Weight saving ideas - dual purpose "stuff"

[delicagirl]

Well I wanted to give it a good test, So from Bude A39,A316,M5,M6 Then a Few jiggly bits to the West & The Morcome Estuary seems a good run with just about all the Driving conditions you can imagine to put the Nest & The Bypass surgery through its paces, I’m now however WAY over the other way
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Oh I love my Lifestyle,,,

So how’s the vehicle weight loss going DG ?.
What WAS the weight?, & What is it NOW ?.

i had it weighed and i am ok - under the weight required. The excel weight spread sheet i made last year was really useful guide. thing is .... since then - one or two wee items have gone in - but dont tell anyone !!!

 

[wildebus]

...My Tools & Spares are Minimal, & I know where everything is & is easily acceptable without Furkeling about through the ‘Just in case’ bits n bobs.......

That is always a tricky one ... what do you take "just in case" and what to leave behind!
I had a problem with my LED Light Bar a couple of nights ago and investigated yesterday morning. Despite being at home I decided to sort out and repair with just what I had in the van to see if I had enough (and maybe too much?).
Sorted it out (needed Ladder, mechanical and electrical tools) and didn't touch 95% of what tools I was carrying "just in case" - so today I am re-evaluating what I really need to carry.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Good luck with that decision as well lol lol,
The thing is that to MY mind I only kept The tools & Bits that I would need for Everyday Maintenance That I keep in a Easily assessable small Briefcase type box, & for the more complicated but Realistic repairs I have in a Larger Box & to be fair, I’ve always had what I needed to date, but you just KNOW that something is going to happen now don’t you lol lol.

 

[trixie88]

removed a rather heavy table.....now use a plastic one which we can use inside or outside of van.........

large fry pan which can be used for muti purpose cooking etc......

 

[Byronic]

Good luck with that decision as well lol lol,
The thing is that to MY mind I only kept The tools & Bits that I would need for Everyday Maintenance That I keep in a Easily assessable small Briefcase type box, & for the more complicated but Realistic repairs I have in a Larger Box & to be fair, I’ve always had what I needed to date, but you just KNOW that something is going to happen now don’t you lol lol.

Keep within easy jogging range of a Screwfix branch say 15 miles!, and buy only
when required or in emergency.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Lol, lol, lol JOG !, LOL LOL, JOGGING !

No NO,

I don’t do ‘Jogging’, Although I DO Roll Very well in deed !.

 

[wildebus]

Keep within easy jogging range of a Screwfix branch say 15 miles!, and buy only
when required or in emergency.

Hmmm. What if you nearest Screwfix is 30 miles away - even from your home!

So I always keep Wire Crimpers in my kit. and Spare Ones in case those break. and Backup ones in case the Spare ones break. and failing that, got crimpers that use a hammer (and got a spare hammer in case the first hammer breaks).

Hmmmm. Maybe I need to revise my Crimper collection? (not got any for my hair you see....)

 

[Byronic]

Cripes that's a lot of crimpers!

Even though I don't have payload restrictions within reason (1.9t) I still restrict the tools I
take on my 4/5 month annual road trip. I dislike the clutter and unnecessary weight. Bearing in mind I never take out breakdown cover due to the hassle involved in obtaining it. So typically, I take a socket set, but never
a torque wrench. A multi head screw driver instead of separates. A foot pump, not a battery sapper,
with a couple of levers and cramping with one of the m/bike securing ratchet strap it's entirely feasible to change and inflate a tyre if needs be. Perhaps surprisingly I carry a Gunson Eezibleed, but on an old vehicle a seal going on the brake system or the clutch is a real possibility, I carry repair seal kits they take up milk carton space. and the list goes on and on....

I may be wrong, but somehow I don't think it likely Delicagirl would be too interested in these weight saving tips.

 

[delicagirl]

Cripes that's a lot of crimpers!

Even though I don't have payload restrictions within reason (1.9t) I still restrict the tools I
take on my 4/5 month annual road trip. I dislike the clutter and unnecessary weight. Bearing in mind I never take out breakdown cover due to the hassle involved in obtaining it. So typically, I take a socket set, but never
a torque wrench. A multi head screw driver instead of separates. A foot pump, not a battery sapper,
with a couple of levers and cramping with one of the m/bike securing ratchet strap it's entirely feasible to change and inflate a tyre if needs be. Perhaps surprisingly I carry a Gunson Eezibleed, but on an old vehicle a seal going on the brake system or the clutch is a real possibility, I carry repair seal kits they take up milk carton space. and the list goes on and on....

I may be wrong, but somehow I don't think it likely Delicagirl would be too interested in these weight saving tips.

thank you i have no vehicle repair skills of any sort and so have always paid for Recovery protection and they have helped me out when the van has broken down. i do carry some spare parts belts and lamps etc etc and a basic tool kit in case a passing mechanic might want to help me out in an emergency.

 

[REC]

We were very lucky in that last time we broke down it was right outside a little garage with a very helpful mechanic! That was the "old van!"

 

[ricc]

I would have thought that most passing mechanics would have their own tools.,
I even keep a basic toolkit in the wife's car..... It'll only ever get used if I'm driving it.

More to the point if you're stopped and then have to drive to a weighbridge you've got the chance to dump water if you've got dump valves fitted that can be operated from driver's seat.... Could easy dump a hundred kilo. Would need a setup to drip out over a few hundred yards rarther than cause a noticable flood. Wouldn't work with a modern vosa mobile roadside setup. But how often do we see them.

 

[wildebus]

My luckiest breakdown was in a car. I was driving a VW Scirocco and suddenly the clutch pedal fell to the floor. I pulled over to the side of the road and looked: the clutch cable outer had pulled through the bulkhead: its hole bridged a gap between panels. Bad design fault!

By coincidence I was right outside a VW main dealers. I walked over to their parts counter and explained the problem

The parts man reached under the counter and handed me a metal patch panel with a sticky back. He said they'd had them made up because of this problem, but the new stocks had only arrived that day. It cost me the grand total of 22p.

Fitting it consisted of unhooking the cable from the pedal, threading it through the patch and reattaching it (after undoing the other end to get enough.slack cable). Took less than five minutes no tools needed.

The parts man had mentioned that they were better welded in, but I never bothered. Did about 100,000 more miles in that car before I sold it. The patch was fine!

Some days you just strike lucky.

Not as dramatic but reminds me when I was driving my Vauxhall Viva back home from College in London on a Friday afternoon. Every time I pressed the clutch I heard a worrying noise which got worse each time. Cable starting to break and driving on the A4 in West London tricky to avoid using it, especially on a Friday at rush hour.
Anyway, managed to make it last and as I got home 40 miles later and drove into the Driveway and pressed the clutch in, the cable finally gave up and snapped.
Like you say... Some days you strike lucky