This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. Ryobi recently sent their Ryobi One+ impact driver to this branch of Home-Fixated. This branch happens to be an 80 acre sheep and vegetable farm in upstate New York. The farm staff consists solely of my wife and me, so anything that gets done, gets done by the two of us, and believe me, there’s always plenty to do. Our sheep barn is located about 400 feet out back of the house and there is another cabin about a quarter mile back on the property. The barn does have electricity, thanks to the efforts of the farm staff, but the cabin doesn’t, and there are fences to maintain and other remote work areas all driving a real need for cordless tools. Tools like the Ryobi One+ impact driver kit.
A Great Fit – The Ryobi One+ 18v cordless Impact Driver Kit
That’s where this new Ryobi One+ 18v cordless impact driver shines. It seems that I end up somewhere almost daily in a remote location on the property either doing new work or repairs. Given the utility of cordless impact drivers, it seems to be the tool used most frequently, even in areas where electricity is available. The Ryobi One+ impact driver came to me with the driver, two 18v rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries, a charger and a neat carrying case. The carrying case has plenty of room for the driver, both batteries, as well as a case of matched impact rated driver bits. I throw in Ryobi’s 70 piece impact bit kit, a comprehensive set we’re posting a review on shortly. The driver itself is a relatively lightweight well balanced tool with a bright LED light that lights up the work area, a clamped Phillips bit on the base and a magnetic pad also on the base to hold fasteners or another bit.
Working Around the Farm
We will start lambing in the very near future and had to make some preparations. First up was shearing, taking that year’s worth of wool off the ewes. Since our barn was originally set up for horses we needed to make some modifications to facilitate handling of the ewes during shearing and vaccinations, as well as setting up isolation pens for the ewes and their lambs to ensure bonding in the first few days after the birth. We set up wire mesh to divide the barn into sections and then constructed a gate to ease the process of separating out one sheep at a time for shearing and vaccination. Having the driver, batteries and bit set consolidated in the carry case was helpful for transporting up to the barn. The driver itself was as expected, it worked well, was easy to handle and illuminated the object being worked on. A minor whine, when engaging the bit in the holder you have to pull out on the collar to lock it into place, which requires both hands. However, once locked in, the bit was not coming back out until you repeat the process, and the collar worked easily, so really not a big deal.
Getting Ready for the Babies
The next item on the lamb readiness to do list was building a cradle to hold the newborn lambs while performing necessary actions safely and as comfortably as possible. All the newborn lambs get their tails docked, this helps keep things cleaner back there, as well as facilitating breeding later. The lambs are also tagged at this point to facilitate identification and to pair them up with their mothers. Males are also castrated at this point, negating any risk of breeding amongst relatives. Sheep are not all that picky about their mates and will interbreed if left to their own devices. They are also fertile at about 4 months, so this is an important step. This handy little device was quick and easy to assemble, and again, with just the driver kit, bits and a saw went together in a snap.
A Delicate Job for the Ryobi Impact Driver
The main living quarters here is a 90’s vintage log cabin with a generous wraparound porch on 3 full sides of the cabin. When we purchased the farm a couple of years ago the underside of the porch facing the shop was almost 2/3rds filled with firewood. As nice as it was to have that wood, I wasn’t in love with the idea of having it stacked against the house. It provided nesting opportunities for vermin and insects, as well as being a bit of an eyesore. Last summer we enclosed this space with lattice, but there was still some wood underneath. This spring we finally made one last big push and cleared the rest of the wood out. I needed to replace the lattice panel we removed to access the wood and fasten it back in place. Anyone that has worked with lattice knows how delicate and easy to damage it can be. The Ryobi One+ impact driver was the perfect tool for the job, the easy grip and precise control meant I was able to reattach the lattice without doing any further damage.
Conclusions
This Ryobi impact driver is certainly not my first encounter with an impact driver. These tools are ubiquitous, and every portable cordless tool maker has multiple examples in their lineup. Ryobi sets themselves apart here with a really nice, thoughtfully designed and well-built tool with a case and 2 batteries at a very affordable price. I absolutely love the case and find with their 70 piece bit set tucked inside, this is the driver that has been making the rounds with me on all my outside work. The Ryobi One+ impact driver kit is available via the Home Depot for $99.00. During this time, the Home Depot offers easy online ordering, with potential curbside/store pickup or convenient shipping options right to your front door.
I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with Home Fixated in sponsored content. As a part of the sponsorship, Home Fixated is receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. This post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
