Quick question, what size (voltage) is your cordless drill? I have been using an 14 volt on my stabilizers, but it seems to have a bad battery that won't hold a charge or the drill has gone bad one or the other and I am planning to replace the drill. I have looked around Home Depot and all I saw this week end was 14 volt. Isn't there an 18 or 20 volt on the market? I plan to stop by Sears tonight and maybe Lowe's but as I recall, sears only had 14's, too.
Well, I did see DeWalts in 18 volt cordless at Home Depot for something like $300. That's more than I want to pay for a drill just to turn my stabilizer shaft.
Minnie's Mate,
Believe it or not I am using one of the older style Makita it is a 9.6 volt cordless drill. The thing still works great and I have had zero problems with it. I set the clutch to position 1 and take the jacks down till it clicks. I can see the coach raise about 1/4 -1/2 inch at all jacks. I also feel that the unit is more stable using this method due to relatively acurate and equal tension on all jacks.
Believe it or not I am using one of the older style Makita it is a 9.6 volt cordless drill. The thing still works great and I have had zero problems with it. I set the clutch to position 1 and take the jacks down till it clicks. I can see the coach raise about 1/4 -1/2 inch at all jacks. I also feel that the unit is more stable using this method due to relatively acurate and equal tension on all jacks.
Dave
I'm not surprised that you have a long lasting Makita. They make good equipment. My 14 volt wouldn't actually raise my trailer any (it's a 30' Safari and is supposed to be lighter than a Classic of same lentgh), but I think it would get the scissor jacks fairly tight. However the last time I used it, it seemed to not have much power so I charged the battery and when I tried it on the next trip...nothing. I charged it again thinking that the battery may not have made good contact in the charger and it was warm when I removed it from the charging base. When I tried the drill again absolutely nothing so I think it might not be the battery.
Because of the weight, I felt a stronger drill would be better, any suggestions would be appreciated.
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
We have both a DeWalt 18 volt and a Craftsman 19.2 volt. Both do the job; they lower and raise the stabilizers, tighten and loosten the Hensley spring bars. I also use the drills to laterally move the tongue to line it up. On this job, the Craftsman works much better; it has more torque. The Craftsman is bigger and heavier that the DeWalt. The Craftsman is about half the price of the DeWalt. The Craftsman 19.2 volt batteries are about 1/3 the price of the Dewalt batteries. I them both but the Craftsman is definitely better for Airstream uses. I like the DeWalt much better for other uses.
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
Thanks moosetags. I'll ask for it on the way home tonight. DeWalt is a great power tool no question about it, but Craftsman is tried and true as well and for its intended use I'd rather go less expensive especially if it does a better job. Maybe it'll be on pre-labor day sale, too.
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
On the subject of stabilizers, does anyone have these pads attached to them? I saw them at this link which I found on another thread. http://www.outofdoorsmart.com/
Drag'n,
How much weight did your jacks add to the trailer?
I am very conscious about extraneous weight.
On the cordless drills...
Those 9.6v Makitas were very good drills.
Minnie, I use those drills every day for work. Unless you got pretty good arms get like a 14.5 drill. Those big 18+ volt machines are heavy. If you just used it for your jacks then bigger is better. But if you were going to remodel your AS or help someone with a deck or some sheetrock the 14.5 will do what you need and isn't so clunky.
Makita still makes a good drill.
Thanks Ultradog. This will be almost exclusively for the Airstream stabilizers. I hadn't considered weight since I'll just use it for the four corners twice per camping trip. But I will keep it in mind.
As it turns out I didn't get to stop at Sears and may not get to stop this week. If not, I'll either have to use another cordless I have or do like last trip and go manual.
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
On the subject of stabilizers, does anyone have these pads attached to them? I saw them at this link which I found on another thread. http://www.outofdoorsmart.com/
yes,
my trailer was factory equipped with the pads.
i like them because they work well on soft ground. and you don not need blocking for them. less stuff to keep track of!
john
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you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
Hi, I still crank my stabilizers by hand. I thought about the cordless idea, but I have cordless drills at home; and some times they work great and sometimes they don't. That's the chance you take with rechargeables. I already have to take chargers for my digital camera, walkie talkies, and cell phone. I think I will just bring a good Makita 3/8" reversable 110 volt corded drill and and use it where I have hook ups and crank it by hand where I don't. A lot cheaper and a lot more dependable than any cordless. Just another thought.
Hi, I still crank my stabilizers by hand. I thought about the cordless idea, but I have cordless drills at home; and some times they work great and sometimes they don't. That's the chance you take with rechargeables. I already have to take chargers for my digital camera, walkie talkies, and cell phone. I think I will just bring a good Makita 3/8" reversable 110 volt corded drill and and use it where I have hook ups and crank it by hand where I don't. A lot cheaper and a lot more dependable than any cordless. Just another thought.
Bob
I have a bad lower back and bending at the waist without something to lean on for more than a few seconds, and I mean a very few, is a real killer so I have used the cordless drill to make it faster and easier. When on soft surfaces, I have lowered the stabilizers and then gone around and "tightened" them by hand with the hand crank but that is a real pain in the back, so to speak.
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
[quote=Ultradog]Drag'n,
How much weight did your jacks add to the trailer?
I am very conscious about extraneous weight.
Ultradog,
The new jacks were considerably lighter than the OEM satbilzer jacks I took off. My gues is by 5 - 10 lbs lighter. The OEM's that I took off are all welded steel and pretty robust at that. The scissors are also steel but much lighter, I still do not understand why the OEM's have a plastic nut with such a robust frame..should have been brass.
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Hi, I still crank my stabilizers by hand. I thought about the cordless idea, but I have cordless drills at home; and some times they work great and sometimes they don't. That's the chance you take with rechargeables. I already have to take chargers for my digital camera, walkie talkies, and cell phone. I think I will just bring a good Makita 3/8" reversable 110 volt corded drill and and use it where I have hook ups and crank it by hand where I don't. A lot cheaper and a lot more dependable than any cordless. Just another thought.
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