Using a drill to raise trailer roof

[MRMANG]

Hello fellow tent trailer owners. I have a 98 Rockwood 1908. My back doesn't like raising and lowering the roof much anymore. Has anybody used a cordless drill to do that? My roof mechanism is a bit stiff to crank so I wonder how much ft/lbs of torque it would take to do this. I have looked online at the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 18volt lithium-Ion 1/2", and the MilwaukeeM18 Fuel Gen II 18v L-Ion 1/2" Hawg Right Angle drill. So has anybody tried this idea and what results did you get? I really like our trailer but may have to go another route if I can't come up with an inexpensive solution. Converting the mechanical to a power lift is too much money for us. I'm open to ideas and feedback. Thanks. Michael.

 

[Rene T]

Hello fellow tent trailer owners. I have a 98 Rockwood 1908. My back doesn't like raising and lowering the roof much anymore. Has anybody used a cordless drill to do that? My roof mechanism is a bit stiff to crank so I wonder how much ft/lbs of torque it would take to do this. I have looked online at the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 18volt lithium-Ion 1/2", and the MilwaukeeM18 Fuel Gen II 18v L-Ion 1/2" Hawg Right Angle drill. So has anybody tried this idea and what results did you get? I really like our trailer but may have to go another route if I can't come up with an inexpensive solution. Converting the mechanical to a power lift is too much money for us. I'm open to ideas and feedback. Thanks. Michael.

Do you have access to a torque wrench? Try to adapt it to your mechanism and see how much torque it takes to raise the roof.
Then get a power tool the meet that torque.

 

[UTTransplant]

Kevin used whatever cordless drill was popular 20 years ago to raise the roof on ours. It wasn’t overly stiff since he kept it nicely used though.

 

[MRMANG]

Do you have access to a torque wrench? Try to adapt it to your mechanism and see how much torque it takes to raise the roof.
Then get a power tool the meet that torque.

Good suggestion. My torque wrench is the older style not the click type but maybe that might work. Thx Rene T

 

[MRMANG]

Kevin used whatever cordless drill was popular 20 years ago to raise the roof on ours. It wasn’t overly stiff since he kept it nicely used though.

I tried my new 3/8" Black n Decker Lithium 20v and it just got stopped dead without even turning the crank a revolution. So I'll keep doing my research. Cheers and thx for your response.

 

[Domo]

I say lubricate the mechanism and try it. No sense guessing about how it'd work on yours.

 

[Old_Crow]

My seasonal office trailer has a manual crank out slide. I use my Harbor Freight Earthquake 1/2" cordless impact...but I'm very careful to watch the slide and stop when it gets to the end of it's travel. I'm afraid that that impact could rip the slide right out of the wall if I'm not careful. The HF impact is around 1/2 the price of the Milwaukee.

 

[DouglasB12]

An impact driver is far more effective for things like turning screws or gears than a drill. I have the Ryobi (Home Depot) and it is fantastic.

 

[xvz12]

I've been using a cordless drill to raise the roof on our 1984 Coleman Cape Cod for several years now. Our roof was a bit stiff raising as well, my cordless drill would just barely raise it, in fact, I burned one drill up trying to lift the roof. I eventually bought a small gear reduction, & mounted it on the trailer, my drill now easily raises & lowers the roof. Here's the link to my project notes. *WARNING* this will take you to another popup camper site.

Gear Reduction Drive Lift Project - '84 Coleman Cape Cod (a bit long winded, but with pics)