RE: Raise Roof (W/AC)W/Drill?

[CampChief]

 
Hi all new to site. Been Camping my whole life. Bought a Sun Valley in 00 and just got a Mesa 03 last month. I have A/c on roof and was wondering if the Dewalts mentioned on other thread will lift the roof given the extra weight or am I resigned to crank with my bad back, shoulder,etc.,etc. Thanks in advance.My first post so please forgive any mistakes.

[Red neff Barchetta]

 CampChief
I m just about out the door, but here are a few spec s. for a drill for a 12  roof with a/c (and possibly a bike rack?) if you want the drill to last as long as you own the PU;
 24 volt drill
 min. 400 lbs. of torque
 metal gears
 1/2"  chuck if you want the Socket Genie to fit into it

[Red neff Barchetta]

 CampChief
Btw,
 Welcome to PUT!

[tlhdoc]

 CampChief
Jeff gave you the specs, I want to say welcome to the board and congratulations on your new PU.

[Ab Diver]

 CampChief
Welcome to PUT!!!! The only " mistake"  I saw in your post was you didn t include your state in your profile so we could invite you to the nearest rally.[]
 
 Red neff Barchetta showed me his drill last weekend whilst I was setting up my pop-up. I ve always been kinda ho-hum about taking a drill to raise my roof. I mean, come on... it s a " pop-up"  for crying out loud! Then he let me use his drill to raise my roof. End of ho-hum! Next tool I buy is gunna be a cordless drill.
 
 

[MtnCamper]

 CampChief
Yup, Sure makes a difference!

[CampChief]

 CampChief
Thanks to all for the info. We hail from a little burg called Hornby NY. Its a few miles north of Corning . And thanks for the welcome.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[George]

 CampChief
Will my 12V dewalt work for this?

[Red neff Barchetta]

 CampChief
George -
 I m not sure how much an 8  aluminun roof weighs.  If you don t have a/c or a bike rack up there I suppose you could try.  The drill will either work or it won t and if it s straining too much just let go of the trigger.
 However, you would be better off with an 18 volt drill for yours (just make sure it has metal gears and a 1/2"  chuck), but I don t think you d need to buy the most expensive one.  Just don t get the cheapest one either.  You don t want to be buying a new drill evey few years.
 You then just need to get the ROUND (for Coleman s) Socket Jenie (# LVSG875) from the PUT store;
 [link=http://www.popuptimes.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=SJenie&Category_Code=RV]Socket Jenie[/link]
 
 *Don t forget to use your Arvee club discount!

[griffsmom]

 CampChief
Yep, you can do it.  I watched Mrflinders drill his roof up (with a/c) at our last rally!  It gave me drill envy! []

[Gone-Camping]

 CampChief
I too use a 24v DeWalt, it raises my 12  roof with A/C just fine!!! []
 
 A good place to buy a drill at a low price is toolking.com, someone recommended them to me, and that s where I got my drill from, only $199.... []

[mike4947]

 CampChief
FYI for those thinking about a drill, last year we came to the conclusion that 300 inch pounds of torque were required as a minimum for not AC units and AC units needed 350 min. If your drill doesn t show a torque rating it a good bet it won t raise the roof.
 And if you want to keep raising and lowering you also need to look for drills with metal gears and if possible metal gear housing. The all plastic ones can raise the roof a few times but then the strain tears up the gears.

[Wayfarer]

 CampChief
Hi CampChief.  Welcome to PUT!
 
 Sounds like we have the same aches and pains.  When camping in the Coleman Utah I used the Craftsman 24V Cordless and would never be without it.  Could do complete setup: roof, stabilizers, BAL leveler and then undo it all when I folded down.  Great back and time saver!  BTW:  Either of the Socket Genies in the PUT store will work just fine.  I got the LVSG 625 because it looked sturdier and it works on both crank and stabilizers.  Had to use a swivel socket and different size for BAL.  I could get several set ups and fold downs without recharging.  Now that I have the Rockwood Roo I still use the 24V Craftsman for the stabilizers and BAL leveler.  
 
 Again, welcome and Happy Camping!
 

[Gone-Camping]

 CampChief
Wayfarer.... Not to hijack this thread or anything, but how well does that BAL jack work with the Roo??? I ve considered trying it on my, it wouldn t fit around the tire in the yard, but that may have been due to the terrain and not the tire itself. Does it raise a double axle light weight trailer?

[Wayfarer]

 CampChief
Cliff:
 
 There was some debate as to whether you could use the BAL with a double axle.  I contacted BAL and they said (or indicated) that the issue was not the double axle but the weight and that the leveler was not designed for the weight most 2-axles supported.  Since the Roo weighs only about 200 lbs more than the Utah, and since I notice that Camping World and other catalogs sell that aluminum " half-moon"  type leveler that only supports one axle and had seen large trailers that must weigh in the 5,000# range using it and having only one axle supported and the other one hanging in the air and seeming to have no problems, I decided to give it a try.  No problems! The BAL raised it just fine (needed about 3" ) and so far I see nothing to suggest I not use it.  It fit around my 14"  tires ok.  So, if your Trail Cruiser does not weigh just a whole bunch, and as I remember from shopping it is not all that heavy, I would give it a try.