collinb Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Standard DeWalt 20V drill. Can also be any of the 18V like Milwaukee or Ryobi (b/c they're all really roughly the same). You don't need the more expensive brushless version of the drill. (DeWalt marketing has produced [at least] two versions of the drill.) I used Dremel cutting discs to cut into a 5/8" socket. Also checked the fit several times before attempting to raise the top. Be sure to keep the sides nice and flat to avoid damaging the pin that you turn against. No sense in making things any worse than they need to be.Set your speed on low and pay attention. It still goes up quickly. And there's a lot of torque. Grab on very firmly. I'm thinking of some sort of bail against the bumper to hold the drill base as it raises the top. I could make one out of wood ... Mine camper is a rather small Coleman Destiny Cedar. For a larger popup get a heftier drill. DeWalt and Milwaukee have heftier drills that will raise even a large popup. The heftier drills offer three-speed operation and the low speed is lower than the two-speed low setting. That might make it worth considering from the start Also, camp with electricity in case you need to recharge. *** If I were to do it again I would first drill holes to match the pin diameter so that it seats against the full round surface of the pin. Then I would cut the notches. At least I can take a file to it as it is now and make it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Collin, I have seen this on the popup forum and you are correct, you have to pay attention. They say the biggest problem with doing this is that you don't feel the resistance that you do when you hand crank so it is easy over crank the roof. Then you have real problems including maybe not getting the top back down. I have also seem these sockets pre made for the drill although your's looks a lot beefier. My first Coleman (1989) was a bit of a chore to crank up but my newer 2003 Coleman Mesa is a lot easier even thought it is a lot larger so I am still willing to hand crank. I am thinking maybe they have added some kind of compound pulley system. I wonder if, with a little messing around, you couldn't find just the right torque setting on the chuck of your Dewalt drill where it would start to slip when your roof section was just about topped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted July 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Collin, I have seen this on the popup forum and you are correct, you have to pay attention. They say the biggest problem with doing this is that you don't feel the resistance that you do when you hand crank so it is easy over crank the roof. Then you have real problems including maybe not getting the top back down. I have also seem these sockets pre made for the drill although your's looks a lot beefier. My first Coleman (1989) was a bit of a chore to crank up but my newer 2003 Coleman Mesa is a lot easier even thought it is a lot larger so I am still willing to hand crank. I am thinking maybe they have added some kind of compound pulley system. I wonder if, with a little messing around, you couldn't find just the right torque setting on the chuck of your Dewalt drill where it would start to slip when your roof section was just about topped out. I had the clutch set too low to begin with and it slipped right away. I'm going to grease the threads underneath and see how much more smoothly it runs. Since the drill is variable speed I do not run at the full 600 RPM but hold it way back. Have to. I think it would risk damage to the camper if I didn't. My habit will be to stop just before the top and turn the last couple cranks by hand, if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Work smarter, not harder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 We have two crank out awnings on our patio. I could have spent a lot of extra money for the powered version but, I'm cheap so I bought the hand crank style. After about two times of cranking them out (they are 18, wide with a 10' reach) I went to the hardware store and bought a 4' long piece of 5/16" round rod and bent a hook on one end and chuck it up in my little old 14.4V De Walt, cordless drill for the power version. It takes about 2 minutes to crank both awnings in or out now. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted July 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Here is my after-the-weekend-camput report: 1. It was great for raising the top. Made things much easier. 2. Lowering should have been easy. But I wasn't thinking. I took the drill in my left hand (I'm right-handed) thinking I could hold it. It took off into my wrist, and then some. Had there been much more torque I might have broken my wrist. It smarted for a bit afterwards. So I went back to the hand crank for lowering. That's easy enough anyway. LESSON: Hang on really, really tight. And if you can get a handle for the drill, do it. Also, it might even be easier to get a corded drill for sites with power. I'm thinking one of those with a handle might be a good as a safety measure. Maybe next I will fabricate a wood mount, with remote drill actuation, to allow for better control. (Or maybe I am once again over-thinking a solution for a relatively minor issue.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Impact drivers are better suited for that task. They will never transfer the torque to your wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted July 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Impact drivers are better suited for that task. They will never transfer the torque to your wrist. Hey will transfer it to the pulleys and tear up the camper. At least that's my fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Yep. You still need to follow your own rule: My habit will be to stop just before the top and turn the last couple cranks by hand, if necessary. But at least with an impact driver there's no risk of suffering injuries that will completely ruin your weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Work smarter, not harder! You mean Faster, Easier, Smarter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Marc just shared this on FaceBook. Check out the bracketing cage this guy uses to keep the drill from spinning. This type of bracing made me think about your wrist knock. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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