cordless drill for raising popup roof

[campfire joe]

So i'm trying to make things a little easier on myself. Thinking about buying a 1/2" cordless drill and adapter to raise my popup's roof. For all you who use a cordless drill for this what power drill is your drill? Been looking at getting a 18 volt. Will this do it? obviously the size of everyone's roof will effect what type of drill to get. My rockwood 2318g's roof is 12' L by about 85" wide. Thanks

[njfishing]

I used this on my Coleman pop up and any 18 volt driver should do and it if has speeds, keep it on the lower setting so you get more torque.

Not sure what the lift mechanism is on your pop up is and how it works but the Coleman /Fleetwood mechanism did not like you to raise/over lift the roof past a certain point. If you did, the ratchet that holds the roof up would slip and the weight of the roof would lower it on its own and you have to lower the roof all the way and start all over again for it to re engage the ratchet.

Point is you probably want to use the drill to raise it most of the way and to avoid over lifting it, use your hand crank for the last few inches.

[campfire joe]

Originally Posted by njfishing

I used this on my Coleman pop up and any 18 volt driver should do and it if has speeds, keep it on the lower setting so you get more torque.

Not sure what the lift mechanism is on your pop up is and how it works but the Coleman /Fleetwood mechanism did not like you to raise/over lift the roof past a certain point. If you did, the ratchet that holds the roof up would slip and the weight of the roof would lower it on its own and you have to lower the roof all the way and start all over again for it to re engage the ratchet.

Point is you probably want to use the drill to raise it most of the way and to avoid over lifting it, use your hand crank for the last few inches.

That's probably a good idea. but at least the drill would take care of most of the heavy cranking. Just wanted to make sure that a 18.2 volt would do the job before i spend the cash on one. I have a 14.4 makita but it's only a 3/8s and all the adapters require a 1/2 chuck.

[SomeName]

On our winch (Flagstaff 625D, same roof measurements as yours) it has a 19mm 'nut' the same as the hand crank for the stabilizers. I use my cordless drill (3/8 drive 20v cheapo) with a 19mm socket to raise/lower the stabilizers and the roof if necessary. There's a little resistance on the winch nut but the 20v drill can raise/lower the roof easily. It's geared in such a way that it requires little torque but many, many rotations to raise/lower manually. Beats using the hand crank if your battery is dead, that's for sure.

I suspect the 18v drill you're proposing will be just fine.

==
Edit: I see your popup is older. The newer ones the winch is very easy to manually turn making the drill prospect a no-brainer. Not sure about the older winches tho.

[njfishing]

I'm using a Ryobi 18 volt I use around the house and it worked fine for raising and lowering the pop up and I use it now to raise and lower the Stabilizer bars as well.

The thing I like about the Ryobi is there are several other Ryobi products that use the same battery that I find useful while camping like their tire pump, flash light and lantern.

If I were you, I would make sure and get the Lithium Ion batteries... They last a lot longer then the Ni MH batteries. After about a year or so the Ni MHs won't hold a charge and they also seem to loose charge when they're not is use. I've switched to the Lithiums and going on 3 or 4 years and they are holding up well.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by campfire joe

So i'm trying to make things a little easier on myself. Thinking about buying a 1/2" cordless drill and adapter to raise my popup's roof. For all you who use a cordless drill for this what power drill is your drill? Been looking at getting a 18 volt. Will this do it? obviously the size of everyone's roof will effect what type of drill to get. My rockwood 2318g's roof is 12' L by about 85" wide. Thanks

I used a Milwaukee 18V Lithium drill for 8 years on my Popup, performed flawlessly. Also used it to lower/raise stabilizers.

[campfire joe]

Thanks guys. I ordered a makita 18 volt drill comes with 1 battery and a charger. Yes i will use it for the stabilizers too. I have been using the 14.4 makita for the stabilizers. So now i'll just have to remember to bring the 1/2 drill when we go.

[NormTn]

Mae sure to keep your lifting rig lubed to make it easier. WD 40 works well

[rsdata]

RYOBI from HomeDepot I got lots of Ryobi 18Volt devices

The thing I like about the Ryobi is there are several other Ryobi products that use the same battery that I find useful while camping like their tire pump, flash light and lantern.

If I were you, I would make sure and get the Lithium Ion batteries... They last a lot longer then the Ni MH batteries

[SomeName]

Originally Posted by campfire joe

Thanks guys. I ordered a makita 18 volt drill comes with 1 battery and a charger. Yes i will use it for the stabilizers too. I have been using the 14.4 makita for the stabilizers. So now i'll just have to remember to bring the 1/2 drill when we go.

I bet the 14.4 would have worked just fine. Not sure why the 1/2” drive is required...?

[campfire joe]

Originally Posted by SomeName

I bet the 14.4 would have worked just fine. Not sure why the 1/2” drive is required...?

I thought that too, but the problem is all the adapters i have seen require a 1/2" drill chuck. My 14.4 is only a 3/8s. Anyway there have been times where i wish i had a 1/2 cordless drill and had to get out my pain in the butt electric non variable speed key chuck 1/2"drill.

[SomeName]

Originally Posted by campfire joe

I thought that too, but the problem is all the adapters i have seen require a 1/2" drill chuck. My 14.4 is only a 3/8s. Anyway there have been times where i wish i had a 1/2 cordless drill and had to get out my pain in the butt electric non variable speed key chuck 1/2"drill.

I see. I use this thing:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001V8U1..._oYjgFbQA7X4S2

But if you’re looking for a 1/2 drill anyways then now you have an excuse to get one.
:-)

[campfire joe]

Originally Posted by SomeName

I see. I use this thing:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001V8U1..._oYjgFbQA7X4S2

But if you’re looking for a 1/2 drill anyways then now you have an excuse to get one.
:-)

For my jacks i use a socket with a adapter. but my camper winch needs a male 7/8" adapter tool. most of them that i have seen all need a 1/2 drill chuck.

[jimmoore13]

Assuming you are shopping, here is an ideal option:
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Porter-cabl...ent=4294962151

These are available on Amazon, too.

Porter Cable is part of the Stanley/Black and Decker line of tools. It's a modestly priced version of DeWalt.

I have one of these that has lasted a very long time, has tons of power, and sips the battery. The recommended kit has the larger, premium batteries (2) and a charger.
https://www.protoolreviews.com/news/...ns-them/43632/

Why this recommendation? 18 volt tools are "so yesterday." There's nothing wrong with them, but if you go with 20 volt tools, they'll be supported longer. Plus, I was able to buy two MONSTER 3rd party batteries for my Porter Cable that have the juice to service a month or more of camping trips on one charge.

This drill also has the two primary speed settings. My Porter Cable is powerful enough to run a Trailer Valet to move a 5000# plus camper. https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Valet...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Throw in a set of drill bits and a set of driver bits for repairs, and this one tool will do a huge number of field repairs with power to spare.

If you own an 18 volt drill, use it. But if you're shopping, get something that will amaze you and never run out of gas.

[kennyairport]

Originally Posted by campfire joe

So i'm trying to make things a little easier on myself. Thinking about buying a 1/2" cordless drill and adapter to raise my popup's roof. For all you who use a cordless drill for this what power drill is your drill? Been looking at getting a 18 volt. Will this do it? obviously the size of everyone's roof will effect what type of drill to get. My rockwood 2318g's roof is 12' L by about 85" wide. Thanks

What I did with the pop up was mark the roof supports about 1-2 inches short of fully extended with a line of red paint(magic marker also would work),and stopped the drill at this point.

[bstuhldreier]

Not sure what year yours is , but doesn't your model have the battery powered lift?

[campfire joe]

Originally Posted by bstuhldreier

Not sure what year yours is , but doesn't your model have the battery powered lift?

Nope. just a hand crank. Been cranking on it since i got in 2014. It was 1 yr old when we got it.
That porter cable drill you mentioned jimmoore13 was a little better deal than what i got. I got a makita for $100.00 but it only came with 1 battery and a charger. Gonna get another battery for it soon.

[simiHal]

I don’t have a pop up but I use a Dewalt impact driver. I has enough torque to remove my lug nuts, plus it’ll drive & remove my 3/8 x 10” lag bolts I use as ground stakes. No, you won’t be able to use drill bits without a chuck adapter but it’s good for everything else I need on the road.

[Bob414]

My popup has a square shaft to raise the roof. Is there a commercial adapter to connect it of a cordless drill?

I have a impact driver, but would not recommend it for raising the roof, to much jerking and noise. Also, remember that true impact sockets are 6 pt., 12 pt sockets will eventually round the head of the bolt if applying a lot of torque and not all 6 pt sockets are rated for impact use.

Bob

[chuckyb9876]

I have a FR 2012 T12DDST and use a power drill to raise/lower both the tongue and the My 18 v DeWalt has a clutch on it so what I do is lower the clutch to the point where it slips and then go one number above that and lift. The clutch will then slip when it reaches one number above lifting the top. It also will save your wrist in case the drill twists.