Road trips can be long journeys that span vast distances…

You might encounter breakdowns, flat tires, dead batteries and many more possible problems along the way.

Not to worry…. There are a bunch of tools and techniques that can be used to help solve and mitigate any potential problems that you might encounter out on the road.

How can you deal with the issues when you’re the only one around and have no one to help. Luckily there are a bunch of tools that can help you.

Battery Booster

A critical piece of any vehicle maintenance kit it. A battery booster can come in many shapes and sizes, they are used to recharge a dead battery. Maybe you fall sleep with the radio on or listen to music during dinner and kill your battery. The battery booster is your friend here, they can be charged back up to capacity after using the vehicle. The booster has two mini jumper cables that you hook up to the booster and attach to the battery terminals. It will provide a charge to engage the starter and get that engine running. Some also can be used as a power bank or flashlight. Make sure that you have battery booster so no matter how your battery dies you have a way to start it again. DO NOT TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AFTER BOOSTING!!! Your battery needs time to build back up.

The battery booster is a great tool to help you with energy requirements.

Tire Inflator

Ever had a flat tire? Not a fun time, this situation can be a very uneasy one when you’re far from town. The tire inflator is a very important tool for keeping you on the road. They are portable air compressors which run off the car or truck batteries. They are attached by 12volt jumper cables to power the compressor. All you need to do is attach the tire inflator to the valve steam and you can air your tires up. This also comes in handy when you are off roading and need to air down for the trail. Once you air down your ability to drive on pavement will decrease so it important to air back up after a day on the trail. The air compressor is key to this process. The tire inflator comes in many shapes and sizes but make sure to get one with a good capacity and power source, so you can meet your needs. Different vehicles will require different size tires which will require more air. Make sure to procure your tire inflator as per your needs with your equipment.

I love mine, it’s a great piece of mind out there!

Tire Repair Kit

This goes with the tire inflator; you need to be able to repair your tires if you get punctures. They could take the form of holes, gouges or cuts, all of these can be repaired with the right equipment. There are tire repair kits available that include rubber patches, cement, sand paper or files and various compounds to repair the tires. You can get bottles of tire compound which you inject into the tire to fill holes. This work can be messy though. The repair kits will have all kinds of pieces for various types of repairs. Ensure you understand how to repair tires properly to avoid flat tires again. After you repair the tire, you can inflate it again using the tire inflator. Always make sure to get your tires inspected and repaired by a professional when possible.

I keep my tire repair kit right next to my inflator just in case!

Traction Boards and Shovels

Driving off the road sucks, it can happen to anyone at any time. Having the ability to get out of a ditch and back on the road can be a life-saving situation. Depending on the severity of the skid, slide or turn into a ditch it is possible to recover your vehicle using some tools. Traction boards are special devices that are used to give the vehicle tires traction in an off-road environment. Deep sand, mud or gravel can be problematic so having a means to gain traction can be a deciding factor whether you get out. The boards are placed under the tires and the driver can use them to gain traction, some have place to put a hi lift jack for recovery options. Never use a hi lift jack as a winch, make sure you get a winch that why they make them!

Shovels are important to be used with traction boards. You might have to dig your way out and having a good shovel will be key to doing this. Make sure you get a good size spade or barrel shovel to move material. A Spade is preferable incase you encounter harder materials. The traction boards will need to be placed proper to work so the shovel is key to building a good base, especially in mud or swampy terrain.

Both the traction boards and shovels can help get you back on the road!

Battery Power Impact Wrench

Changing tires, the greatest joy of any driver…I think not. Having a good impact wrench will save you a lot of heartache changing a flat tire. The lug nuts are held on by fusion from the sun it seems at times. Well, not when faced down by an impact wrench. You can buy them at Home Depot or Lowes, they come in various brands and battery options. Make sure you get a socket set that fits the size of your lug nuts. You will need to use the correct socket size to get the lug nuts of with the impact. It will save you having to use a breaker bar and your foot.

Always make sure the batteries are charged. I have a Makita electric impact, and I find it works great for other tasks. The battery will last you for hours but make sure it’s charged when you need it. Otherwise, you get acquainted with the breaker bar!

The impact wrench is a must avoid the horrors of changing tires and rust lug nuts!

OBD Scanner

Ever been driving and had your dashboard lights come on. What does that light mean again? How many blinks means what? Why do they make these so cryptic? The OBD scanner will answer these questions. When you take your car into the mechanic and they hook it up to the computer, they are using an OBD scanner to see the codes that are being displayed in the vehicle computer. They have much more advanced ones, but you can get a basic one that will tell you some things about what’s happening. OBD scanner plugs into the car on the driver’s side typically and will provide you a way interpret those super cryptic symbols on the dash.

Then you at least can have an idea of what might be happening, although it may not be sophisticated enough to pick up or interpret the codes.

The OBD scanner will settle the madness and anxiety when you see those dash lights come on!

Bottle Jack

Changing a tire requires the use of a jack. A lot of the ones come in the vehicles are cumbersome. What if you have a lift in your truck or car or you’re on uneven ground. Your jack might not reach the chassis of vehicle, that will be a problem. You can get a bottle jack that is sized appropriately that will allow you to be able jack your vehicle up safely. These jacks can come in various sizes so make sure you get the right one for your vehicle.

They make those road side tire changes easier, and you don’t have to use rocks as shims to build a base up so the jack will reach. Avoid these types of situations, they aren’t fun.