pebblepoint wrote:I ordered 3 8amp batteries for $60 inc. shipping. Weight is 18 lbs plus the drill. These can be separated so that 2 cavers can share the load. A 36 volt factory battery pushes $200 each.
These guys have also made wiring suggestions. I think I can do it.
I have no idea how many holes I can drill with 24 amps but I'll let you know.
If you string 3 12 volt, 8amp batteries in series to make a 36 volt pack you
only have 8 amps, not 24. If you gang them in parallel you have 12 volts and 24 amps.
I've been using the Dewalt DW005k (24volt, ebay new $330) for a while now and find it a good compromise
between cost and performance, but if and when I can afford it I'm moving up to the Bosch. I have a
bit of a dilemma there, when I want to do mucho drilling I use my air powered rockdrills, and I have
"other" ways of removing rock deep in caves, so the number of times I would need the extra
performance of the Bosch is limited enough to not justify the cost yet.
I will say that for bolt climbing I've been using an 18 volt Dewalt hammerdrill. It's principle
advantage is that it is a lot smaller and I have a bunch of extra batteries for it (all my
cordless tools are Dewalt 18volt) and I appreciate the lighter weight when reaching above my
head hanging in a harness.