Corner steady drill adaptor
Been caravanning now for 38 years and the time has come to make life as easy as possible! I have a battery electric drill and see other caravanners using one for setting the corner steadies - does anyone have a recommendation as to the best drill adaptor to buy.
Many thanks in anticipation of your help.
Trevor
Comments
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I bought one from my local dealer, it was quite cheap and it's been great in over ten year's of use. Just shop around but I think they are all under £10. Try Amazon or your local dealer.
You might find that starting off unwinding is actually easier with a normal winder sometimes and I just use the drill to get it within a few cm of the ground then use the winder again and do it by 'feel', I was given that advice as drills may have too much torque?
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After many years of winding the steadies by hand I succumbed to an electric winder. However, I do not use a heavy, cumbersome and powerful electric drill but a simple, light electric screwdriver with torque settings. Similar to this one.
Set torque then wind down until it stops with a nasty noise. It's easy to get an even pressure on all corners. It sometimes needs a higher torque to start winding up again.
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After setting your first leg so the van is level,
Are you saying you level your caravan with the corner steady? That could lead to damage. Or are you saying do the first one by hand/winder? Then the rest as with your statement above. The word level in there is confusing? Setting how?
Also for the same reason (damage) by feel is best in my view for the last few cms, then the drill won't try and raise the van, the steady is just that a steady or support and even a 'middle' torque setting could be powerful enough to do that.
Each to their own preferred way/thinking of course. Everyone makes up their own mind with their own van.
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Yes indeed or you end up going round and round with the drill like Gromit (if you remember that in a Grand day out)
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When buying the adaptor be aware that the ones with the thin rods are prone to bending which leads to the drill moving about!Choose one with a solid bar.
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Bosch electric screwdriver. Torque set to 15. speed 1 (of 2), screw not hammer setting.
Short adaptor from Amazon. Level the van with jockey wheel (and boards under the wheels if necessary) then wind down the corner steadies. At torque 15 the steadies do not lift the van.
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I'm sure some would agree that I've got a strange hubby as, several years ago, I bought him a good quality cordless drill (he's not a DIYer in any sense of the word but I struggle to think of gift ideas). I think he took the drill with us a couple of times and then decided it was just something else to carry, plus charger, so he's gone back to the manual winder. He loses his rag with the sat nav too. Hey ho.
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I thought the same for years but it’s not, particularly if there is significant travel. What changed my mind was some small drill / screwdrivers with torque setting for sale in Aldi, fairly long life lithium battery for £24. Wound them up and down in seconds and a full charge would do at least six sites, plus the storage.
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We use a batt drill and adaptor on our caravan much quicker and easier than the supplied hand Crank
And when one notices others struggling and getting red faced with the hand Crank its a wonder with all the gismos that people. Crave these days that electric steadies are not on the list
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See Alko technical data;
Corner steady, max load 800 Kg or moreJockey wheel, max load 300kg static
Typical hitch weight on arrival 80kg
Adult male weight 90kg
You can, if you wish, park your van with the jockey wheel raised so that all end loads are supported by the corner steadies. ie close to an extra 90kg over the two steadies when standing in an end bathroom or sitting close to the front.1 -
Also winding up, with the drill in reverse, can cause the chuck to loosen, and the winder extension to go wobbly.
Using previous advice about the drill adjustable torque setting. Do one steady by hand, then adjust drill from lowest setting upward until best setting is found, then note it for future use.
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