My favorite. So much better than bringing a compressor / air tank.
@KStrycharz07 I have that and it rules. My other favorites are my tire tongs, ratcheting screwdriver set (similar to pic),
and my ratcheting 10 mm wrench.
Handheld air gun. Mine is a Ryobi, but several are good.
Nice 6-pc Beta T handles (got them our 3rd year karting).
10 and 13mm ratchet wrenches
Knipex cobra pliers.
Best tool I’ve ever owned. Saved me so much time with tough bolts/nuts/studs.
In that same vein…
A cooler full of cheap ice cold beer at the end of the day is my favorite tool for kart tear down and cleaning.
On this note I must revive one of my favorite threads…
Schlitz? I thought your body was a temple!
I put a ton of effort into consolidating my tools for kart racing and making everything simple but effective. One big part of that was going to carrying ONLY 3/8 drive equipment so that I’m not wondering which ratchet I need, where the adapters have gone and or grabbing the wrong size drive and heading back to the box for multiple trips.
A bit part in in bringing that all together was the torque wrench that did values applicable for karting but with 3/8 head…I found CDI (who makes Snap-on torque wrenches) had a small form factor 3/8 drive torque wrench that was perfect and it’s been amazing. 90% of the torque wrenches that do what we need to do in karting are 1/4 and I was constantly losing the darn adapter
Next there seem to be really annoying bolts on OTK’s where they stagger bolts tightly right next to each other (lower seat mounts, front fearing mount, etc) where you need shallow wall sockets to get on the nuts. I fell in love with Koken’s Z-series sockets and ratchets and they are perfect for these applications. Even if you OTK guys just go buy the 10mm it’s totally worth it
A bit more of a gadget but one I use quite a lot is koken’s 1/4" body, 3/8 head stubby ratchet. I used this to change plugs on a shelby GT500 the other day because getting down onto a couple of the plugs was a nightmare so it’s not just for little jobs, it does it all
Mac precision torque combination wrenches are also awesome for the same reason that the koken thin wall z-series sockets are. The box end of the precision torque wrench set has a thin wall “drop down” on it that can get into both of those pesky OTK bolt problems I mentioned for above. Tool snobs will complain these are made in Taiwan now not the USA but they are still a great set of wrenches.
And the greatest tool of all time that I’ve owned forever and has never let me down is my Milwaukee electric 3/8 ratchet.
Not a drinker at all, but my wife makes me at least celebrate a win.
Otherwise my tool of choice for morning warmup.
Best real tool… I agree with Chuck. A proper set of T handle hex wrenches. So much better than regular L shape hex wrenches if you have the room to get them in there.
Least favorite tool as it’s expensive and fragile, but an absolute necessity with the Birel 25mm spindle:
PSL makes a machined socket style one. $$$ but way better.
I see that the socket is actually on sale now for $65, same price as the Freeline tool. Still a silly design!
@Andy_Kutscher can those Ko-Ken sockets remove this mf from Tillotson carb (KA100)?
My sockets are too fat and my mechanic uses a dremeled down socket to fit in the well and remove this stupid thing.
I don’t even understand what this thing does or why it needs to be replaced during a carb rebuild.
Probably overkill to replace often, but it regulates the flow of fuel into the carb. Since it is triggered with the diaphragm’s movement, it is opening and closing a lot.
I took a socket out of a cheap set and went at it with a bench grinder till it fit in the opening.
@mtbikerbob what size socket?
If I remember correctly , 8mm , snap-on 1/4 deep works.
The OTK rear hub screw is difficult to tighten, without stripping the head because of the tire overhang.
The WIHA 3/8" 6mm hex driver totally solved the issue.
Yes it is 8mm. I used a short 1/4" drive.