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DEWALT drill keyless chuck

dalehsc

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Sep 7, 2013
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New Brunswick Canada
I have a DeWalt DCD771 drill with keyless chuck. I can't seem to get the drill bits tight enough by hand. Any solution? do I need to replace the chuck assy?
 
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Spacey_G

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Dec 31, 2015
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Does it start off tight enough but then become loose during use? Supposedly you can lock the chuck by tightening and then backing it off slightly until you hear a click.

I talked to Dewalt CS and they confirmed the feature. Might be worth a try before replacing the chuck.
 

mike93lx

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Dec 9, 2013
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Richmond, VA
I always have to screw mine down extra with the drill stopped. If I just tighten using the motor and holding the chuck, it will always loosen in use
 

bonneyman

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Apr 22, 2010
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Desert SW
I've found keyless chucks work great with hex drive attachments but round drill bits never get tight enough.

So I have both keyed and keyless chuck drills handy.
 

Bacon!

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Jul 16, 2016
Messages
402
I would hesitate before paying more for a chuck than the whole drill is worth, considering you can get the 771 with 2 x batteries, charger and bag for $100 new.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ET5VMTU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

How about selling it and getting a new (bare tool) drill with a better chuck? Or keeping it for secondary screwdriver duty if you don't have an impact driver? I know, a drill is no impact driver, but there is some crossover for many tasks. Of course there are cheaper chucks too or cannibalize one off a dead *for parts* tool on ebay or wherever.
 
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mike93lx

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I would hesitate before paying more for a chuck than the whole drill is worth, considering you can get the 771 with 2 x batteries, charger and bag for $100 new.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ET5VMTU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

How about selling it and getting a new (bare tool) drill with a better chuck? Or keeping it for secondary screwdriver duty if you don't have an impact driver? I know, a drill is no impact driver, but there is some crossover for many tasks. Of course there are cheaper chucks too or cannibalize one off a dead *for parts* tool on ebay or wherever.

Oops, I didn't check the model number... I have a 996 with the nicer metal chuck, but either way, it still requires a lot of effort to tighten down. Plus the torque of the motor will twist your hand pretty hard if you just try to tighten with the motor. It is a pretty terrible setup, in general
 

Bacon!

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Jul 16, 2016
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402
^ Hard to tell for sure from old drill pics, but the chuck on the 996 looks a lot like the one on my 991. I've never had a problem tightening it, but I only spin the motor to get it snug, then grab the base of the chuck with my other hand to tighten it.

It does take a couple seconds longer than my other keyless drills but still faster than using a key.
7HrxS3V.jpg
 

mike93lx

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Richmond, VA
^ Hard to tell for sure from old drill pics, but the chuck on the 996 looks a lot like the one on my 991. I've never had a problem tightening it, but I only spin the motor to get it snug, then grab the base of the chuck with my other hand to tighten it.

It does take a couple seconds longer than my other keyless drills but still faster than using a key.
7HrxS3V.jpg

Yeah, It still bites me every once and a while if I spin it too fast while trying to initially tighten it, especially if I have nitrile gloves on it of it grabs my silicone ring
 

alexwang32

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Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
137
Location
Ottawa
Keyless chucks tend to have the problem of not being tight enough, the electric brake exasperates this by loosening the chuck through inertia every time you start and stop the drill.

I found that by letting go of the trigger slowly, thereby manually stopping the drill instead of letting the brake jerk it to a halt, the bit won't loosen as easily.
 

Spacey_G

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Dec 31, 2015
Messages
492
Running a chuck down with the drill motor and then not tightening it by hand is such a half-assed way of installing a bit. I can't believe people do it like that and then complain about bits slipping or the chuck coming loose.
 
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