PTEN_0821 - 58

BIG TIME BOXES
1+1 = 1 huge box
Rusty Flake took his first Snap-on box and bolted on
another of the same size to create a mega big-time box.
By Amanda Silliker, Editor
R
usty Flake's shop in
Whiteland, Indiana, does
pretty much everything,
but he specializes in diagnostics.
This means he needs a toolbox
big enough to house his diagnostic
equipment. His Snap-on box is
14.5' long and 6' high and has big
drawers to fit his diagnostic tools.
It has a built-in workstation, lights,
and a stereo, and at one point, it
even housed a microwave.
" It's nothing special by today's standards...
Now you can buy boxes with
lights and a stereo but when I bought mine,
I never saw any that had this stuff built into
it, so I just added that, " says Flake, who
is the owner of Advanced Automotive
Diagnostics and Repair.
When the market crashed in 2001-02,
Flake bought another bottom box that was
the same size as his current toolbox and bolted
the two together to make one huge box.
" It was very cost-effective at that time, "
he says. " But it just gets bigger and bigger as
you go... It almost holds everything now. "
Flake's box has six swivel casters and
two fixed casters (so he can move it around
a bit if needed) and a convenient side
locker. For added ease, he had the locks
matched so all the doors and drawers can
be opened with one single key.
Before 2002, Flake's box was half the
size and he had a 4X4 closet packed full of
equipment, an office brimming with tools,
and three roll-around carts.
Today, Flake has his mega box but he
still uses his four roll-around carts that
house his most-used diagnostic equipment.
He also uses plastic blow molded cases
for stuff that won't fit in his box but that he
still needs to protect, such as leak detectors
and a ball joint press.
Flake stores his SAE tools on the left
and his metric tools are on the right side
of his box. In his smaller drawers, he has
his pliers on the left, job-specific pliers or
plier-like tools on the right, and sockets go
straight across. In the bigger drawers, he
has his breakout boxes and his diagnostic
equipment (other than the scopes, which
are on his roll-around carts).
Flake says his favorite tools are all of his
ATS equipment.
" I know almost everyone at the company,
and they are just super nice people
and you can't get better service than going
to them, " he says.
58 PTEN AUGUST 2021 www.VehicleServicePros.com
He especially likes his four ATS scopes
and he is currently looking to buy another
one - the eight-channel scope that is an
" absolutely phenomenal unit, " he says.
" They're extremely capable, they
are very easy to use, they're constantly
upgrading features on them, and they are
quick, simple, and easy to grab, " he says.
" You hook up and you know if you got a
connection - this will tell you you either
have a signal or you don't. "
When it comes to purchasing tools,
Flake says the more expensive items, such
as the scanners, scopes, and TPMS tools
should be the shop's responsibility. For
hand tools that are purchased by the technicians,
they should get whatever works
for their budget and is comfortable, then
they can upgrade as they go.
" If a ratchet feels good in your hand,
you're going to be able to work more efficiently
with it, " Flake explains. " The best
one out there is the one you will use and the
one you are comfortable using. "
Want to see more photos of Flake's box?
Visit: VehicleServicePros.com/21225435
Want to show off YOUR Big-Time Box?
For more information, email
Editor@VehicleServicePros.com.
Rusty Flake
Shop: Advanced Automotive
Diagnostics and Repair
Location: Whiteland, Indiana
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21225435 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
PTEN_0821

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