RRC Archives

Can anyone recommend a good cordless hammer drill that will work well for installing a couple of bolts.

A couple of bolts? I hope you are aware of all restriction on bolting lin the RRG before you bolt anything. First you need to know whose property you are bolting.
you can check with the RRGCC for updated info, and local ethics on bolting in the region.

I'm just wondering about a clarification. I've heard the term "hammer drill" used to refer both to powered (gas or electric) rotary drills that have a hammering component to their action AND to manual drills that consist of a holder and a bit that are hammered/turned by hand. I assume that on private land around the Red, people are using powered drills, not hand-hammered drills.

Joe, I assume that because you're asking about a "cordless" drill, you're talking about an electric, powered drill. (Although, if you're talking about 'just a few bolts' you might look into a hand-drill.)

You might head to your library and see if you can find the review of hammer drills that Fine Homebuilding Magazine ran a couple of years ago. I don't remember the results, but their review articles are usually pretty insightful.

You want a rotary hammer drill...not a hammer drill. The hammer drill has a weak "peck" given by a ratchet mechanism. There isn't a lot you can do with a hammer drill that you can't do with a regular drill. The rotary hammer uses a piston type mechanism to "blow" (BPM's= blows per minute) into the rock. Using an ordinary hammer drill is a waste of time for placing 1/2" bolts. I have a used 24volt ROTARY hammer drill for sale if you are interested....300 bucks.
Rob

Bosch's makes a couple of models that will suit any need. the classified section of any CLIMBING issue is a good place to start. but if you shop around you could find a better deal.