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Art_Davis's avatar
Art_Davis
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017

Which Screw Gun for Jacks?

I used my old Dewalt 12 volt nicad screw gun for years to lift and lower my stabilizing jacks. It finally bit the dust and I replaced it with a much smaller 12 volt lithium ion Bosch. Nice to handle, but it bogs down! I figured the torque should be the same as that of the Dewalt because the voltages were the same. Where did I go wrong? Any recommendations (price versus ability to do the job)?

35 Replies

  • I have two Hitachi drills. One works great, the newer one is a dog. Battery capacity is less than half and it runs out of power after one stabilizer.
    Look at torque and battery capacity.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    There's more to the power (torque) than the voltage. Bosch is a great brand, but maybe the one you bought is a downsized one. I know some of these drills have a two-speed gearbox. Just got an 18V Ryobi LIon (lower on the food chain than DeWalt or Bosch) but it has two speeds and I have little doubt it'd work jacks.

    I watched a guy who had no trouble cranking jacks with a 110-volt Harbor Fright. But then again, it was a 1/2" drive Impact Wrench. Just a little overkill...
  • Have you tried adjusting the clutch adjustment to a higher numeric setting?
  • I always used an 18V Makita -- never ever an issue with enough power or battery life. And in my experience owning Makita cordless tools for many years, the batteries have always lasted many years before giving out.
  • Never done that with the back jacks, but I if I did, I would use my 120v drill like some do AFAIK.

    Only thing is the drill is a bit slower revving on MSW inverter than with PSW inverter/gen/shore power, so that might be an issue with the jacks, no idea.

    I know that helps a lot! :)

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