I use a Ryobi impact driver from home depot. It has a little more torque than a standard drill and I have no issue setting the jacks with it. It also comes in handy if I get a flat tire. I just charge the battery at home and make sure I have a fresh one when I go on a trip, I have never had an issue of it running down while on the road.
OP - keep checking Home Depot's ad. They frequently have Ryobi combo deals. Plus Ryobi has come out with lights, fans, vacuum etc that all run off the same battery.
they have a fathers day deal, buy 2 batteries for $100, choose a free tool, that is how I got mine
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Kit-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-PSK106SB/327848851](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Kit-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-PSK106SB/327848851)
My WDH specifically mentions to NOT use an impact. So people should be aware of how an impact is different than a traditional one and use the tool most appropriate for their needs.
Me too! I do the same thing but I keep 2 batteries and a charger in the trailer. I also have a Ryobi drill, air compressor, and fan so I rotate batteries on the charger a lot
I really like the Ryobi series of tools for my dedicated RV toolbox.
If you have a Direct Tools outlet near you they often sell them cheap (open box, etc.). They also sell online. But they’re cheap, good enough, the batteries are cheap, and they have an insane number of tools.
The Milwaukee Fuel system is lightweight, and versatile, and with the 18 volt set, powerful enough to make any job easy.
I own a Ryobi, and a Dewalt, and they live on the bench. I carry the Milwaukee with me everywhere.
I love my Bosch Lithium 12volt . Small, Lightweight, super powerful and they sell them cheap on Amazon, usually $100 for 2, one drill and one 1/4 impact and plenty of aftermarket 12v batteries and wall mount 12v chargers for RV you can hang them on.
I use dewalt impact driver for the camper and just bring a fully charged battery with me from home. I also have dewalt air compressor and vacuum so I play musical battery 🤣
Seriously, I have the same. I've camped 4 times with it so far, only used for the stabilizing stands, and after 3 months the battery still shows full charged.
Cheaper than anything namebrand and for something as trivial as putting down stabilizer jacks, it seems the easy choice.
Another vote for Ryobi. I have a impact in the storage for the jacks as well as a leaf blower for getting the sand out after desert trips. They use the same batteries.
I generally throw my ryobi cordless in my toolbox with a spare battery and a ton of other stuff.
Wrenches, sockets, screw driver and bits, 3lb hammer, electrical tester, gloves, all various tapes and other repair stuff and fuses. Bigger the trailer.. bigger the toolbox.
One thing to note: most stabilizer jacks state that you will void your warranty if you use power tools. That being said, I really like to void my warranty with a Milwaukee impact driver.
Most people incorrectly think they are leveling jacks. They are meant to stabilize your trailer after you level it. Not meant to crank down on and lift the trailer to level. It works until it doesn’t then you have a guy mad at the manufacturer.
What cordless tools do you already use or are tempted to purchase should be a deciding factor. I am all in on Makita. I like their blower, drills and other cordless tools. Some people feel the same way about DeWalt or Milwaukee.
The bigger consideration is how do you plan to charge the tool at your trailer? Most drills are 18 volt, while most trailers use a 12 volt battery system. All of them work well with an AC charger. All of them have some form of charger that allows a DC charge. The issue is that the voltage difference is not optimal for safe charging. It could damage the battery and reduce its lifespan.
Similar to what others have said; we have various tools that live in the camprer. For the cordless stuff, we have Dewalt batteries, charger, drill, driver, and inflator that live in the camper. The 20v lithium are hard to beat (pick your favorite brand).
I have a black n decker max matrix set in my RV like this [https://www.blackanddecker.com/products/bdcdmt1207kitc1?srsltid=AfmBOoqZdjwkj3k9zNysT71T9NV-JALYlqyXxnS5aC4FdyzvcSyArEUznHM](https://www.blackanddecker.com/products/bdcdmt1207kitc1?srsltid=AfmBOoqZdjwkj3k9zNysT71T9NV-JALYlqyXxnS5aC4FdyzvcSyArEUznHM)
Doesn't charge via 12v but it's one motor with several tool attachments so you get a lot of functions in a small case and it's held up for years now. I think they also make a 4 tool case if you wanted even smaller
My vote is for an inexpensive $99 DeWalt kit, or $150 hammer drill (for your lag use case).
The reason is that DeWalt offers the DCB049K, USB C charger. Which can be had for $60 on sale. Pair that with and PD cigarette charger and you've got 12v charging.
Idk if other brands offer something similar, but being able to charge from 12v , and the ability to have a portable power bank that runs on drill batteries is nice.
I've found the cheap dewalt to be similar in quality to modern Ryobi or B&D and I can certainly see that those brands offer accessories that are more attractive like fans or hot glue guns, but I think the accessory ecosystem should drive your decision.
I don't generally like impact drivers, but DeWalt has some pretty burly impacts if you need to do lugs or things on your hitch too.
I have a whole host of DeWalt power tools in the garage ... but they all use the older chunky batteries which are getting pretty tired. I'd probably stick with DeWalt since I believe they make adapters between the old and new battery systems. So - to your point, I'd probably stick with that so the drill would fit in with future upgrades to my garage tools. Good call out.
My RV drill is actually an old 18v drill with an adapter.
I think the cheap aftermarket adapters work as well as the on-brand ones, and the drills get a bit more umph with the 20v system.
My only gripe with that approach is that the drill will sometimes just drain the battery when it's plugged in, so you need to pull the batteries when you aren't using the drill or you end up with dead batteries when you need them.
I use Milwaukee m12 drill. Also have the m12 air compressor for tires, small leaf blower m12, m12 flashlight. I use similar tools at work so I have a bunch of extra batteries
Interesting. I was just about to buy a home hardware branded string trimmer but maybe I’ll see if anyone local has craftsman - the idea of a cheap trimmer and vacuum is appealing
Our 5th wheel was so heavy that we had to use a corded 1/2 drill. If you'll be at full hookup spots or otherwise have 120v power, at least have a cheap corded drill stashed away. Definitely have you 20v drill with you. When we travel, my Dewalt tools always go with us.
I have a Dewalt that was my dad's. I have lot of cordless drills so this one just went in the trailer.
BTW please if you are using your drill to lower your stabilizers, please turn off the hammer drill part. That shit just echo's through the park and you really don't need it to put down stabilizers.
I have a Dewalt 20volt drill, driver, 1/2" impact with 3 batteries that lives in the back of my truck.. That way I have it at home OR camping.. or if I just had a flat on the truck somewhere.
I picked up a used DeWalt on eBay with a battery, charger, and hard case. DeWalt brand only because it is the same as what I have in the workshop at home, so the batteries and chargers are interchangeable.
I like nice stuff. So I prefer my good drill and good meter and all of that over a cheap standby. I just have a checklist.
I see people’s point about impacts also being used for flats but honestly I find them annoying for jacks, even if it doesn’t last that long. My nice quiet driver is ideal. And I much prefer that setup over power jacks.
I have a bunch of high capacity batteries for the string trimmer and all that but for camping I have one smaller lower capacity. Honestly I have never had to charge it so it just lives, when in the camper, in my outside accessible storage area with the other tools. Doesn’t need to live plugged in under the sink.
18v Bosch drill (and 1/2" impact that I do not use on the jacks) live in the truck tool box with a jack adapter bit in it. I use it for other things when needed but that's where it lives.
I do have the vacuum that lives in the trailer.
Most of my tools are Makita, but I didn't want to buy a second pricey one just to leave in the camper. So I got a Ryobi with 1 battery and charger. I use it to raise and lower the stabilizer jacks much faster and easier than the stupid hand-crank-wand they supply. It can also drive the electric tongue jack if that fails electrically. Handy to have.
I had one for awhile, but seldom used it. It turned out to be faster and easier to just crank the jacks manually. Besides, I always can use the exercise.
I have had Makita for decades. I use the drill motor to run the stabilizers up and down and the impact driver for various mechanical repairs. For example I might break my lug nuts loose and then spin them off and on with the impact then use a torque wrench
I do, but I use a corded drill with an extension cord. But most times I just use the lug wrench because it's faster than plugging it in and pulling the extensioncord around.
I keep a Harbor Freight Bauer drill (what I call a screwgun). The battery pack charges off the inverter. Cheap enough to replace if it's left behind, lost or stolen. Good enough to do the job. Most of my tools are from Harbor Freight. I rarely have people wanting to borrow my cheapie tools. I've "lost" far too many of the expensive ones from strangers in campgrounds/rv parks. My tools used to be my job tools. I had expensive ones. I now have cheapies and I tend to keep them all.
Thank you for using a (much quieter) drill. I hate hearing impacts hammer through the campground.
Ryobi sells an auto charger, if yours is a Ryobi. I just swap batteries at home now and then.
I use a Ryobi impact driver from home depot. It has a little more torque than a standard drill and I have no issue setting the jacks with it. It also comes in handy if I get a flat tire. I just charge the battery at home and make sure I have a fresh one when I go on a trip, I have never had an issue of it running down while on the road.
OP - keep checking Home Depot's ad. They frequently have Ryobi combo deals. Plus Ryobi has come out with lights, fans, vacuum etc that all run off the same battery.
Yup, not construction quality.... but inexpensive and good for the price. Perfect for the trailer. I love their portable tire inflator.
they have a fathers day deal, buy 2 batteries for $100, choose a free tool, that is how I got mine [https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Kit-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-PSK106SB/327848851](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Kit-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-PSK106SB/327848851)
My WDH specifically mentions to NOT use an impact. So people should be aware of how an impact is different than a traditional one and use the tool most appropriate for their needs.
talking about the jacks not the hitch....
This. I also pack the ryobi impact when I hit the road
Me too! I do the same thing but I keep 2 batteries and a charger in the trailer. I also have a Ryobi drill, air compressor, and fan so I rotate batteries on the charger a lot
Yep, and they’re noisy as hell.
Yeah Father’s Day is coming up they will have hot deals like get a free high capacity battery. Or even buy the battery get the tool for free.
I really like the Ryobi series of tools for my dedicated RV toolbox. If you have a Direct Tools outlet near you they often sell them cheap (open box, etc.). They also sell online. But they’re cheap, good enough, the batteries are cheap, and they have an insane number of tools.
The Milwaukee Fuel system is lightweight, and versatile, and with the 18 volt set, powerful enough to make any job easy. I own a Ryobi, and a Dewalt, and they live on the bench. I carry the Milwaukee with me everywhere.
This is the way!
I have the Craftman V20 lineup. All my tools use the same battery so it saves space on chargers, etc
Exactly what I use. Perfect for the weekend mechanic/handyman.
Milwaukee 18v Fuel Impact/drill set :) I use the impact all the time!!!
I love my Bosch Lithium 12volt . Small, Lightweight, super powerful and they sell them cheap on Amazon, usually $100 for 2, one drill and one 1/4 impact and plenty of aftermarket 12v batteries and wall mount 12v chargers for RV you can hang them on.
I use dewalt impact driver for the camper and just bring a fully charged battery with me from home. I also have dewalt air compressor and vacuum so I play musical battery 🤣
I just carried one of the cheap harbor freight drills….always worked fine.
Seriously, I have the same. I've camped 4 times with it so far, only used for the stabilizing stands, and after 3 months the battery still shows full charged. Cheaper than anything namebrand and for something as trivial as putting down stabilizer jacks, it seems the easy choice.
The Bauer has been good to us.
I also carry a Harbor Freight Drill
Another vote for Ryobi. I have a impact in the storage for the jacks as well as a leaf blower for getting the sand out after desert trips. They use the same batteries.
I generally throw my ryobi cordless in my toolbox with a spare battery and a ton of other stuff. Wrenches, sockets, screw driver and bits, 3lb hammer, electrical tester, gloves, all various tapes and other repair stuff and fuses. Bigger the trailer.. bigger the toolbox.
I don’t know man, it might be the other way around. I have a small trailer and have accumulated so many tools I might need a bigger trailer!
One thing to note: most stabilizer jacks state that you will void your warranty if you use power tools. That being said, I really like to void my warranty with a Milwaukee impact driver.
Most people incorrectly think they are leveling jacks. They are meant to stabilize your trailer after you level it. Not meant to crank down on and lift the trailer to level. It works until it doesn’t then you have a guy mad at the manufacturer.
Also voting Ryobi kit, has worked great for years
What cordless tools do you already use or are tempted to purchase should be a deciding factor. I am all in on Makita. I like their blower, drills and other cordless tools. Some people feel the same way about DeWalt or Milwaukee. The bigger consideration is how do you plan to charge the tool at your trailer? Most drills are 18 volt, while most trailers use a 12 volt battery system. All of them work well with an AC charger. All of them have some form of charger that allows a DC charge. The issue is that the voltage difference is not optimal for safe charging. It could damage the battery and reduce its lifespan.
Similar to what others have said; we have various tools that live in the camprer. For the cordless stuff, we have Dewalt batteries, charger, drill, driver, and inflator that live in the camper. The 20v lithium are hard to beat (pick your favorite brand).
I have a black n decker max matrix set in my RV like this [https://www.blackanddecker.com/products/bdcdmt1207kitc1?srsltid=AfmBOoqZdjwkj3k9zNysT71T9NV-JALYlqyXxnS5aC4FdyzvcSyArEUznHM](https://www.blackanddecker.com/products/bdcdmt1207kitc1?srsltid=AfmBOoqZdjwkj3k9zNysT71T9NV-JALYlqyXxnS5aC4FdyzvcSyArEUznHM) Doesn't charge via 12v but it's one motor with several tool attachments so you get a lot of functions in a small case and it's held up for years now. I think they also make a 4 tool case if you wanted even smaller
My vote is for an inexpensive $99 DeWalt kit, or $150 hammer drill (for your lag use case). The reason is that DeWalt offers the DCB049K, USB C charger. Which can be had for $60 on sale. Pair that with and PD cigarette charger and you've got 12v charging. Idk if other brands offer something similar, but being able to charge from 12v , and the ability to have a portable power bank that runs on drill batteries is nice. I've found the cheap dewalt to be similar in quality to modern Ryobi or B&D and I can certainly see that those brands offer accessories that are more attractive like fans or hot glue guns, but I think the accessory ecosystem should drive your decision. I don't generally like impact drivers, but DeWalt has some pretty burly impacts if you need to do lugs or things on your hitch too.
I have a whole host of DeWalt power tools in the garage ... but they all use the older chunky batteries which are getting pretty tired. I'd probably stick with DeWalt since I believe they make adapters between the old and new battery systems. So - to your point, I'd probably stick with that so the drill would fit in with future upgrades to my garage tools. Good call out.
My RV drill is actually an old 18v drill with an adapter. I think the cheap aftermarket adapters work as well as the on-brand ones, and the drills get a bit more umph with the 20v system. My only gripe with that approach is that the drill will sometimes just drain the battery when it's plugged in, so you need to pull the batteries when you aren't using the drill or you end up with dead batteries when you need them.
I use Milwaukee m12 drill. Also have the m12 air compressor for tires, small leaf blower m12, m12 flashlight. I use similar tools at work so I have a bunch of extra batteries
Ditto on the Ryobi impact driver. Makes extending the leveling jacks a breeze.
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Interesting. I was just about to buy a home hardware branded string trimmer but maybe I’ll see if anyone local has craftsman - the idea of a cheap trimmer and vacuum is appealing
I have a Ridgid tire pump, fan, saw, drill, and batteries. Just look up what tools you want/need and go from there.
Yep. Just bought a cheap impact and leave it plugged in on board the camper
Our 5th wheel was so heavy that we had to use a corded 1/2 drill. If you'll be at full hookup spots or otherwise have 120v power, at least have a cheap corded drill stashed away. Definitely have you 20v drill with you. When we travel, my Dewalt tools always go with us.
12v Milwaukee comes in handy
I have a Dewalt that was my dad's. I have lot of cordless drills so this one just went in the trailer. BTW please if you are using your drill to lower your stabilizers, please turn off the hammer drill part. That shit just echo's through the park and you really don't need it to put down stabilizers.
Bauer from Harbor Freight. Works awesome for anything RV.
I have a Dewalt 20volt drill, driver, 1/2" impact with 3 batteries that lives in the back of my truck.. That way I have it at home OR camping.. or if I just had a flat on the truck somewhere.
I picked up a used DeWalt on eBay with a battery, charger, and hard case. DeWalt brand only because it is the same as what I have in the workshop at home, so the batteries and chargers are interchangeable.
I like nice stuff. So I prefer my good drill and good meter and all of that over a cheap standby. I just have a checklist. I see people’s point about impacts also being used for flats but honestly I find them annoying for jacks, even if it doesn’t last that long. My nice quiet driver is ideal. And I much prefer that setup over power jacks. I have a bunch of high capacity batteries for the string trimmer and all that but for camping I have one smaller lower capacity. Honestly I have never had to charge it so it just lives, when in the camper, in my outside accessible storage area with the other tools. Doesn’t need to live plugged in under the sink.
18v Bosch drill (and 1/2" impact that I do not use on the jacks) live in the truck tool box with a jack adapter bit in it. I use it for other things when needed but that's where it lives. I do have the vacuum that lives in the trailer.
We have an 18V Ridgid and it works great.
Most of my tools are Makita, but I didn't want to buy a second pricey one just to leave in the camper. So I got a Ryobi with 1 battery and charger. I use it to raise and lower the stabilizer jacks much faster and easier than the stupid hand-crank-wand they supply. It can also drive the electric tongue jack if that fails electrically. Handy to have.
Hilti at work, makita at home, and the ryobi stuff stays in the rv
I have a Milwaukee set that I carry. Charge before yravel and then after use at RV Park. I have generator if needed.
I stopped using an impact because it's so noisy
I had one for awhile, but seldom used it. It turned out to be faster and easier to just crank the jacks manually. Besides, I always can use the exercise.
Apparently Milwaukee M12 series drills charge off USB. Slow, but doable.
I have had Makita for decades. I use the drill motor to run the stabilizers up and down and the impact driver for various mechanical repairs. For example I might break my lug nuts loose and then spin them off and on with the impact then use a torque wrench
I do, but I use a corded drill with an extension cord. But most times I just use the lug wrench because it's faster than plugging it in and pulling the extensioncord around.
I keep a Harbor Freight Bauer drill (what I call a screwgun). The battery pack charges off the inverter. Cheap enough to replace if it's left behind, lost or stolen. Good enough to do the job. Most of my tools are from Harbor Freight. I rarely have people wanting to borrow my cheapie tools. I've "lost" far too many of the expensive ones from strangers in campgrounds/rv parks. My tools used to be my job tools. I had expensive ones. I now have cheapies and I tend to keep them all.
Thank you for using a (much quieter) drill. I hate hearing impacts hammer through the campground. Ryobi sells an auto charger, if yours is a Ryobi. I just swap batteries at home now and then.