Daughter is Senior in High School and flying the coup next fall. Looking at stocking a toolbox for her 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands as a Christmas present. I'll List out what I'm thinking below.

What is the board's thoughts on having the battery charger for cordless tools plugged into the cargo 400w 110 plug full time to ensure batteries stay charged? Power only supplied when car is running obviously. Thought was mount a power strip inside a tool box for two chargers / two batteries. Thinking if Harbor Frieght Bauer tools since use will be very minimal.

Also looking for recommendations for cargo area toolboxes. Would like a low profile that fits the space.

- cordless impact
- cordless drill
- cordless inflator
- cordless hand held vacuum
- cordless flash light
- portable Jump Starter
- 2 ton floor jack
- impact Socket Set / Wrenches
- basic hand tools
- electrical connectors
- spare fuses
- toilet paper
- First Aid Kit
- Fixed Blade Knife / Box Cutter
- various charging cables

TdoubleH said:

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Daughter is Senior in High School and flying the coup next fall. Looking at stocking a toolbox for her 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands as a Christmas present. I'll List out what I'm thinking below.

What is the board's thoughts on having the battery charger for cordless tools plugged into the cargo 400w 110 plug full time to ensure batteries stay charged? Power only supplied when car is running obviously. Thought was mount a power strip inside a tool box for two chargers / two batteries. Thinking if Harbor Frieght Bauer tools since use will be very minimal.

Also looking for recommendations for cargo area toolboxes. Would like a low profile that fits the space.

- cordless impact
- cordless drill
- cordless inflator
- cordless hand held vacuum
- cordless flash light
- portable Jump Starter
- 2 ton floor jack
- impact Socket Set / Wrenches
- basic hand tools
- electrical connectors
- spare fuses
- toilet paper
- First Aid Kit
- Fixed Blade Knife / Box Cutter
- various charging cables

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i can't believe people are so negative on the idea. no downside at all for being prepared even if she is driving a modern car.

i would skip the charging, no need for that. just check them every couple months if need be.

a code reader is a good idea.

The battery jumper and a little Viair pump is all that I would worry about. If you're worried about things failing on road trips, just teach her to visually inspect the vehicle before going somewhere. Check that the belts are not showing wear. Check the hoses, look at the tires, things like that. As Canyon said, if something breaks, it's likely not a roadside fix other than a flat of jumping the battery.

I agree with Canyon.

Jumper cables and a cell phone with AAA is all the assistance she needs to worry about in my opinion. Maybe a Ryobi tire inflator but you need to maintain an 18v battery with it. My daughter is 16 and thats all the has in her F250 unless she has the gooseneck hooked up. In that there is an impact wrench for tire changes. I'm am a very much accomplished mechanic and even in my truck I carry basic tools. It's a cute idea to think if my truck breaks down I'll just roll out my snap on tool box and scanner and pop the hood and wrench until it's fixed but in 30 years I've never had that happen. I've had lower radiator hoses blow due to lack of maintenance or head issues. Not fixing that on the road. Thats the only major stuff. Batteries can die but if you listen to your car, you'll know when those are ready for replacement before they croak. Most tire leaks don't need anything but a trip to DT. If it's flat then it's a big hole and you probably won't address that without the spare.

Also… MAINTENANCE WILL PREVENT THE NEED FOR A LOT OF TOOLS. Keep the vehicle maintained. Replace tires when DT says to or 5-6 years.

I keep electrical tape, plastic bags, flashlight, basics ratchet and hand tools, pliers, wire cutters, jumper cables, and my towing balls in my box. Thats about it outside of roofing accessories.

Besides all of this, I don't want my kids working on their truck on the side of the road. Call AAA and get them to do it or tow it safely.

Some of this can be done in a parking lot. Doesn't have to be the side of a 70mph farm-to-market with no shoulder or four lanes of interstate.

It can be "something doesn't sound right so let's pull into this church parking lot/grocery store/convenience store lot and take a look.

maroon barchetta said:

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It can be "something doesn't sound right so let's pull into this church parking lot/grocery store/convenience store lot and take a look call dad.

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I would get an air pump that runs either on the battery terminals or the plug in the Bronco Sport. A first aid kit, a space blanket, a small tool kit (a couple of screwdrivers, a driver and a few sockets, the breaker bar), and maybe a reflective caution sign that folds out.

I will say that, as a girl alone, if she's broken down on the side of the road and working on her car, she's not being as aware of her surroundings as maybe she should be. I'd probably rather her be waiting on AAA or equivalent and watching her surroundings. And maybe add bear spray (or something more lethal, if you want to go that route) just for extra safety.

lol I almost put balancer

How far away from home is she going?

If it's less than 5-6 hours, you can probably help her out with most things on a weekend unless they require professional help.

For my daughters, I was living in Australia when they went to Texas A&M and Virginia Military Institute respectively so, they needed to be somewhat self sufficient.

I let both of them drive my 1999 Ford Expedition so even though it was 14 years old when the first one went to college and 21 years old when the last one finished, I knew the entire history of the vehicle and had kept it in pretty good shape over the years.

But, things happen such as one of their dumb friends breaks a side view mirror and of course flat tires, dead batteries. And don't forget your daughter's ability to support her friends when they have problems with their cars.

You're already going to have most of that covered if you include metric and SAE sockets, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers along with your battery charger, jumper cables and a spare tire.

I do recommend a long set of jumper cables for the times when your battery jumper thing gets wet and gets destroyed (happened to me).

For those country roads with a bottle jack, I recommend carrying a couple blocks of wood to support the jack (learned this one the hard way on a dirt road outside Black Forest, Colorado).

TPMS is great but I recommend a mechanical tire pressure gauge as a backup. And for helping friends too.

I also recommend an ice scraper and snow brush. Because, you know when you can't buy those things? When it's icy and snowy.

A fire extinguisher that is accessible is useful.

Earlier this year, I had to use some road flares when a wreck happened right in front of me at night in Tallahassee, FL. Those are good to have. Chem-lights have been useful at times too for marking stuff at night.

Obviously a bag to put all of this stuff in.

I went to a surplus store and got both of the girls a surplus military blouse top to carry in the vehicle so they don't have to get their nice clothes dirty if they need to get out and do something with the vehicle. I got a Bundeswehr one and an Air Force digi-camo one.

I recommend checking out Americana Pipedream - he's got all kinds of foreign military surplus, some of which is pretty cool looking.
https://www.americanapipedream.com/

And lastly, the most important tool I gave each of the girls to keep in their vehicles is a Swiss Army Knife - "Swiss Tool". I'm still amazed at how frequently they use it and most shockingly, thank me for buying it for them.

I like the one with the leather case.
https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knife%E2%84%A2-and-Tools/Trades-and-Crafts/Swiss-Tool-Spirit-X/p/3.0224.L

I'm still using my Swiss Tool that I bought over 30 years ago.

Post Script - giving credit where it is due, the girls got AAA memberships gifted by my Father-in-Law and they did use the tow benefit a couple times.

In addition to the factory tire change tools and spare tire. I carry:
Noco jump pack
Flashlight
Collapsible breaker bar with correct socket for lug nuts
A few shop rags
Crappy blanket for laying under car or laying down in the cargo area under flat tire
Hand cleaning wipes

All of the above fits in a soft tool bag.

When my kids start driving, I'll have them carry the same and have them do a practice run of changing a flat tire.

You reminded me.

I also gave each of the girls an Army Surplus poncho liner. Works as a blanket if needed but could work as a ground cloth if needed.

https://www.americanapipedream.com/products/issued-usgi-poncho-liner-ucp?_pos=3&_sid=dd2794cb3&_ss=r

I'm doing a similar thing for my daughter, but not for roadside emergencies. She wants to learn how to wrench, and has her own "Classic" car (91 Volvo 740 wagon) that we are doing a turbo swap on. I am starting with hand tools. In my experience you don't move on to power tools until you learn what rounding off a bolt feels like with hand tools.

I am a pretty dang accomplished shadetree mechanic myself and I wouldn't carry all those tools. I have a small toolbag with a basic set of wrenches, drivers, pliers, etc. Also tape, zip ties, spare fuses and relays. Anything bigger than that and I'm calling AAA. You don't fix anything that big without 3 trips to the parts store anyways. How will she do that on the side of the road?


Also, what's wrong with the jack that comes with the car? Maybe get her a jackstand or 2 for safety vs a 2 ton aftermarket jack. Swapping to the spare tire is a legitimate thing to do on the side of the road.

What I like and have carried is an old blanket to sit/lay on and some cleaning wipes for my hands after handling dirty parts. The blanket doubles as a, well, blanket in case you get stuck in the cold. Some mechanics gloves might be nice too.

Jack option that's easily stored but has a wide footprint that isn't as tippy as some of the oem jacks with small footprint.

Amazon.com: Steel Scissor Jack for Car 1.8 Ton Oversized Base, Portable, Ideal for SUV and Auto, Tire Changing Kit, Ratchet Handle Saving Strength Design (1.8 Ton) : Automotive

12v inflator
Noco battery jumper she tops up quarterly
Tire pressure gauge
First aid kit
Code reader
Set of jumper cables

I'd skip the rest

Cell phone w/ charger, Triple AAA Card, and 12V Viair compressor (ditch plug in and wire in connectors for direct to battery). It's a 2021, should be fine unlike what most of us probably drove to and from BCS