It might be blasphemy to some, but I would add in a water cooler.
What's a kaiser blade (mmm-hmm)?
When I started outfitting my truck I realized I really don't need very much stuff to do the job.
...long handled shovel, tow chain (no straps, they'll springload and kill people) hi-lift jack, rebar shaper, framing hammer) 2 spares, P&P to refer to when it goes to hell, and well trained and enthusiastic hard working honest people. that last one will be your hardest thing to collect.
What you need depends on what you are doing and where you are doing it, but allow me to suggest a few things I find helpful in my world:
- Battery powered rotary hammer drill, with bits. Including a chisel bit.
- Bernsten brass plugs to be installed using the rotary hammer drill
- 2lb drillers hammer, for MAG nail pounding.
- iron digging bar
- bullprick
- long handled shovel
- manhole pick
- Hand held EDM (aka. "Disto") primarily for manhole dips
- 1 qt plastic cup, and sponge, for bailing out monument wells.
- a supply of rags, various uses.
- lopper and hand pruners.
- lath bag, for toting the Schonnie, drain spade, and some lath while on extra-vehicular expeditions.
- cone rack on truck
- levelling turtle
- rod level.
- Stedi-Rest - low cost plastic gizmo handy for checking and adjusting the rod bubble
I no longer carry a sledge hammer. The biggest persuader I have is a 4 lb engineers hammer.
Are 2-way radios a necessity for you? What, no cell service? They are harder to come by because few are using them.
I am not in the field much but I still have my go bag. It has my safety stuff and a set of chaining pins right angle prism. Lost well loaned and never returned my compass clinometer plumb bob. I use the chaining pins as my arc curve measuring aid, or they come in Handy as a way to hold the end of a tape when alone like cheap labor lol.
but reading this reminds me of my early days we all had fishing poles or those who did not fish had golf club and balls.
or they come in Handy as a way to hold the end of a tape when alone like cheap labor lol.
Used to just pull a Phillips head screwdriver out of the toolbox for that say that I was working with Phil The Chainman
I bought some really cheap bargain bin 10 inch long screwdrivers with orange handles to serve as tape anchors, chaining pins, and probes.
Actually, we're planning to have a small 12v lathe in the truck so we can turn down the small trees and limbs that we cut down while clearing line into lath that we can use on the project.
It might be blasphemy to some, but I would add in a water cooler.
What's a kaiser blade (mmm-hmm)?
I think that's a matter of nomenclature. I did say ice chest/cooler in my post.
And, in response to the comment about comm radios, how do you communicate between the guy on the rod and the guy on the instrument when you are 500 feet apart? Are companies relying on field crew to use their mobile phones for communication purposes now? That doesn't seem right.
@james-fleming I like that. Always find a way for sure. Coming back to land surveying has made me realize how much changed from end of the 90’s to present day. My compass klinometer hand level right angle prism calculator plumb bob was like a part of my body. Always on my person. Extra pencils etc. i still have a extra tip and tack stuck in the plumbob to this day. Plum bob was all pupose tool. Used as a turning point for levels in a pinch. Keep mean dogs off even a traverse point used pencils a few times as well Nope not walking back to truck cut a finger off and use that as a traverse point. We have to get the job done. Now the darn data collectors are so powerful we can do just about anything needed in the field. But most companies do everything in the office computation wise. Crazy to think when we didn’t have that computing power we did more comps in field now we have the power and all is done in office.
@andy-nold if you have water you must have atleast one can of pork n beans potted meat sardines and salt t crackers just for hard times.
I do big bags of flavored almonds instead. More tasty, less messy, destroys a grumbling stomach, no sugar crash, and generally good for you.
@bstrand This is not health class . Man potted meat is a staple it has enough preservatives to go for years and seasons in the bed if a truck. I do like nuts. Of all kinds and this spreaden-outer disease i have tells me I should eat better for sure.
A word on canned meat and sardines, when they freeze hard, when they get thawed out they’re going to have the texture of mush. Give me an inverter and a microwave so I can enjoy me some real food, hot. Home made lasagna thawed on the truck dash while driving and nuked to bubbling cheese perfection, is pure bliss on a chilly damp field day.
Less is better. No need to carry things that are very rarely used unless you are certain they will be needed on that project. Most everything can become a projectile in a head-on crash.
