The perfect (Mooney) toolbox...

[HRM]

Any thoughts from you guys on the perfect toolbox contents for the Mooney owner (pre-J)? I discovered that a creeper is indispensible in the hangar, so there are probably two lists: one for the hangar and the other for in the plane itself.

Seems like there are a lot of 1/4" nuts and bolts.

 

Harley

[The-sky-captain]

My hanger staples are zip ties, various cleaners and lubes, Rejex, various diameters of scat hose, the usual tools ( screw drivers, pliers, rachets...) creeper, rolling stool, safety wire, dry erase board to track squawks, large trash can, small fridge, safety wire pliers.... That should get you  started:)

[MooneyMitch]

Saftey goggles when you are cleaning the belly.  Also, slice a couple of tennis balls and place them on the front gear doors corner edges.  The are sharp and can make you bleed.  Wisdom born from pain!!

[j3gq]

there is an excellent article at avweb.com on the subject,

it's not Mooney specific, but more than worth reading,

Best - AJ

[HRM]

Quote: j3gq

there is an excellent article at avweb.com on the subject, it's not Mooney specific, but more than worth reading, Best - AJ

[LuvFlying]

This is a great post! I hope to be buying my first plane/Mooney soon and have an empty hangar just ready to "fill up".

[bgpilot1]

Permit me one moment of humor here.  No hangar is complete without at least a case of beer.  This "tool" is obviously best utilized after any maintenance or flying has been done for the day!  Add to that a couple of chairs and pilots who can tell you what, when and how to fix your problems.  : )

B

[eaglebkh]

Quote: bgpilot1

No hangar is complete without at least a case of beer.

[Mooney65E]

One tool I get a lot of use out of is my 1/4" drive flexible extention (looks like one of those tightly wound spring door stoppers). It'll get you in all those hard to reach spots.

[Sven]

The best tool we have for preventative maintenance we've found has been well worth the money. It's the hanger itself. We often take it for granted. Nothing's better for keeping old age at bay. We've also got a case or two of beer, Hoodies peanuts, a solar powered scanner to listen to the tower, a sofa and several chairs. The hanger is the ultimate man cave.

[Immelman]

- Instead of combination wrenches, consider spending more for gear wrench with the ratcheting box end that can be flexed to approx 45 degrees each way. If you ever really get into it (especially on something like an owner assist annual) these are a must because there are so many damned fasteners in hard to reach places. You can also approach this with a box full of socktet extensions, joints an crows feet, but I will leave those for my mechanic's tool box.

- If you ever do any panel work: a set of midget wrenches

- Ratcheting screwdriver kit (nothing fancy here, again sears makes a cheap one. This lets you get at screws where no ordinary screwdriver would go

- The common screwdrivers (#2 philips obviously), and then separately I carry a combination screwdriver (removable bits) that also has a flexible head you can adjust (again, sears)

The common theme with the above compared to the Mike Busch list, in case you haven't already figured it out, is tools to work on fasteners in tight and or out of the way places. This is a fact of life on the Mooney. Even if you don't use these on your own, if you do an owner assista annual or are directed to do something under supervision it will make the difference between hunting to borrow your mechanics tools and having your own readily available.

- Safety wire pliers, safety wire, duct tape, tie wraps (of course!)

- Simple socket set, 3/8 or 1/4" drive. Don't need to go too crazy on all the different sizes

- Fasteners: non-structural fasteners often work loose and fall off. I have assembled a bag of the common ones used in fairings, interior plastic pieces, inspection panels, etc. If one gets stripped, departs the airplane, etc, I can replace it.

- Spark plug service: Spark plug socket ( I found a deep socket craftsman and bought it by itself.. much less expensive than the champion one and it does the job fine), along with a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter, spark plug washers ready to go, spark plug gap tool, and one or two spare plug. Also, this is slightly embarassing because its so darned big, but I carry a torque wrench with me. this is because spark plug R&R can be a common occurance, and I don't trust myself to have my 'arm' be an accurate torque wrench.

[HRM]

Quote: Immelman

- Instead of combination wrenches, consider spending more......cause spark plug R&R can be a common occurance, and I don't trust myself to have my 'arm' be an accurate torque wrench.

[N6843N]

Manuals, service and parts. The parts manual can sure bail you out if you forget how something goes together.

[Jerry 5TJ]

Best Mooney tool .... is a checkbook and suitable bank balance.   However much you have in your account, that's a good start.