Heavy Equipment Mechanic Tool List: All The Essentials

A heavy equipment repair shop without tools is like an art studio without paintbrushes—incomplete.

(Unless you’re a sculptor. They wouldn’t really need paintbrushes for anything, right? You know what, let’s move on.)

The point is, without the right equipment, your garage won’t be able to provide the level of service your customers deserve. And you’ll need a thorough heavy equipment mechanic tool list to know your shop is well-stocked.

At Fullbay, we aim to please—and that goes beyond providing the industry’s best heavy-duty repair software. Read on for our comprehensive list of the heavy equipment tools you’ll need (and other shop essentials to keep in mind).

Tools

The “tools as paintbrushes” comparison isn’t perfect, but it can still be helpful. While you wouldn’t use a thin liner brush to fill in large areas of a painting, these brushes are ideal for creating fine details. In the same way, your technicians should have access to a broad selection of tools and know which is most suitable for the task at hand.

The only catch is that your shop will need a genuinely mind-boggling assortment of tools. Here are just a few examples to help you get started:

• ¼-inch, ⅜-inch, and ½-inch square drive socket sets (with accessories)
• Suspension and brake tools, such as spring tools and torque wrenches
• Preventative maintenance/welding tools (i.e., welding kits, files, and torch tip cleaners)
• Electrical and fuel systems tools like spark plug sockets (for non-diesel jobs) and electrical tape
• Combination wrenches
• Allen wrenches
• Even more wrenches, probably!

In fact, a well-stocked shop has so many different tools with different makes and different models that there really isn’t a list out there that can list them all. Still, we did our best and wrote a decently thorough list of essential heavy duty tools that will get you started.

Safety Gear

It might sound confusing, but some of the most critical tools in your shop aren’t technically tools at all—you’ll also need to focus on stocking things that won’t directly help you repair heavy equipment but are still crucial to your operation.

As part of these efforts, it’s wise to ensure your techs have access to all the safety gear they could ever need. Even the most well-run diesel shops can be dangerous environments full of loud sounds and bright lights. Regular exposure to these things can wear on the body in the long run.

With that in mind, your technicians should have ample opportunity to protect their eyes, ears, lungs, and more. Here are some indispensable safety-related items your shop should provide:

• Safety glasses
• Work gloves
• Hearing protection
• Face shields
• Safety shoes
• Respirators and dust masks

Make a point of having all these items in stock, and double-check to ensure they (and all your actual tool tools) stick to OSHA standards. By doing so, you’ll take a significant step towards protecting the well-being of your valued techs.

Software

While safety gear products aren’t tools per se, the items listed above are at least physical objects. Thinking about software as a tool might feel like more of a stretch—but that isn’t necessarily the case.

If you pick the right software for your heavy-duty shop, your technicians will thank you. That’s because today’s leading heavy equipment repair software takes care of countless tasks that would typically have to be done manually. With those jobs out of the way, you can focus on providing quality service to your customers. So even if it doesn’t fit the traditional definition of a “tool,” there’s no denying that this software can make life easier for you and your employees.

When you’re in the market for heavy equipment shop software, keep an eye out for these essential features:

Service Order Workflow

Even well-meaning, highly-skilled techs can overlook inspection items on the job—after all, they’re only human. But heavy-duty repair software isn’t, making it the perfect tool for this work.

Repair software with service order workflow functionality can guide technicians through service orders. Plus, it can provide access to wiring diagrams and procedures related to the job.

Administrative Tools

If you’re like most diesel shop managers, you’d rather not spend too much time dealing with the administrative side of things. So why not find software that can do it for you?

Modern repair software can help you track and schedule jobs, along with converting repair requests to estimates and estimates to invoices.

On-The-Go Functionality

These days, mobile access to diesel shop software is vital for any tech. That said, it’s particularly essential for mobile techs working with heavy equipment that’s too big to move in the event of a breakdown. No matter what your employees need to deal with, make sure your repair software can travel with them.

Do It All With Fullbay

Whether you’re getting ready to establish a new heavy equipment repair service or taking inventory in your existing shop, your techs need access to countless tools in order to excel. But don’t just focus on the “traditional” tools featured on our heavy equipment mechanic tool list—you’ll also want to stock up on safety gear and find comprehensive repair software.

To get the best software for your heavy equipment shop, go with Fullbay! As the truck repair industry’s leading software solution, Fullbay can automate your service order workflow and handle monotonous administrative tasks. Better yet, it’s easily accessible from mobile phones and tablets. If you want to know what Fullbay can do for your shop, check out our free demo!