Jack winder

[Pedr01800]

Just bought new van, and wound the corner steadies down with supplied "spanner".
Bit amateurish and uncomfortable to wind with no rolling grip.
Seen other folks use a power drill of the battery type, with a socket spanner.
Which model do you reckon is better to buy please ?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Which model do you reckon is better to buy please ?

How long is a piece of string??
Everybody will give you a different answer, but in my opinion the cheaper the better, no need for an expensive one.

 

[Dustydog]

You need one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports/dp/B003LX8LYK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430330577&sr=8-2&keywords=caravan+steady+drill

And any ni cad 12v + drill will do. Don't waste your money on a LIon battery version for this task.There are some very reliable cheapos out there.

 

[Sproket]

A 12v or 14v one from Aldi or Lidl is quite capable of doing the job....
Remember you only need it to wind them up and down ......

This will do the job ok

 

[Len_Cuff]

I just use my battery drill with a long socket on it. OK it's an 18V Lithium but I use it all the time around the house for DIY anyway!! As said above, if you haven't got one already then LIDL are bound to have one at a good price.

 

[Gagakev]

I'm with Len on this one, just use the one you use around the house, every man has one, haven't they?

 

[SirRogerFFS]

I bought one of Aldis drills especially for the van .Excellent for the money and of course as Sprocket has indicated the extension for the drill with socket .

 

[Pedr01800]

Got one from Screwfix.. A Titan 14 v with two Ni-Cad batteries & Charger. 1p change from £40. Not bad !

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Got one from Screwfix.. A Titan 14 v with two Ni-Cad batteries & Charger. 1p change from £40. Not bad !

Not good either! Less than £20 in Aldi or Lidl if you only wanted it for the steadies. Note the word 'steadies' rather than 'jacks' as they are not designed to lift the van but merely stop the van bouncing when you walk inside when pitched up. The van weight must be carried by the main wheels at all times.

 

[Pedr01800]

Yes, understand that Camper, Not into bouncing in van, even over axle. Always have steadies in place.
But the one I have can be useful for other things as well as winding the steadies up or down.

 

[RayS]

This comes a little late, as OP has already bought his drill, but in case it helps someone else.

First, have a care if using 18v or 20 v drills, or perhaps even some of the better 12v. On the lower speed they will develop sufficient torque to lift the corner of the caravan. In one case this had been know to distort the body sufficiently to damage the lid of an adjacent under bed locker.

Secondly the li-ion battery version is undoubtedly more expensive to buy but may not be in the longer term. This is because it does not suffer from the 'memory effect' and can be topped up whatever the state of charge, whereas if you top up Ni-cad batteries when they still have significant charge the battery life will be severely reduced. It can be quite difficult to find replacement ni-cad batteries for the cheapie drills and even when you can the price can easily exceed that of the original drill.

I have been through a number of ni-cad drills but now use 11.8v li-ion Bosch found by dilligent websearching. Iit also comes with two batteries so (providing I remember to recharge) always one to had. Excellent for light work around the house too.

Finally, if the winding nuts of the steadies are very easy to see, you may find that the normal long reach extension socket to be a little unweildy. I now use what is called a nut runner which is a short steel section with a hex shank at one end to go into the drill chuch and a standard square drive at the other to take a standard socket. The total projection from the drill chuck is in the order of 4". Obtainable from Screwfix and other tool shops for a few ££