It takes unswerving skill to service a vehicle that, when fully loaded, weighs almost as much as a Tiger tank. And it’s a job that’s best accomplished using the most innovative heavy duty tools and equipment available.
With a route comprised mostly of heavy duty shops, independent tool distributor Angelica Platero knows a thing or two about what these technicians need.
She also understands that technicians working on heavy duty vehicles require not only more torque and bigger sizes, but when they need the tool, they need it now.
“Oftentimes, the technicians won’t pay attention to the price of the tool because they need it,” Platero says. “They have to fix the vehicle to keep their fleets moving.”
Platero has been selling tools for eight years now in southern California, five with a flag and the past three years as an independent. Although she loves her job now, she admits it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“When I got into the business, I didn’t know anything about it,” she says. “Selling to heavy duty shops wasn’t easy, but I needed to make money, so I had to go the extra mile.”
Over time, she learned what tools to stock by simply just asking her customers what they needed.
“The more you know the business, the more you know what to stock your truck with,” Platero notes. “I learned from [the technicians]. I’m always asking them questions.”
Trending tools
Curt Evey, vice president of sales and business development for Milton Industries, says the tools gaining the most traction right now are both time- and headache-savers.
LTI Tools’ Shockit Socket — an air hammer powered tool for removing diesel exhaust sensors — is first up on his list.
“The Shockit Socket is designed for very low clearance areas,” he describes. “It’s kind of like a crow’s foot, and the tool can fit into a very tight spot and break the nut loose. There’s also knock sensor removal tools on these.”
Of a product demonstration he once attended in Chicago, Evey recalls, “They could use our tool and get the socket out in 30 seconds … without destroying threads.”
For Cole Conrad, senior vice president of product management at Milwaukee Tool, a must-use heavy duty tool right now is the M18 Fuel 1” D-Handle Extended Anvil High Torque Impact Wrench w/ One-Key technology.
“It combines three exclusive innovations from Milwaukee, the Powerstate brushless motor, Redlink Plus Intelligence, and Redlithium battery pack, to tackle the most demanding applications,” Conrad says.
“Integrated Lug Nut Mode prevents the over-torque of lug nuts by automatically shutting off the tool between 350-450 ft-lbs, while four-mode drive control delivers greater control and versatility by giving users customizable modes for their most common applications,” he adds.
Safe-shop options
Another innovative tool is one designed to keep technicians themselves running at top performance, according to Marco Ortiz, director of factory sales for Wrenchers.
“Temperature control is a big maintenance requirement when running large vehicle service operations like fleet and utility services,” Ortiz explains. “Too much heat causes heat stress, which can make employees less productive, and worse, have negative health implications.”
Cooling the spaces used to perform large vehicle servicing can be tricky, though, and expensive. As Ortiz notes, temperature management accounts for about 30 percent of the total energy costs for large workspaces, making it a significant operational cost.
As such, he says, “One of the trends we’re seeing is a rise in the use of portable evaporative coolers in shops of all sizes.” Simple to use, Ortiz says shops can just fill them with water or connect a hose, plug them in, and turn them on.
The water evaporation from the cooler chills the air, then the cold air is blown out into the shop by the cooler’s fan.
“They’re much more cost-effective than installing air conditioning and they can even be [wheeled] outside, so technicians working in outdoor bays also get some relief,” he states.
Wrenchers offers coolers that can chill spaces as small as 650 sq. ft. all the way up to 5,625 sq. ft.
While the basic principle of how evaporative coolers work hasn’t changed in the last 30 years, Ortiz says that manufacturers have added some fun, modern features.
“Some are available with LED floodlights and built-in speakers with Bluetooth connectivity so technicians can blast cool air and cool tunes well into the night,” he shares.
For Conrad at Milwaukee, one of the leading developments in the design of heavy duty equipment and tools is advanced battery technology, and he says it’s helping make shops safer, too.
“Historically, pneumatic tools were the primary solutions for heavy duty users, as they could provide the power and performance necessary to get the job done,” he says. While now, “the industry has experienced a significant trend towards the use of heavy duty cordless solutions as both users and distributors realize the cost savings, safety, and portability benefits.”
As an example, Conrad points to Milwaukee’s cordless technologies in its M12 Fuel and M18 Fuel lineups. “We have been able to eliminate the need for [air] hoses and compressors, ultimately creating a more productive and safe shop. Air hoses all over the shop create tripping hazards for technicians, and increase liability, especially with users operating heavy duty equipment.”
Tool distributor Platero can attest to this. Although she still stocks some air tools on her truck, cordless tools are more popular with her customers, with Milwaukee Tool topping her list.
Top considerations
With many heavy duty tools and equipment options, there’s a lot for shop owners and technicians to consider.
What’s truly worth the investment right now? For Evey, the answer to the question boils down to ROI.
“On the specialty hand tools side, most of these products have lifetime warranties,” he notes. “Take ProMAXX Tool, for example. Each tool they engineer is designed to pay for itself in one to two uses.”
Before a shop owner makes a heavy duty purchase, Ortiz suggests they purchase equipment used for servicing and repairing vehicles, such as dynamometers, engine analyzers, tire changers, wheel alignment equipment, and truck lifts, to meet ANSI safety standards.
Ortiz also reminds buyers to think beyond the initial purchase price, “and consider who is going to help coordinate delivery, installation, and service,” he suggests. “Evaluate return and warranty policies, as well.”
Selling tips
Demoing tools is always essential in the tool selling business. But not only is showing the tool’s features and capabilities a nice gesture, showing how the tool has improved over the years takes it to the next level.
Demonstrating differences between old and new technologies is an important aspect of selling, Conrad notes.
As an example, he says, “As the performance gap between pneumatic and cordless heavy duty solutions has been eliminated, it’s important to show users their side-by-side performance as a way to demonstrate this advancement in battery-powered technology.”
For Milton Industries Evey, training videos are key for mobile tool dealers when selling tools. Manufacturers such as Milton Industries often provide quick how-to videos on their website and/or YouTube channels.
Mobile tool dealer Platero is a big fan of product videos. So much so, that she prefers watching them in her spare time over watching a movie.
“Whenever I get a new tool, I check to see how it works,” she says, adding that when she’s not selling tools, she’s on her phone researching tools and watching YouTube videos.
Platero finds that most of the time her heavy duty technicians know what tool they need, but there are times when they ask for her advice on which tool will get the job done.
“The guys really trust me,” she says. “I’ll suggest different options and recommend what they should buy.”
For any mobile tool dealer looking to sell to heavy duty shops, Platero says that in the beginning it may be hard but ultimately, they will get more and more comfortable with it.
“Don’t be afraid to sell heavy duty,” she says. “It takes time. Now that I learned it, I love it. I have a good relationship with [my customers] because they know I can get the tools they need.”
