I'm about to buy a Jayco swift camper trailer and was wondering if anyone uses an electric winder for the roof. Jayco had one available but has since withdrawn it. I don't think a cordless drill would have the power and a rattle gun would probably destroy the winding mechanism. Ideas?
Hi Toglhot, I see 12volt electric drills being used for their roofs & ground leveling jacks heaps of times. As long as they are well charged, no problem.
I got a cheap 12v cordless drill from SCA, as well as a second battery.
Before we go away, the van goes out on the front lawn for packing - the drill winds all 4 stabilizers down.
Just before I hook up the van to go, the drill winds all 4 stabilizers up.
I reach the park site - the drill winds all 4 stabilizers down - then the drill drives in 8 x 200mm coach screws for our annexe ropes (saves hitting pegs in with a bad back !).
To come home, I reverse drive the 8 coach screws and wind the 4 stabilizers up.
I get home, the van goes back on the lawn for unpacking - the 4 stabilizers go down.
Once the van is unpacked and cleaned it goes back under the carport - so, 4 stabilizers go up again.
That's 24 stabilizers driven + 16 coach screws driven - a pretty fair load for a cheap 12v drill !!! Then I fully recharge ready for the next trip.
After all this work the drill is still working OK on a single charge - I still have the unused fully charged spare battery as backup, and if I need to recharge when I'm away I carry the little 240v plug-pack charger and can recharge the drill battery in around 2 hours or less. To even the wear on the two batteries I swap them around between trips.
I also have a Purpleline caravan mover fitted for difficult sites (and for our sloping driveway) - the same cordless drill winds the powered rollers on / off the tyres in the same drill battery charge cycle when needed.
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Wondering about ShortNorth ? - Short North is the railwayman's nickname for the NSWGR main line between Sydney and Newcastle
Hmmm, that's fine but how do you keep it charged when on the road.
here's a few tips/ideas....
1. I have a cordless 12v Drill, if the battery goes flat I take out the battery and hook the drill up to a cord that I made up which plugs into a 12v cigarette lighter socket. Not ideal but it works!.
2. Most 12v cordless drills these days have 2 or more batteries or you can simply buy extras.
3. You can buy a 12v DC Charger that plugs into a 12v cigarette lighter socket that will charge all sorts of DC appliances including Cordless drill batteries.
4. I also have an iFighter - 7500 portable battery bank that I can use when option 1 above is too far from a 12v socket.
-- Edited by madaboutled on Wednesday 28th of October 2015 08:21:53 AM
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Steve, Di & Ziggy We named our Motorhome "Roadworx" because on the road works "On The Road Again" Ford Transit with 302 Windsor V8 conversion, C4 Auto, 9 Inch Ford Diff All Lighting L.E.D., 260 Amp/h AGM, 530 Watt Solar + Kipor Backup Gen.
A battery operated drill with a 2 speed option would be the go as the lower speed is geared down this then doubles up to raise and lower your stabilisers using a 3/4'' socket. Keep the torque settings low so the gears aren't damaged when you get to the end of the stroke. I use a "Ryobi One" 2 x variable speed which has a 12v charger. From Bunnings.
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Made Beer Bottles for 44 years..... Now.... just test them.
