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I need a new creeper

mburch

Well Known Member
Patron
I've been using the same mechanic's floor creeper for probably 20 years. Looks just like the picture below.

It does the job, but there are two things about it I really don't like:

1. The casters are located far enough from the ends that there's an ever-present danger of having the thing suddenly flip upright if you put your weight in the wrong place while climbing on or off it. I live in fear that this will someday happen when I'm under a wing or fuselage - ouch!

2. The casters themselves are rubbish: the mountings are always coming loose or getting bent out of shape, and the wheels are so small that I'm constantly getting hung up on wayward zip ties and extension cords.

Anybody got a creeper they like, that's well-built and won't do the flip-up-and-dent-the-airplane thing?
 

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Great question! I have the same creeper, and never very happy with it for similar reasons.
Been looking at a couple at HF - this and this. Would be interested in PIREPs on them, or any others.
 
Yes Matt, I have one similar to yours. I am getting ready to:
1. Cut all 4 wheels off
2. Attach a short length of 2x4 wood across the top and bottom.
3. Use wood spacers between the 2x4's and the steel side rails.
4. Install 4 new casters in the outermost corners.

I recently caught my son waxing the underside of the -6A. He had pulled out the small hydraulic lift table, the one with casters. He was laying on it on his back and could adjust the height of the table by using one foot on the pump jack. To lower the table, he moved his foot to the pressure release lever. Clever...
 
My wheels are good, but no lifting is not working for this old guy.

If it were automotive, the original DogBone is one of the best, it will roll without resistance over airbuses etc and no wheels to hit anything. It is very close to the ground and very comfortable.

But , dedicated to aircraft, I do like the AeroCreeper albeit w/ larger wheels - - -and would cover the frame perimeter with pool noodle to prevent wheel pant damage. It is a little complicated to DIY. There is a hydraulic type of lifting creeper, but my paint shop guys hated them as they leaked and could not get parts.

My current Griot creeper is sitting on top of a large furniture dolly to give it some height. :eek:
 
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I think I paid like $450 for the Aero Creeper ... but so as to not confuse ... the Aero Creeper isn't a cheaply made piece of junk like some of the available disposable creepers ... it's thick steel tubes with high quality parts that should last many lifetimes ... there's no comparison to my other creepers (Craftsman, etc) ... different level
 
Great question! I have the same creeper, and never very happy with it for similar reasons.
Been looking at a couple at HF - this and this. Would be interested in PIREPs on them, or any others.

I have had this one from HF for five years and have had zero issues, and would assume the Icon ones would only be better. However, with the -8's tail raised I would really like to have a raised headrest to work under the wings (in fact, borrowed my mechanic's Snap On creeper, and it made a huge difference).
 
I recently caught my son waxing the underside of the -6A. He had pulled out the small hydraulic lift table, the one with casters. He was laying on it on his back and could adjust the height of the table by using one foot on the pump jack. To lower the table, he moved his foot to the pressure release lever. Clever...

I made a lift creeper from a HF lift table. On my todo is to replace the fixed wheels with swivel castors. Works great for a lot of things, esp my Navion when on jacks. I even use it to support the lower cowling when reinstalling on my RV-6.
 

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Saw this creeper on VAF several years ago, saved it to my "like to build someday file” but would replace the jack with a 12 volt linear actuator and power it with a M12 Milwaukee battery pack.
 

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Was looking at the Aerocreeper website and noticed an RV-10 featured prominently in the banner video. N54CT. Substantially damaged in January in a short-of-airport emergency landing.

That aside, I think I need one of these. My 66 year old "airframe" will appreciate it during the cut-and-buff when it's time to do the undersides. What price comfort, right? $650 is dear, but this could keep me out of the chiropractors office many times over.

I think it's "shut up and take my money" time.
 
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The dogbone creepers don't work for me in the hangar because often I need my head elevated. I've been using a previous generation of this https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/automotive-accessories/creepers-seats/250-lb-capacity-creeper-with-adjustable-headrest-63311.html , and it's held up well as long as i remember to place my knee over the center bar while I'm easing on to it. That and a rolling mechanics seat fill my needs.
A mechanic that I know has taken a five wheel office chair that reclines, and shortened it so that it's as low as possible. It works fine for under wing work; would be tight for under fuselage on the two seaters.
 
Nobody is recommending a junkyard fully reclining car seat on an extended HF moving dolly?
Geez, next thing ya know, this crowd will be buying pre-wired panels....
 
Aerocreeper

I have used a Harbor Freight creeper for years. Always having to put pillows or something to get the right height for what ever job I was doing. I walked by and tried the Aerocreeper at Oshkosh and Sun n Fun many times. I always said to myself "This is an awesome creeper but I would NEVER pay 600 bucks for a creeper.

Last year at Oshkosh I did just that. Shipped to my house before I even got home from the show. Did I need it? No. It was something I told myself not to justify the cost. It is an awesome luxury and I'm so glad I have it now.

Wish I would have bought it years ago.
 
The dogbone creepers don't work for me in the hangar because often I need my head elevated. I've been using a previous generation of this https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/automotive-accessories/creepers-seats/250-lb-capacity-creeper-with-adjustable-headrest-63311.html , and it's held up well as long as i remember to place my knee over the center bar while I'm easing on to it. That and a rolling mechanics seat fill my needs.
A mechanic that I know has taken a five wheel office chair that reclines, and shortened it so that it's as low as possible. It works fine for under wing work; would be tight for under fuselage on the two seaters.

I have that same one from HF, except I modified mine. I remove the bed and wheels, flipped the frame over and remounted the wheels and bed. It now sits higher off the floor, which works well for me.
 
I have that one already. Halfway through the task of etching the belly and wing undersides, the adjustable headrest portion tore off the piano hinge. Typical of HF bottom-shelf stuff.
 
I was gonna stay out of this creepy thread, but...

I didn't build my plane, so this advice is from a "cleaning only" point of view.

The Big Red has been working fine for me. I also got it's companion stool with tray. Less than $100 for the pair IIRC.
 
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creepers

Been a mechanic for 55 years and have gone through a number of creepers and most of them give me the creeps.
I did buy the Aerocreeper a few years ago and like it for the sturdiness of it. Oh ya it rolls across the floor by itself it seems. Good wheels
Expensive????? YES! BUT, is the big word here.
If the head rest stayed in place it would be great. I had to put Velcro under it to keep it in place.
I still have three other kinds in my home shop and a couple in my hangar, that I am tempted to replace with another Areocreeper.
Love the wheels.
You success may vary Art
 
My wheels are good, but no lifting is not working for this old guy.

If it were automotive, the original DogBone is one of the best, it will roll without resistance over airbuses etc and no wheels to hit anything. It is very close to the ground and very comfortable.
. :eek:

By far the best creeper I’ve owned!!
 
Man, that Aero Creeper does look like a nice unit (especially if I don't look at the price tag).

For you guys who have one, are any of you particularly tall, and if so do you find that it still works for you? I'm 6'2" and I've read a couple negative reviews from tall folks complaining about lack of head support.
 
Creeper

I am 6’1” and 265 lbs. I tried out the aero creeper at Oshkosh and I really like it. I liked the deluxe model better than the standard one. I will be getting one for sure. Their Oshkosh deal is usually pretty nice with a discount and free shipping…
 
Home made creeper

Nobody is recommending a junkyard fully reclining car seat on an extended HF moving dolly?
Geez, next thing ya know, this crowd will be buying pre-wired panels....

That's a fun idea.
Pick-A-Part typically sells a full seat with frame for $35. I nabbed two one piece jeep seats for my Samurai. HF moving dolly is about $20. A little Aviation inginuity could make that a really nice Creeper.
 
I am 6’1” and 265 lbs. I tried out the aero creeper at Oshkosh and I really like it. I liked the deluxe model better than the standard one. I will be getting one for sure. Their Oshkosh deal is usually pretty nice with a discount and free shipping…

Email inbound to them to see if show special is still a thing for those of us who are late to the party.

I'll let everyone know what they say. At $650 starting price, every little percentage off helps. I suspect there may be a slew of new orders for them if they will extend the show special to the VAF tribe this week...
 
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Man, that Aero Creeper does look like a nice unit (especially if I don't look at the price tag).

For you guys who have one, are any of you particularly tall, and if so do you find that it still works for you? I'm 6'2" and I've read a couple negative reviews from tall folks complaining about lack of head support.

A tall guy reviews the Aero Creeper, simply slides the back support up a bit to accommodate his height.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5BoFX5ISzg&t=20s
 
reply from AeroCreeper:

We offered free shipping at Airventure. We extended the offer until August 15th. You can take advantage of it if you use the discount code OSH22.
 
I bought an AeroCreeper at Oshkosh 2019 and it was delivered home a couple of weeks later. This was an original AeroCreeper and the newer Deluxe model didn't exist yet.

After a year of use I started finding some sheet metal screws around the hangar I couldn't figure out what they came from. Figured it was a propeller crate or something.

Then one day I noticed that the AeroCreeper had screws holding the upholstery to the plywood backboard all were all half out and three ware missing. Come to find out they are sheet metal screws screwed into the 1/2" plywood. I flipped the AeroCreeper over and found that the seat board only had one screw left in it. The seat board screws are square drive sheet metal screws into 1/2" plywood.

This Aerocreeeper is used every so often in my hangar and never leaves the hangar. It just gets pushed around to use or put away. I have had friends bring their airplanes by and we used it but this is what I consider fairly light use.

I was shocked to see how the screws were coming out and stripping out of the plywood.

I proceeded to install threaded inserts into the plywood and change out the screws to machine cap screws. That has held up for a couple of years just fine.

The AeroCreeper is great to use. However, the original screws holding the vinyl upholstery to the CDX plywood sub-base coming out was a bummer. I understand AeroCreeper is changing over to some sort of Baltic plywood to avoid this issue but it adds a pound.

And by all means go for the deluxe version of the AeroCreeper. The tilting seat will make a huge difference in comfort. The original design geometry causes the user to slide down the backboard when elevated. The Deluxe model doesn't.

I will say the 10 positions are nice but the notches are a fairly large step and wouldn't you know about a quarter of the time I need a position in between the original notches.
 
dang, looks like I'm going to need to upgrade the piece of cardboard that I throw on the floor.

Jeff,

I upgraded mine with a 2 pallets and 8 wheels.

Might put lifting mechanism on it this year.
At least one of the pallets.:)
 
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From a review on the Aircraft Spruce website:

If your deciding between the Aerocreeper and the EZ Creeper, Ill tell you what I found. Aerocreeper vs. EZ Creeper. I bought the EZ creeper, the shop I work in has 2 Aerocreepers..... The Aerocreeper is better than the EZ Creeper! The build quality of the Aerocreeper is far and above superior! The EZ Creeper has cheap casters, the welds are horrible and the thing leaks hydraulic fluid! The warranty for the EZ Creeper is also worthless because youll spend $300 in shipping to send it back to the guy who makes it in his garage. Whats that? Your EZ Creeper is only a year old and you just need the O-Rings to fix the system those leaks of Tractor Hydraulic Fluid (thats right he didnt even use 5606)? No problem - the guy will sell you a set for $37 plus shipping. I said - no thanks and went to my local hydraulic pats supplier who said the o-rings cost less than the sales receipt cost - so he gave them to me. The hydraulic pump and valve assembly on the EZ Creeper is horribly made and isnt even deburred. The Aerocreeper is smooth rolling, its strong as an ox and it works every single time! The EZ Creeper is so flimsy you cant push against it like pushing a landing gear into position - but you can with the Aerocreeper. Save your money and heartache and just go simple. Youll be happy you did. I pray that Spruce never sells the EZ Creeper - theyll get a ton of returns.

David A
April 11, 2021
 
gyoung

Great idea, especially since I already have the harbor freight table and several
different creepers I could canibilze. I too have had many uses for the table around aircraft. Tomcatrv4
 
3” or 4” wheels.

Great timing and thanks for posting the discount code. Looking at getting the Aero Creeper Deluxe. Any recommendations on getting the 3” or 4” wheels?
 
Looking at getting the Aero Creeper Deluxe. Any recommendations on getting the 3” or 4” wheels?

I asked the owner this question - his answer was that the 3" wheels are fine for normal airplane maintenance use in a hangar, and that the 4" wheels are more for "daily industrial use".
 
From my breakdancing days back in The 1980’s…

I’ve never felt so inadequate about my set up until today…

Old box and blanket headrest. All I have $ for after quality parts/tools :D
 

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I made a lift creeper from a HF lift table. On my todo is to replace the fixed wheels with swivel castors. Works great for a lot of things, esp my Navion when on jacks. I even use it to support the lower cowling when reinstalling on my RV-6.

That's awesome! Is that a release handle rip deal or a pump-up handle?
I like it.
 
I bought an AeroCreeper at Oshkosh 2019 and it was delivered home a couple of weeks later. This was an original AeroCreeper and the newer Deluxe model didn't exist yet.

After a year of use I started finding some sheet metal screws around the hangar I couldn't figure out what they came from. Figured it was a propeller crate or something.

Then one day I noticed that the AeroCreeper had screws holding the upholstery to the plywood backboard all were all half out and three ware missing. Come to find out they are sheet metal screws screwed into the 1/2" plywood. I flipped the AeroCreeper over and found that the seat board only had one screw left in it. The seat board screws are square drive sheet metal screws into 1/2" plywood.

This Aerocreeeper is used every so often in my hangar and never leaves the hangar. It just gets pushed around to use or put away. I have had friends bring their airplanes by and we used it but this is what I consider fairly light use.

I was shocked to see how the screws were coming out and stripping out of the plywood.

I proceeded to install threaded inserts into the plywood and change out the screws to machine cap screws. That has held up for a couple of years just fine.

The AeroCreeper is great to use. However, the original screws holding the vinyl upholstery to the CDX plywood sub-base coming out was a bummer. I understand AeroCreeper is changing over to some sort of Baltic plywood to avoid this issue but it adds a pound.

And by all means go for the deluxe version of the AeroCreeper. The tilting seat will make a huge difference in comfort. The original design geometry causes the user to slide down the backboard when elevated. The Deluxe model doesn't.

I will say the 10 positions are nice but the notches are a fairly large step and wouldn't you know about a quarter of the time I need a position in between the original notches.

Customer service reply:

A few years ago, we switched from CDX to a cabinet grade Baltic plywood that comes from Russia. It has been really good. The screws stay tight. Unfortunately, recently, the Russian wood has become unavailable. We are now using American-made, cabinet-grade plywood that is better than the CDX but not quite as good as the Russian wood. We had zero complaints about the screws coming out of the Russian wood and so far, there have been no complaints about the screws coming out of the American wood.

*****

I'll be placing my order as soon as I explain to the wife why I need this in my life. TBH, the good woman is still getting over my $600 flashlight purchase.
 
dang, looks like I'm going to need to upgrade the piece of cardboard that I throw on the floor.

Yes. I got by for years with plain old carboard, but when I needed to start doing a lot of work on the underside of the wings (servos, pitot, wiring access, probes etc) or washing the underside, I decided on a creeper. Brought my cheap automotive creeper…unusable since I had to lay flat and reach too far. I bought a cheap reclining creeper from Harbor Freight…that worked better but was uncomfortable because the seat part didn’t recline so I kept sliding down. Ultimately found the Whiteside which was perfect. I allowed me to recline comfortably. I didn’t need it for anything other than the underside of the wings or fuselage…no point in up and down movement since upward elevation did nothing for me that a cheap automotive rolling stool couldn’t do.

As to mobility, the urethane wheels on both work fine. I have the crappiest rutted and pitted asphalt floor you’ll ever find in a T-hangar except maybe for dirt or gravel and either of these creepers roll around just fine for without the need to tinker up some elaborate caster system

For my non-building needs, the Aerocreeper or EZCreeper or any such was VAST overkill in terms of functions and dollars. I just don’t have the need to go up or down, but DO have the need to be comfortable sitting reclined to work through wing inspection panels or doing/cleaning stuff on the belly of the fuselage. YMMV.




.
 

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Yes. I got by for years with plain old carboard, but when I needed to start doing a lot of work on the underside of the wings (servos, pitot, wiring access, probes etc) or washing the underside, I decided on a creeper. Brought my cheap automotive creeper…unusable since I had to lay flat and reach too far. I bought a cheap reclining creeper from Harbor Freight…that worked better but was uncomfortable because the seat part didn’t recline so I kept sliding down. Ultimately found the Whiteside which was perfect. I allowed me to recline comfortably. I didn’t need it for anything other than the underside of the wings or fuselage…no point in up and down movement since upward elevation did nothing for me that a cheap automotive rolling stool couldn’t do.
As to mobility, the urethane wheels on both work fine. I have the crappiest rutted and pitted asphalt floor you’ll ever find in a T-hangar except maybe for dirt or gravel and either of these creepers roll around just fine for without the need to tinker up some elaborate caster system
For my non-building needs, the Aerocreeper or EZCreeper or any such was VAST overkill in terms of functions and dollars. I just don’t have the need to go up or down, but DO have the need to be comfortable sitting reclined to work through wing inspection panels or doing/cleaning stuff on the belly of the fuselage. YMMV.

I've been using the "Whiteside" creeper for several years now and love it.
I don't have the bells & whistles & lifts that some of you seem to need, but for my needs, the Whiteside works great.
 
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Conclusion

This was a timely topic, as my old auto-store creeper finally suffered a catastrophic wheel failure yesterday while I was working under the airplane. Fortunately my new Aero Creeper arrived this morning, and I can already tell it's going to be a huge upgrade to my creeping. It's also comfortable enough to sleep on, which could be important if my wife finds out how much it cost...
 
This was a timely topic, as my old auto-store creeper finally suffered a catastrophic wheel failure yesterday while I was working under the airplane. Fortunately my new Aero Creeper arrived this morning, and I can already tell it's going to be a huge upgrade to my creeping. It's also comfortable enough to sleep on, which could be important if my wife finds out how much it cost...

Hahaha.

I have an Aerocreeper in my hangar, and bought one for our prototype shop at work, too. Ordered them at Sun n Fun this past spring. Worth it.
 
I have an OG Aerocreeper too with the 3" wheels and for the most part it's really nice. Oftentimes, I'd like to have the height between the 1st and 2nd notches; they are far apart as someone else above noted.

But the part I find most annoying is the excellent casters: they roll so well that I can't hold the creeper in one spot on my sloping hangar floor. It's constantly rolling into a wheel pant when I'm not actively holding the thing steady, which is tedious.
 
Trade

I have an OG Aerocreeper too with the 3" wheels and for the most part it's really nice. Oftentimes, I'd like to have the height between the 1st and 2nd notches; they are far apart as someone else above noted.

But the part I find most annoying is the excellent casters: they roll so well that I can't hold the creeper in one spot on my sloping hangar floor. It's constantly rolling into a wheel pant when I'm not actively holding the thing steady, which is tedious.

I will trade you for my HF creeper that barely moves when you want it to...:D:D
 
Aerocreeper is extending AOPA members free shipping, so I ordered an Original today ($49 savings for me). Opted for the 4" wheels. As a Senior in age, I've earned a bit of comfort!
 
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