Most Powerful Cordless Drill?

[wilf]

I'll admit I know very little about drills, so please bare with me. I just purchased an EZcarlift (http://ezcarlift.com/) for which an 8 amp, 1,000 rpm corded drill is recommended to lift a car in the air in a reasonable amount of time.

I do a lot of mobile work and am looking for an equivalently powerful cordless drill. I'm already invested in the Milwaukee M18 line so that would be the natural place to start. Unfortunately, it seems like cordless drills are typically rated by voltage and/or torque instead of amps, so I don't know how to compare their torque output to corded drills.

Ideally I'd like something with a high torque/low rpm setting and a low torque/2,000+ rpm setting. Does such a thing exist?

Thanks for your time!

 

[Firebrick43]

2704 Milwaukee fuel drill. Get a decent sized battery (4.0+) to keep the voltage from dropping during heavy amp draws.

 

[rlitman]

2704 Milwaukee fuel drill. Get a decent sized battery (4.0+) to keep the voltage from dropping during heavy amp draws.

I have the 2704, and had the 2604 before it. I would NOT suggest it for this use. I destroyed the gearbox in my 2604, because the plastic planetary ring gear trashed itself doing lots of high torque drilling with large augers.

You want the 2707 Hole Hawg right angle drill. This is built for continuous high torque usage.

 

[Dingleburry]

The hilti has 4 gear settings.
As far as power goes i believe you wanna look at watts, not amps.

 

[wilf]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Dingleburry, I assume you're referring to this drill? Rlitman, do you suspect that the hilti will suffer from the same continuous torque usage problems as the Milwaukee 2704? The Hole Hawg looks like it could've been perfect, but the max rpm is 1,200. Not bad, but less than ideal.

 

[American Locomotive]

How long does it take to lift a car? In my experience, most cordless drills will not take ~5 minutes of continuous full power (as in full load, not just full speed) usage without overheating and turning off. Even Brushless ones.

 

[wilf]

Reports vary from 90 to 150 seconds.

 

[wilf]

Also I probably should have mentioned my car is pretty light (about 2,200 lbs). Hopefully that means I can get away with less torque.

 

[Catch_22]

Had to look up how the EZcarlift is used. For a drill I would say rlitman has it right - 2707 Hole Hawg, but after looking at the 480p videos I think a High Torque Impact 2767 would do a better job as long as the bolt/worm drive is made of 8.8/10.9 steel or isn't prone to seizing.
I have this one and I will say its not light but it is portable megapower.

 

[rlitman]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Dingleburry, I assume you're referring to this drill? Rlitman, do you suspect that the hilti will suffer from the same continuous torque usage problems as the Milwaukee 2704? The Hole Hawg looks like it could've been perfect, but the max rpm is 1,200. Not bad, but less than ideal.

I had no suspicions about my Milwaukee until it started grinding and eventually stopped working, and only discovered the problem when I tore the gearbox apart, since it was 6 months past the 5 year warranty. I don't know anything about the Hilti, so I cannot comment on it.

How is 1200 RPM less than ideal?

 

[rlitman]

How long does it take to lift a car? In my experience, most cordless drills will not take ~5 minutes of continuous full power (as in full load, not just full speed) usage without overheating and turning off. Even Brushless ones.

This is true of most drills in general. That's why there are special drills made just for mixing mud for example that are up to this task. The bigger right angle Hole Hawg style and spade D handle drills are usually made for continuous high torque operation, because of the tasks they are used for, whereas pistol grip drills are not generally.

 

[American Locomotive]

Had to look up how the EZcarlift is used. For a drill I would say rlitman has it right - 2707 Hole Hawg, but after looking at the 480p videos I think a High Torque Impact 2767 would do a better job as long as the bolt/worm drive is made of 8.8/10.9 steel or isn't prone to seizing.
I have this one and I will say its not light but it is portable megapower.

In my experience, impacts are useless at tasks like these. They're okay until they start impacting, at which point they just sit there making a lot of noise and not a lot of progress.

 

[wilf]

I actually already have a Milwaukee impact (the first generation Fuel model. Not sure what revisions have been made since then) and figured that it would be ill suited for this application.

Rlitman: the EZcarlift owner/designer told me that the high torque is needed just for the first few inches of travel. As the legs become more upright, less torque is needed and thus, higher rpm can be used. That's why I am looking for a variable speed solution. Although I could be wrong, my suspicion was that 2,000+ rpms would be useful for last half or 1/3rd of travel.

 

[Knotgoalie]

In my experience, impacts are useless at tasks like these. They're okay until they start impacting, at which point they just sit there making a lot of noise and not a lot of progress.

I beg to differ sir! My old DeWalt DCF889 would practically throw my 04 Deville into the air with the factory scissor jack. I now have the DCF899 with twice the power and the smaller DCF887 which could be a contender @152lb/ft. I also own the DCD996 but would defer to the impact for the task.

 

[American Locomotive]

It's been my experience with multiple screw-scissor jacks. The impact zips them up as long as it's still in the "spinning" mode. As soon as the torque gets too great, it starts impacting and slows way down.

A drill with the same power motor will zip it up much faster.

 

[theoldwizard1]

High torque, fast and battery operated ? PICK ONE !

High torque come from gear reduction. For an application like this you need triple gear reduction using metal gears. I have only seen a couple of triple gear reduction drills " DeWalt DW245 and Milwaukee 1007-1. Both are CORDED and both have a max RPM of about 600, but boy do the have a TON OF TORQUE.

 

[wilf]

Yeah I'm starting to think I'm not going to be able to have my cake and eat it too. Oh well

 

[rlitman]

High torque, fast and battery operated ? PICK ONE !

High torque come from gear reduction. For an application like this you need triple gear reduction using metal gears. I have only seen a couple of triple gear reduction drills " DeWalt DW245 and Milwaukee 1007-1. Both are CORDED and both have a max RPM of about 600, but boy do the have a TON OF TORQUE.

Actually, most brushless drills have more gear reduction than that. My Milwaukee 2604 that I trashed had five sets of planetary gears in low, and four in high.

 

[bushmechanic]

You should consider whether you want to rely on a drill for mobile work that you're using to operate that lift. Corded drills are cheap, and cheaper on Ebay.

You might want to just pick up a dedicated corded drill for less than $50 and get what you need in cordless for your other duties.

 

[WWheeler]

You should consider whether you want to rely on a drill for mobile work that you're using to operate that lift. Corded drills are cheap, and cheaper on Ebay.

You might want to just pick up a dedicated corded drill for less than $50 and get what you need in cordless for your other duties.

OP mentions he does a lot of mobile work, so I imagine an outlet isn't always nearby.

I don't know of a cordless drill up to this task, but I'm sure one of the big bad boy cordless impacts (Milwaukee 2763, Dewalt DCF899, etc) will handle this no problem without slowing down to a crawl. Probably do it rather well on the lowest setting. I'd be a little more worried about damaging the lift with one by not stopping in time & overextending it or if it started to bind up the impact may not even feel it until something breaks. All that said, I suspect used with proper caution it would be fine.

 

[PugetDude]

I know I'm going to get flamed by the red tool guys, but the Ryobi P251 Brushless 1/2" hammer drill has 750 in/lbs of torque, a 2-speed motor, and can be found for $55 with free shipping on eBay. I've been impressed with mine- but I'm already invested in the 18V One+ Platform.

Start off on low speed for high breakaway torque, then switch to high speed to get the lift up quickly.

 

[WittHay]

Milwaukee has a Fuel mud mixer drill. variable speed up to 550 rpm. Should work but it is still not a replacement for a good 1/2 corded drill and as others have mentioned there is the Fuel Hole Hawg drill variable speed to 1200 rpm

 

[bushmechanic]

OP mentions he does a lot of mobile work, so I imagine an outlet isn't always nearby.

I don't know of a cordless drill up to this task, but I'm sure one of the big bad boy cordless impacts (Milwaukee 2763, Dewalt DCF899, etc) will handle this no problem without slowing down to a crawl. Probably do it rather well on the lowest setting. I'd be a little more worried about damaging the lift with one by not stopping in time & overextending it or if it started to bind up the impact may not even feel it until something breaks. All that said, I suspect used with proper caution it would be fine.

I didn't put two and two together about the lift being mobile. LMAO

 

[Strouty]

That has to be the most expensive picnic table I have ever seen.

 

[American Locomotive]

Big angry corded drill and a 2000 watt inverter should do it.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I think a cordless FUEL Milwaukee M18 drill would work. They have metal chucks and metal gears, and are nearly as powerful as their corded counterparts.

I would NOT use an impact if I didn't have to. It will have the torque, but it will be SLOW and LOUD. Maybe if you try a Fuel drill and it doesn't work, a 1/2 impact would be your last cordless option.

 

[KnurledNut]

Stihl BT45

 

[amolaver]

Being mobile, I'd imagine a small inverter generator could be useful for more than just a corded drill. American locomotive's suggestion of an inverter might also work well, although may have to run vehicle engine to avoid dead batteries / have enough run time and/or add an extra battery for inverter operation. Perhaps a novel use of the LiOn jump boxes...

ahm

 

[wilf]

LOL at the picnic table comment. I wish I could say I disagree but I feel like the thing should be $1200 max. It's exactly what I was looking for though, and there isn't anything else quite like it, so I felt like I had no other choice.

My current corded drill is pretty weak so I just picked up a 10 amp Dewalt and will probably just use that. If I find myself without an outlet then I'll bust out the impact, but the owner specifically told me not to use one.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have the 2704, and had the 2604 before it. I would NOT suggest it for this use. I destroyed the gearbox in my 2604, because the plastic planetary ring gear trashed itself doing lots of high torque drilling with large augers.

You want the 2707 Hole Hawg right angle drill. This is built for continuous high torque usage.

While I agree that the hole hawg is a better choice for high torque (I have a corded version) I don't think that your experience is indicutive of the ops situation. I you were using it for lots of augered hole I would say you got great life out of it. The shock loads with auger and hole saws can be significant. Remember to that the 2703/4 is rated 1200 inch lbs of torque vs 725 of the 2603 you tore up.

The ez car lift while having moderate toque loads will not have significant if any high shock loads.

Also the 2704 is a more Versitile drill and can be used for many task where the hole hawg is more of a one trick pony. (I am glad I have one however). Since the op is going to be using his lift infrequently in the grand scheme of things I think the 2704 would be great and probably last for many years to come.

My 2704 is as powerful as my Milwaukee 1/2 pro magnum drill, an 8 amp corded drill perfectly suited for the ez car lift. It's so comparable that the magnum sits lonely on the wall now strictly due to the hassle of stringing a cord.

Also a 2704-20 can be purchase on eBay for just under 100 $ vs 190$ for the hole hawg

 

[theoldwizard1]

Actually, most brushless drills have more gear reduction than that. My Milwaukee 2604 that I trashed had five sets of planetary gears in low, and four in high.

Apples and oranges ! Brushless drill start with much higher RPM. The real measure is what is the top speed in the low range ? The models I listed are about 600 RPM.

I have an older model and I was using a Silver and Deming 3/4" bit and when it jammed it actually BENT the bit ! You are not going to do that with a brushless drill.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Milwaukee has a Fuel mud mixer drill. variable speed up to 550 rpm. Should work but it is still not a replacement for a good 1/2 corded drill and as others have mentioned there is the Fuel Hole Hawg drill variable speed to 1200 rpm

These look like very "capable" HD drills ! Kind of large and neither are what you would call "general purpose".

 

[theoldwizard1]

My current corded drill is pretty weak so I just picked up a 10 amp Dewalt and will probably just use that.

Current (amps) does not always tell the whole story. You should have gone with the DeWalt DW245

The 7.8 Amp DW245 Drill with 600 RPMs provides contractors with a powerful drill particularly good for large hole drilling. The drill includes helical-cut, heat-treated steel gears for long life and durability. The two-finger, rubber trigger provides increased comfort and the drill includes a 360 degree side handle for greater control and versatility. Triple gear reduction provides increased torque and reduces gear stress. The drill in composed of metal gear housing for jobsite durability and reliability. The DW245 drill includes a 360 degree side handle and check key with holder.

• Helical-cut steel, heat-treated steel gears for long life and durability
• Metal gear housing for jobsite durability and increased reliability
• Two-finger, rubber trigger for increased comfort
• Triple gear reduction provides increased torque and reduces gear stress
• 360 degree side handle for greater control and versatility

And you had better use that side handle when using large drill bits !