Which cordless drill for your manual jacks?

[Nevadastars]

I need a new drill for the corner jacks on my Northland camper. My old 12v Milwaukee never really had the poop to raise and lower it. So, I have been using my DeWalt electric drill at home. I currently have my camper at a storage facility and is a good distance to the nearest power source. I guess my question is, will something like a 20v cordless drill do the job on a fairly light 8ft cabover? Thanks

[Bumpyroad]

RickW wrote:


Bumpy,

they don't price match the tool, they honor the 20% off competitor coupon for a similar tool. Ask at the service desk first.

All you have to lose by trying is your dignity in front of strangers. 😮

thanks for the info. and I am used to losing my dignity here most every day so that will not be a total shock to my system.
bumpy

[RickW]

Bumpyroad wrote:
I hate to quote Consumer's Reports, since I have a dislike for some of their testing, but they had the Ryobi and compared it to a few of the others. AIRecall they had two tests, possibly inserting screws and drilling large holes and that the Ryobi equaled the high priced ones in one of the categories and was a bit lower in the other, but at about half the price.
and instead of buying the expensive batteries, I just wait till one of the tools is on sale with 2 batteries/charger/tool and buy it instead.
but I am interested in HD matching the Harbor Freight prices, but most of the "stuff" I buy at HF is their proprietary brand named so don't see how they could match that?
bumpy

Bumpy,

they don't price match the tool, they honor the 20% off competitor coupon for a similar tool. Ask at the service desk first.

All you have to lose by trying is your dignity in front of strangers. 😮

[Bumpyroad]

I hate to quote Consumer's Reports, since I have a dislike for some of their testing, but they had the Ryobi and compared it to a few of the others. AIRecall they had two tests, possibly inserting screws and drilling large holes and that the Ryobi equaled the high priced ones in one of the categories and was a bit lower in the other, but at about half the price.
and instead of buying the expensive batteries, I just wait till one of the tools is on sale with 2 batteries/charger/tool and buy it instead.
but I am interested in HD matching the Harbor Freight prices, but most of the "stuff" I buy at HF is their proprietary brand named so don't see how they could match that?
bumpy

[FreeLanceing]

As a licensed builder of 35 years, if you dont want to screw around and want the best get a dewalt lion. The ridgid is HD brand and made buy whoever will build them the cheapest. Ryobi is a high end homeowner brand as is BD. Makita, milwaukee, porter cable, bosch compete well with dewalt. That said any of them will do what you ask, just how long and whatelse might you need them for. I bought a DW drill and impact, 4 years ago. They see almost daily use and still going strong. Now they make a lighter yet 20v. Next big project I may leave the store with one.

[RickW]

Bonus tip: Take an old battery pack (check the recycle bin at the store :B) and make a Plan B (no power for the 110v charger).

It's slower but gets the job done.

[mike_mck]

RickW wrote:

mike mck wrote:
So I'm getting old and hand cranking the jacks is getting tougher and tougher.
Time to start using the drill. Now which one. The Porter Cable has 424 lbs of torque. The Ryobi is at the same price point but don't know the torque value.
For those who have been using these can you include the torque numbers?

Second question is are you cutting your hand crank for use in the drill?

1. The Ryobi on low speed has enough torque to twist out of my hand and hit umm, someone, in the head. 😮

2. Don't recommend cutting your hand crank (keep for back up). Adapters are available at RV centers, or online. Others cut slots in a deep socket. Grind a flat on the shaft of the adapter so you don't get cheated out of any of that torque! :E

Another tip: Ryobi is sold at Home Depot. Get a Harbor Freight 20% off coupon from a magazine, newspaper or online. Many HD stores honor HF coupons on tools. That way you can afford the Li-ion battery.

I'm not pushing Ryobi, I cranked the jacks with a 12V Makita for many years. Get what you want. I use them because they have so many accessories that use the same battery pack (and I get to use a coupon).

Hope this helps,

Rick
Helps a bunch. Picked up a 2 speed 18V Ryobi at Home depot for $99.00. 2 Li-ion charger and case. Will swing by my local RV store tomorrow in search of an adapter.
thanks for your input.
Mike

[Dyngbld]

des04004 wrote:
I use a 18v lithium ion Makita and absolutely love it. It was originally hard to spend $200 for the drill/impact driver combo, but that drill is my baby. Best money I have spent on tools. I always bring the charger with just in case and have never had to use it while camping.

^ This is a great set! Mine has a nice bag with a handle to store the charger, drill, batt, impact, and a light.

[RickW]

mike mck wrote:
So I'm getting old and hand cranking the jacks is getting tougher and tougher.
Time to start using the drill. Now which one. The Porter Cable has 424 lbs of torque. The Ryobi is at the same price point but don't know the torque value.
For those who have been using these can you include the torque numbers?

Second question is are you cutting your hand crank for use in the drill?

1. The Ryobi on low speed has enough torque to twist out of my hand and hit umm, someone, in the head. 😮

2. Don't recommend cutting your hand crank (keep for back up). Adapters are available at RV centers, or online. Others cut slots in a deep socket. Grind a flat on the shaft of the adapter so you don't get cheated out of any of that torque! :E

Another tip: Ryobi is sold at Home Depot. Get a Harbor Freight 20% off coupon from a magazine, newspaper or online. Many HD stores honor HF coupons on tools. That way you can afford the Li-ion battery.

I'm not pushing Ryobi, I cranked the jacks with a 12V Makita for many years. Get what you want. I use them because they have so many accessories that use the same battery pack (and I get to use a coupon).

Hope this helps,

[wingsfan20]

I use a Craftsman 19V with Lithium Ion batteries. Works great. I also have a companion 19v Impact driver that works good to. Only thing about impact is the fact that you are hammering against a very large steel frame which makes a bit of noise. Not good if you are leaving early in the morning. I do have a racheting box wrench that I use for BAL wheel chocks that works well to do the final half turn on the jacks.

[loulou57]

An 18V Dewalt, 2 batteries and charger are what is in the TT tool box.

[mkirsch]

Any old drill works for me.

I can't see using the drill past the "free fall" stage of the jacks. Almost impossible to raise camper in any sort of level way. You're just spinning the jack with no idea how much you're raising it. Time you're done, the camper's all twisted like a pretzel.

I just don't see how 30 cranks of each jack is such a big deal. Run them down to "touchdown" with the drill. Crank each one 10 times as you work your way around.

[RWDIII]

dan-nickie wrote:

RickW wrote:
I use a 2 speed Ryobi 18v. Get the Li-ion battery.

Me too. My set came with 2 batteries, so one I can switch out quickly if it runs down.

Works for me

[MTRhino]

After owning a number of different brands over the years I have been buying and using the Ryobi 18V for a couple of years. I think they are the best bang for the buck I have found, especially when Home Depot runs a sale. My camper has electric jacks so I don't use them there, but I do use them for carpenter projects.

I would avoid using the impact driver on your jacks, way to hard on the internal gears!!

[camperpaul]

dan-nickie wrote:

RickW wrote:
I use a 2 speed Ryobi 18v. Get the Li-ion battery.

Me too. My set came with 2 batteries, so one I can switch out quickly if it runs down.

After trying many different under $50, 18V cordless drills with Ni-Cd batteries, I bit the bullet and popped the ~$150.00 for the Ryobi P816.

See: Consumer Reports rating.