industry, shipbuilding industry, shipyard industry and boiler maintenance industry etc.
The hydraulic jack is especially used for vehicles with large weight in many cases such as vehicle assembly workshop maintenance shop or shipyard repair shop.
The hydraulic jack has wide application scope: automobile repair shop: automobile body welding repair; repairing automobile door; repairing broken parts; painting etc.; construction site: building high-rise buildings, and others.
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