wobbling chuck

[Woussko]

This does seem to be a problem that needs to be addressed and the cause found. Is it poor machining of the spindle (just the drills with problem) or is it that a group of the chucks used on these drills were machined off? My gut feeling is that in trying to lower manufacturing costs that there may well be quality control issues both with the spindles and the chucks. It could also be bad spindle bearings.

If the drills in question are relatively new and you have the receipt, I would return it for another and see how it does. The customer shouldn't have to repair a new tool with defective parts.

With the above said, it seems like there are too many crappy grade drill chucks being made. I've run into a few in both keyless and keyed versions where they simply were *&^%$#@ quality and a replacement of the same part number was also a POC chuck. The only real solution was to replace it with a similar but higher quality chuck.

[Ronald]

Hello
You would think that the Jacobs chucks would be of good quality. If I had to replace the chuck, I would use the Jacobs 5000 series verses the 500 series currently used. The 5000 series is all metal to include the outer sleeve.
The other complaint I have on the R86006 is the sloppy selector switch. Of all the Ridgid drills I checked at HD today, on the R86006 has that sloppy switch. I am sure it doesn't have anything to do with the function, but you would think that Ridgid could insure good fit with a drill costing close to 100.00s. Ron

[srgallan]

I actually already had returned my first R86006 for another because of significant chuck wobble. The current one if I recall correctly was fine when I first picked it up two weeks ago, used it to put in drywall screws today and noticed that it has wobble.

I had a cheap no name drill for about 5 years that never experienced this issue, somewhat disappointing.

[Ronald]

Hello
For all those that have the R86006 and the chuck looks wobbley, FIRST, check that outer sleeve to make sure it is not deformed and giving the appearance of the chuck wobbling. That sleeve is palstic as opposed to the chuck (5000 series) on the other Ridgid drills. Ron

[spintyer]

I put a hardened and ground "drill blank" in the chuck, and then a dial indicator at 2" from the chuck, it read that there is more than 0.020" of "wobble" in the drill (R86006). This is NOT acceptable. I then removed the chuck, and checked it, and it was true(ran truer then Jacobs maximum specs), then checked the spindle without the chuck on it, and found the wobble. The gear box either has loose bearings, loose shaft, bad design, or bad quality control at the factory. With the chuck on the drill, and the hardened drill blank tight in the chuck, you can actually see the play in the gear box.

My question is now, how do the Ridgid valued customers get the product we payed for? As this might be a quality issue, as there seems to be a lot of drills out there with this problem, that DO need to be fixed.

[Ronald]

I am beginning to think the R86006 is the Ridgid bandsaw of drills! Between the wobbly chuck, sloppy selector switch and faint glow of the light are all issues that should have been addressed before the drill was released.
The light really is useless as you actually have to have the drill turning before it comes on and that makes it difficult to place the bit in the screw at that point!.
Another issue is the warranty or LSA ( whatever you choose to call it). To buy a tool based on whether you have a lifetime warranty or not is bad judgement. Yes, I fell into that mindset when I bought mine. What you should do is look at the quality and reputation of the tool then buy it on that reason. Yes, Ridgid does have the LSA, but if you have to keep getting them repaired or returned, what have you gained. Ron

[spintyer]

Originally Posted by Ronald

I am beginning to think the R86006 is the Ridgid bandsaw of drills! Between the wobbly chuck, sloppy selector switch and faint glow of the light are all issues that should have been addressed before the drill was released.
The light really is useless as you actually have to have the drill turning before it comes on and that makes it difficult to place the bit in the screw at that point!.
Another issue is the warranty or LSA ( whatever you choose to call it). To buy a tool based on whether you have a lifetime warranty or not is bad judgement. Yes, I fell into that mindset when I bought mine. What you should do is look at the quality and reputation of the tool then buy it on that reason. Yes, Ridgid does have the LSA, but if you have to keep getting them repaired or returned, what have you gained. Ron

What you have gained is a tool you don't have to replace ever 2 to 5 years in my case (I am extremely hard on tools), and as far as quality take a look at the recalls from dewalt, who brag about quality. As for the wobbling chuck and dim light - yes I see these as problems, and yes I want them "fixed", and no I won't be at HD in 5 years buying a replacement tool, instead I will be having mine repaired and back in service at no charge.

If you don't use your tools daily, then the LSA may not be for you, as you may not ever need it, but if you do need it, then it will be there for you. It's called "peace of mind".

[canucksartech]

Originally Posted by spintyer

I put a hardened and ground "drill blank" in the chuck, and then a dial indicator at 2" from the chuck, it read that there is more than 0.020" of "wobble" in the drill (R86006). This is NOT acceptable. I then removed the chuck, and checked it, and it was true(ran truer then Jacobs maximum specs), then checked the spindle without the chuck on it, and found the wobble. The gear box either has loose bearings, loose shaft, bad design, or bad quality control at the factory. With the chuck on the drill, and the hardened drill blank tight in the chuck, you can actually see the play in the gear box.

My question is now, how do the Ridgid valued customers get the product we payed for? As this might be a quality issue, as there seems to be a lot of drills out there with this problem, that DO need to be fixed.

I do believe I have the same issue with both of my Ridgid drills. I have the R86006 18 volt compact lithium ion drill, and the 24 volt XLi hammer drill. I have used these for some time now, and especially with the 18 volt compact drill, have not really noticed much of an issue. I've mostly done odd job drilling, where absolute precision was not much of a necessity, nor readily noticable.

However, today I was doing some assembly of Ikea furniture that Mrs. Canucksartech wanted for the room for soon-to-be-added-to-the-family Canucksartech Jr. (damn that Swedish-do-it-yourself-store!!!).

Anywho, I was doing some fairly detailed assembly with small screws and into small, fairly precise, pre-drilled holes. And I noticed that my hand and/or the screws were being shifted around by the drill was not spinning 100% centered, and it was wobbling.

I have read previous posts on this issue, and I have inspected the chuck, and it is not a measure of the outer sleeve of the chuck being uneven. I do in fact have a misaligned shaft to my drill in someway, and I'm getting about 1/16" to 1/32" of shift from side to side, with a 1" screw - way annoying when you're doing tight screwing/assembly. I then checked out my 24 volt hammer drill, and it had the same issue, although much less, around 1/128" in comparison. However, with both of these drills, very poopy situation. Doesn't appear to be an issue with the Jacobs chucks on either of these drills, as when I look between the chuck and the clutch ring, I feel that I can see an ever-so-slight shimmy to the shaft of the drill when it is spinning.

Also, this is not something that I've noticed with this drill really, since I first bought the 18 volt compact drill back in June/July of last year. So I'm not sure if maybe this problem has developed with usage? Maybe a drill shaft bearing working more play into itself? Not sure.

I'm overall happy with these drills, and it's not a killer situation, one that would cause me to be unsatisfied with Ridgid tools, or want to return these. I have an LLSA on these tools, and I intend to use it to get this corrected. I'm just a little frustrated that I need to have this done.

I will be bringing these drills to my local service center soon, to have this corrected and fixed, as I am past the 90 days on the compact 18 volt, and don't want to exchange the 24 volt. I will update about this as soon as I get this done.

[mr ross]

Ridgid - R861150 - X3 hammer drill -18v LiIon - bit wobble


i have returned TWO of the r861150 drills back to home depot this month.
2009-10

they are still having problems with their quality control - regarding this wobbling chuck.


i guess i will go and check out the other guys!!!

[CWSmith]

Mr Ross,

Sorry to hear of your "chuck wobble" problem. You might note that this thread is a bit old, first posted in 2007, I believe.

Also note that when checking "chuck wobble" be aware that on some of the chucks, it is just the outer sleeve that wobbles and the chuck it'self can be properly aligned. This is the case with my little 12-v Li-Ion drill driver. Looks wobbly, but with a drill-rod in position, it's as straight as an arrow.

You'll notice at the bottom of the previous page, I bitched about my 14.4 v drill driver being a PITA! It was... and I finally got off my butt and sent it in for a fix. Just a matter of loosening and properly seating the chuck and retightening (according to the local service center). I'm now very happy. But of course, it should have be "right" when I took it out of box, but it was an easy fix.

CWS