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I'm new to this forum (just joined today) but I've had the Ranger for a couple of years. She's got 208,000 miles and starts and runs great. Over the last couple of years I have replaced all the parts that I could find that were either failing, about to fail, or known to be prone to failure. Some examples:
Bilstein 4600s front & rear
New Spectra Premium CU2310 radiator + upper & lower hoses and cap
New multifunction switch (brights/turn signals/emergency flasher)
Sylvania Silverstar Ultra 9007 headlight bulbs
LED interior, backup, and courtesy bulbs
My question is this: I use this truck mostly for hunting/exploring in both forests and deserts. With 208k on the clock I have no fantasy about this being 100% reliable, so I want to bring a complete set of tools and emergency repair stuff, but I want minimize excess stuff, since space is always at a premium. Would love to get people's feedback on what tools (especially weird or oddball tools) one might need for emergency field repairs like busted U-joints, problems with front prop shaft, cooling system, electrical, fuel system, etc.
Also, if there is stuff on my list that you think is not worth the space or unnecessary (for example: "The only Torx drivers you need are T8, T10, and T20") I'd love that feedback as well.
Here's the list I've compiled so far (I will update as people provide ideas). Most of this is very generic; as near as I can tell, the '06 Ranger is 100% metric (right?)
Tools:
Metric sockets in 1/4" & 3/8" drive (5mm to 10mm in 1/4" and 10mm through 19mm in 3/8")
1/4" x M5.5 for ignition stuff
3/8" x M12 (12 point) for u-joints/drive shaft . (should I upgrade to 1/2" drive and a breaker bar?)
Deep socket in 3/8" x M10 & M15
Short and long extensions in both 1/4" and 3/8" drive
1/4" and 3/8" wobble adapters
Spark plug socket, O2 sensor socket (Can't remember what size these are, but IIRC they are SAE)
Combination wrenches in 7mm through 19mm
M8 and M10 in wobble-end
3/8" drive male Torx drivers T8 to T55
Slip-joint pliers
Large and small vice-grips
small and large crescent (adjustable) wrenches
20 oz ball peen hammer
Cold chisel & 1/4" punch
16" pry bar
Screwdriver with various bits
Extra long screwdriver (Phillips)
3/8" drive crows foot set (metric)
Rechargeable headlamp
Road flares (very useful for starting an emergency fire, too...)
Electrical Multi-meter
Diagonal cutters ("dikes")
Gloves
Parts/Supplies:
Crank sensor
Serpentine belt
Fuel filter
2 qt motor oil
Roll of Gorilla Tape
Roll of self-sealing silicone repair tape
Roll of galvanized wire
Galvanized Steel Hanging Strap
25' of 14 gauge wire with small assortment of connectors
Roll of electrical tape
JB Weld Steel Stick
Small can of PB Blaster
Asstd Zip ties
RTV/Gasket maker
Asstd fuses
Off-Road/Misc. stuff
12v dual piston air compressor
Tire puncture plug repair kit
Recovery strap
Extra bottle jack
Hi-Lift Jack with wheel lift attachment and platform base
Shovel, Axe, folding buck saw, large pruners (handy for avoiding Manzanita pin stripe)
Recovery treads & carpet strips
Fire extinguisher (mounted to back wall of cabin)
Thanks in advance for reading this far and for any feedback you might have.
Spare crank sensor, this is the only sensor that can disable an engine, it may run poorly if other sensors get broke or fail, but it will run, not the case with crank sensor issue
Bottle of 50/50 coolant, and a can of stop leak.
You will carry water, so coolant is optional, but definitely have a bucket or similar container to get stream/lake water and a smaller funnel with cloth or similar to filter the water
Couple of quarts of motor oil
Quart(or 2) of ATF, Ranger manual or automatic trans and transfer case all use ATF
You CAN use motor oil in an automatic in an emergency and ATF in an engine, i.e. you get a hole punched in the pan and don't know it until trans starts to slip or oil pressure drops to 0, you can fix the hole, but can't replace all the fluid usually, 4 quarts should get you going again
Floor mats are handy to have to put under wheels when they are slipping
Spare crank sensor, this is the only sensor that can disable an engine, it may run poorly if other sensors get broke or fail, but it will run, not the case with crank sensor issue
Bottle of 50/50 coolant, and a can of stop leak.
You will carry water, so coolant is optional, but definitely have a bucket or similar container to get stream/lake water and a smaller funnel with cloth or similar to filter the water
Couple of quarts of motor oil
Quart(or 2) of ATF, Ranger manual or automatic trans and transfer case all use ATF
You CAN use motor oil in an automatic in an emergency and ATF in an engine, i.e. you get a hole punched in the pan and don't know it until trans starts to slip or oil pressure drops to 0, you can fix the hole, but can't replace all the fluid usually, 4 quarts should get you going again
Floor mats are handy to have to put under wheels when they are slipping
4,000lb Come-along, but I would save up for a winch
great suggestion on the crank sensor. I had one crap out on an old F250; I hadn’t thought of that.
I have a winch (XD900i) but don’t plan to mount it on the Ranger. I carry a come-along as well as chains and shackles for the Hi-Lift. With the shitty gas mileage and small tank of the Ranger I’m thinking about ways of mounting a couple of steel 5 gal Jerry cans for gas.
This aussie did a comparison between the $300 maxxtraxxs and the $70 Xbull's from amazon and for the money they were decent.
For my recent Death Valley trip I brought a 3 foot 4x8 and 3 foot 4x10. The maxtraxxs would have helped here instead of the two pieces of wood and would have been lighter in weight.
- Lippencott Road is notorious for some washed out culverts that sometimes require wood to be placed to get through. Lucky none this past trip.
- Steel pass Dedeckerha canyon had some nice ledges that I didn't know if I would need some additional support to get down. Didn't need the wood as there was sufficient quantity of large rocks to stack up to get down the ledges without damage.
Crazy thought but I saw this on an off road video where a guy broke a front spring. So he cut a 4x4 and jammed/tied into the spring area so he could get back to the main road.
I'm always trying to find ways to decrease, compact, and lighten my loads for off road trips. Weight is the enemy when it comes to gas mileage and also impacts off-roading ability.
Totally forgot about listing Zip ties (though they are already in my kit bag). Thanks!
your last comment is exactly where I’m coming from - my tendency is to just load up my tool bags with everything I have “just in case” but then I end up with 80lbs of stuff, 1/3 of which is probably unnecessary.
That being said, the Ranger 4.0 doesn’t seem to care about weight - it gets ~15 mpg no matter what! :)
BTW: Is there anything noteworthy on a Ranger that needs Allen wrenches?
Just in case you have no spare ball joints, wrapping the whole assembly from the (upper or lower) A-arm and spindle with the ball piece inside the socket will help you limp off the trail.
Use as much of it as you like. It may inhibit steering, but at least, you're moving.
This can work on shock mounts, exhaust brackets, and most things you'd like to stay in place.
I really want to see how you pack your truck or your pre-load area to see how compact you get this.
Between the past thanksgiving Mojave Road trip and the Death Valley trip. I built up a DIY wood bed rail that also acts as a quick setup tent(Bottom Pic) that worked pretty well in DV.
My Death Valley Pack this past Thanksgiving trip.
Mojave road (November 2017): I don't have full load pic but this was a previous setup where I strapped water containers and a recovery kit basket up on a DIY Rack. Note: RACK has been modified as in the image above.
