The Tools You Need To Start A Roadside Assistance Business
If you are wondering what tools you'll need to start a roadside assistance business, look no further, here is everything we recommend you to have to be ready for 99% of all roadside assistance service calls - Roadside Genius Approved..
Items with an *are considered must haves. If you are starting with the basics just get those, and you'll be ok.
1. * Battery Pack - You'll need a good jump box capable of starting 4-6 vehicles on a single charge. There's quite a few brands out here and while i cant vouch for them all, JNC & NOCO are my go to. If you are wanting to jump start semis you will either need 3 NOCO GB 150 or 2 JNC 12/24.
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2. * Gas Can - Delivering gasoline is easy money. I use a easy funnel that I hand made but this one here is a pretty good rated one. I'm not to picky on brands here just get one that works and holds 2-5 gallons, with a fast funnel. https://amzn.to/3Js5pMb
3. Led/Flashlight Light - Being lit up at night and being able to see is imperative. Get a powerful light that you can recharge so you don't have to buy batteries.
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4. * 3 & 1.5 Ton Floor Jack - Jacks are essential to changing tires and a wide variety of other services. You'll want to get two jacks in case you need to jack up a car that has been dropped. There's a 3 ton and a 1.5 ton I use, get them both.
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5. * Funnel - If you've delivered gas before then you probably know that some vehicles have special funnel attachments that without them you wont be able to put gas in a vehicle. Its a pesky security measure that made me buy this tool. Required for some but not all models. I also added a red funnel that is good. https://amzn.to/40HzQFr
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6. Jumper Cables – Sometimes you'll forget to charge your jump pack or your battery pack just wont have enough juice to get a car going. I suggest to always carry a spare set of jumper cables to get the job done in a emergency situation or just keep your jump packs charged. At least 20 ft long.
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7. Pull Up Lockout Tool - Some cars have a manual locks that pull up or down to lock or unlock a vehicle. This rod will make those jobs 100% easier and faster to do. I use this beast all the time and its been a great investment.
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8. * Lockout Kit - Every locksmith and their mom knows the standard way to unlock a vehicle there are several different types you can get but these here are good for the price and work well. (bag, wedge, & long rod)
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9. * Rubber Mallet - Stuck lug nuts, seized tires, and hammering on sockets is why i carry a rubber mallet. Don't get caught without one.
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10. Actual mallet (metal) - Some tires are so seized that your regular rubber mallet just wont do the trick. These are needed for the really seized up tires, to bend back bent rims, and handful of other uses.
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11. * Breaker Bar - Even with a 400-1000lb impact fun, some lug nuts just need a manual crank to get them off. To remove lug nuts when they are on too tight a breaker bar is your best friend. Don't go cheap as if it snaps you could hurt yourself of damage a vehicle. I use mine almost everyday.
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12. Reflective Shirt - Adding to safety, a reflective shirt is a good idea to not only make you look like you are a pro but to also help you stand out while on highways on dark nights. Optional, branded clothing to look professional.
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13. * Faster Air Pump – You don't want to be plugging into a cigarette lighter to air up a tire when needed. There are air pumps that wire directly to your battery so all you have to do is turn them on. I use one from harbor freight but this pump here seems to do the job well.
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14. LED Lights for Vehicle – When you are out on the highway on a dark night you want to be as visible as possible. Aside from your vest, LED lights on your vehicle also play an important role in keeping you safe and visible while you work on a customers vehicle.
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15. * Stripped Lug Nut Remover - Sockets can swell and when a customer take a tire wrench to it it will most likely round it out or make it stripped. In that case if you do not have stripped lug nut remover tools your going to waste your time. This tool is essential and if you don't have it you will loose 20% of roadside calls. Don’t get caught without one. https://amzn.to/3zEeSv4 https://amzn.to/3FyBd0D
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16. * Socket Set - A nice set of socket sets for removing lug nuts is essential. This set only has 5 but if you go to harbor freight they have a 7 piece set that I really recommend. You want them to be deep well, thin wall sockets.
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17. Power Inverter - Most of the jump boxes I mention along with the rechargeable led lights will need a power inverter to keep them charged while you are on the move. A power inverter will do just that.
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18. Hacksaw – Sometimes a customers spare tire will not come down properly. This is a specialty tool for faulty tire release equipment, cut it down with customer consent and charge extra when you do.
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19. Spare Tires – go to your local junkyard and get all the spare tire sizes you can, R16 & R17 are most common. They will be useful or you can have the universal EZ spare to help your customer out when there are no other options.
20. Gloves - A nice set of gloves will keep your hands protected in the cold and clean from debris. I always have at least two sets on me when it's time to use them. these are economical and great for the purpose.
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21. * Full Driver Set - Screw drivers aren't always needed but can come in handy when working with batteries or patching tires. This set includes a flathead, Phillips, 4-way, needle nose pliers among others.
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22. * Full Socket Set - For battery installations you will need a socket set. I prefer a sockets set with extensions and this one here will give you everything you need. 20-60 piece. You will definitely need this.
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23. Bluetooth Headset – When I first started I was taking calls while doing tire changes and that can be a daunting task if you don't have a hands free device. If you are a one man show this is essential, you'll be able to answer calls while underneath a vehicle unlocking a car ETC.
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24. Impact Gun/wrench – Taking tires off using a for way is just not the way you want to change tires. This impact gun will not only make it easier but you will be about 25% faster. Ingersoll rand 1100 Ft LBS. I also added a link to a good competitor of the Ingersoll rand - Milwaukee. Choose whichever one you want. https://amzn.to/3zFAQ0T
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25. Wire Brushes - Carry at least 2 wire brushes or wire brush types to clean off badly rusted tires, battery terminals and even rusted on lug nuts.
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26. PB Blaster - For those lug nuts that are very tight sometimes you just need a little bit of rust remover to get them loose.
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27. * Tire Plug Equipment - If you are not plugging tires, you are missing on a whole lot of revenue. Plugging a tire is pretty easy. Any tire plug equipment works, but get the manual plugs that you must insert into the tire work best.
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28. * Jack Stands – Safety first, when working on a tire change its always nice to have extra reassurance that the car won't fall, use jack stands minimize your risk of getting hurt and damaging vehicles. These also come handy when performing mobile tire services.
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29. Terminal Cleaners - When performing a battery installation, its nice to be able to clean a terminal right before you install the new battery. It makes the work look good and the battery wont have any issues in the future.
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30. Box Cutters - Sometimes you may be asked to remove a torn piece of undercarriage. Box cutters or razor blades are also useful in cutting the excess of a tire plug. I carry at least 5 of these.
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31. * Spare Tire Release Tools - Sometimes when you do a tire change on a truck, SUV, or van a customer may not have the tools to release the tire form underneath the vehicle. In these situations, you are going to wish you had your own. Luckily, there's is a universal set of these you can buy for just $85. Don't get caught without it.
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32. Battery Analyzer - If you want to upsell batteries and give customers reassurance on the batteries you install a battery tester is a requirement. I cant count the number of times I whipped mine out and sold a battery immediately after. battery analyzers a re a money maker if you know how to upsell on those jump starts.
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33. Spline Sockets - Not all vehicles come equipped with regular lug nuts. some have spline lug nuts, you'll want to carry a set of these for when the time arrives For VW & other foreign vehicles. There's 2 sizes, get both.
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34. Lug Nut Cap Puller - VW is notorious for having lug nut caps on their lug nuts. if you don't have the correct tool this task can take longer than actually changing the tire itself , they are cheap and very useful.
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35. Cell Phone Stand - Most of everyone i know already have one of these and if you don't get one, it helps for navigation, hands-free calling and keep your phone away from the cracks in your seat. https://amzn.to/3ZWdEXz
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36. Allen Key Set - You'll run into a situation or two where if you don't have these allen keys, you'll be kicking yourself in the butt later. Make sure you care a set like this or you'll look silly when customers have custom rims or need a battery tightened that requires these.
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Heavy Duty Tool List - "work in process"
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This list includes tools you need to have to work on heavier vehicles like dually trucks, box trucks,tow trucks & semi trucks.
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1. Heavy/Heavy Duty Jack - Vehicles heavier than 10,000 lbs may be hard to lift with your light duty equipment,be sure to get a couple of these heavy duty jacks. get a couple standard jacks and a studdy one for those hard to reach places. https://amzn.to/3zMA4CI https://amzn.to/46f7Axt
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2. Heavy Duty Impact Gun - When it comes to removing heavy duty vehicle lug nuts, you'll want to make sure you are using a 1 inch gun. You'll choose between battery powered or air powered systems. Cost and effectiveness should be considered. I've added one of each. https://amzn.to/4d2lS6W https://amzn.to/3zIPMyx
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3. Heavy Duty Jack Stands - Trucks are heavy, if a jack fails you'll definitely want something to catch it. Not only that but jack stands are a good safety measure to have in case anything fails in the field. https://amzn.to/3W6YyOn
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Hey thanks for reading , This is a popular topic that I've made a few videos on so check them out here.