Bye bye Ryobi

[John McClanahan]

Yes, insert a large allen wrench in the chuck, with the long end out. Then, while holding the drill in one hand, whack the allen wrench with a piece of 2x4 8-10" long. Make sure you are turning counter clockwise. You will need to hit it several times. Using a hammer doesn't seem to work very well. A few quick whacks work better than a big heavy blow.

John

[Burt Alcantara]

That sounds so weird but I'll try it. I'd love to get the chuck off and get a good keyed chuck.

Thanks for that tip.
Burt

[Matt Meiser]

Burt I have a Ryobi as well--its chuck has never been worth a darn, which is a shame because other than that it seems to be a decent drill. I took the chuck off a dead PC drill someone gave me and was going to (try to) put it on the Ryobi. The PC came off exactly as described above but I never got the Ryobi chuck off. I don't know if they are overly tight, loctited, or what, but I tried taking the chuck another drill I have just to try it and got it right off as well. But that darn Ryobi...

The thought just occurred to me that maybe I should chuck up a 1/4" hex bit with the back side facing out of the chuck and try putting my impact on that end.

[Burt Alcantara]

Matt,
Did you remove the internal reverse threaded screw? If you don't get that out, you won't be able to remove the chuck (as if I can). I used a fairly wide flat screw driver. You need to fish around inside the chuck to feel for the slots. It will still be difficult to get the screw out but that is a necessary first step.

[Matt Meiser]

Yep, did that.

[Danny Hellyar]

Burt,
I'm a professional woodworker and learned a long time ago that Ryobi tools are generally made for home owners who use them once a month on average. They should be considered similar to Sears Craftsman power tools, except with no customer support. If it breaks through it away! Actually they make a lot of power tools for Sears, so If you do ever buy one again, buy it from Sears, at least they have some customer support and parts availablity, although I wouldn't reccomend that to any one. Actually you would fair better buying one of the newer drills with lithium Ion battereis as they retain their power between charges which would benefit you since you don't use yours frequently. I personally own the Makita 18 volt combo and believe it is the best drill combo currently on the market, but yeah it is a budget buster but well worth it for me since I use it on almost a daily basis. Once again, you get what you pay for

[John McClanahan]

I tried using an impact on 2 different drills, and couldn't get the chuck off. I did manage to damage the gears on a Craftsman cordless drill that way. I didn't want the drill, so it didn't matter. I also tried it on a Dewalt hammer drill. In the end, a allen wrench in the chuck, and a few swift smacks with a wood block did the trick on both drills.

Somewhere long ago, I read about removing a chuck that way. I think it was on the package of a replacement chuck. They recommended using a hammer, and hitting the allen wrench with the handle while holding onto the head. I didn't want to ding up the handle where I grip the hammer, so I used a piece of 2x4.

John

[Bob Slater]

My 7 year old Dewalt 18V XRP hammer drill has been very good...other than battery life it seems to be built for the long haul. The Chuck never slips. I would only go keyless on a battery powered drill. The hammer drill is a necessity for me.

[Samuel Brooks]

I picked up a Jacob's Replacement Chuck for my Ryobi at Home Depot for around $25.00 and it has not slipped once. I have had it for almost a year now. It's like a new drill. I never had issues with speed, or power but I always hated the chuck. Save yourself some green and pickup a replacement chuck.

I will say that I had a VERY hard time getting the old chuck off, I had to put the drill in a vice so I could get a good grip on the drill to remove the old chuck. I was worried about crushing the old drive but like I said it was very worth it.

That being said if you really want a new drill, you have found a great reason for one. Never miss an opportunity to talk yourself into a new tool. :-)

[Matt Meiser]

I was using my Ryobi today and the chuck slipped on me again. So I thought what the heck I'll try it again. Took out the screw, put in a big allen wrench, gave it 3 whacks with a hammer and off it came. I must have gotten it started last time or something.