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Old 04-23-2013, 08:13 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stoney View Post
I use a cordless impack wrench to lower my jacks.
I purchased a Ryobi drill/impact combo with the 18v lithium batteries. Included 1/4" impact driver and a 1/2" drill. I purcased a 3/4" socket and with the impact driver it smoothly lowers the jacks without twisting your wrist like a powered drill will. I only had a corded drill so I treated myself.

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Old 04-23-2013, 08:32 AM   #22
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I Guess I'm Old School...

I find the use of electric drills for things such as BAL stabilizers are not the best answer for me. Electric drills reduce the "feedback" between the operator and the mechanism. Consequently, the operator may not be aware of the increased torque required to operate the stabilizer as it becomes dirty and corroded. It's also annoying to other campers (okay, annoying to me) when somebody uses a drill with a torque clutch and they reach the torque limit and keep on going.... rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat. That seems to occur late at night when everyone near them is resting, or early in the morning when the person with the drill is breaking camp before dawn.

I like a solution that keeps me in the feedback loop. If the screw is difficult to turn it's time to clean and lubricate the screw. If something is squeeking or grinding it's time to investigate. A simple $10-$15 speed wrench is the good tool to have on hand - it doesn't require charging, it's relatively quiet, and from what I can see it's as easy to use as a drill motor for operating your BAL stabilizers.

Call me old school because I use one of these:
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Old 04-24-2013, 06:09 PM   #23
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I use my cordless drill set...


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Old 04-26-2013, 08:03 PM   #24
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Sooo funny Robert! Made me laugh out loud.
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Old 04-26-2013, 08:42 PM   #25
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On the topic of "feedback" between me and the stabilizer... I keep the dewalt torque set low (5 of something like 17.) I initially set the torque low because I don't want to crank the stabilizers down too hard because they're stabilizers, not jacks.
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Old 04-26-2013, 08:51 PM   #26
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I almost broke my wrist when I used my drill to take the stabilizer down. Never again. I'm old school too (maybe not as old as Robert!)
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Old 04-26-2013, 09:05 PM   #27
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After having the socket come off the adaptor a number of times, I tig welded it to the socket.
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Old 04-26-2013, 09:10 PM   #28
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It never occurred to me that I needed anything than the standard "wrench" that came with the trailer.

I suppose if I had bad arthritis in a part of me that I need to use to make the wrench work, I might feel different about it, but with just a quick shot of silicon spray, so far they work like a charm.

ps: spray graphite grease is great too, but it's so dang dirty I avoid it as much as possible. Or maybe I have the wrong kind, but mine shoots a black spray that seems to like to travel a lot.
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Old 04-26-2013, 09:18 PM   #29
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Dry brush-on graphite....

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Old 04-26-2013, 09:20 PM   #30
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silicone spray for me.
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Old 04-26-2013, 09:27 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aage View Post
It never occurred to me that I needed anything than the standard "wrench" that came with the trailer.

I suppose if I had bad arthritis in a part of me that I need to use to make the wrench work, I might feel different about it, but with just a quick shot of silicon spray, so far they work like a charm.

ps: spray graphite grease is great too, but it's so dang dirty I avoid it as much as possible. Or maybe I have the wrong kind, but mine shoots a black spray that seems to like to travel a lot.
I bought the BAL stabilizers and installed them myself. The "speed handle" thingo was another $18-$20 where I got a decent deal on the set of stabilizers, I already had the dewalt and the socket, and the 3/8 drive drill adapter was $4ish. If I forget the dewalt I can use a ratchet and take a while, if I forget the ratchet I forgot the whole tool bag and should've stayed home.
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Old 04-28-2013, 01:02 PM   #32
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My back can handle one or two stabilizers with the standard crank, hence the drill. It does make a difference especially with all to do when setting up. Getting old sux. More so with health issues.
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Old 05-13-2013, 06:55 AM   #33
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Call me old school, too, because I've used the manual crank for years (mostly because my 9 volt drill won't work on the stabilizers.) But here's my rationale for a new $200 18 volt drill: We have 19 stops on our Viking Trail Caravan this summer. 19 stops X 4 stabilizers X two cranks per stabilizer per stop = 152 cranks/$200 = 76 cents. So for just pennies I can efficiently raise and lower my stabilizers with ease. It will almost pay for itself! Now add $500 worth of AGM batteries so I don't have to check the electrolyte level, and I'm saving so much time and energy I ought to get a rebate from the electric company. So with these savings, I can pay for the $5.20/gallon Canadian diesel fuel. And it's all thanks to my new drill.
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:18 AM   #34
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I don't need to use it for my stabilizers, but I would not trade it for anything when it is time to set my Hensley wd jacks. It's also great for tire changes - up until it is time for the torque wrench.

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Old 05-13-2013, 01:24 PM   #35
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AND, on top of all those benefits you can drill a hole with it and mix a drink too.
What a country.
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Old 05-13-2013, 03:19 PM   #36
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Yep, Robert's pic of the three adapters is the ticket! I use one for the weight distribution jacks on the hitch too.

If you watch, there are sales on the 18v cordless drills. The one Rigid model I got was rated #2 under Bosch in a consumer cordless drill rating BUT it also has a lifetime warranty and it came with two extra batteries- one free, ALSO covered under the warranty. Can't beat that. It is powerful.
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