Is the Aerocreeper Worth the Money?

[RoundTwo]

My budget creeper has finally died and the Aerocreeper has caught my eye. It’s definitely a pricey piece of kit, but is it worth it?

[Mooneymite]

Pick a price....any price:

 

[Hank]

9 minutes ago, Mooneymite said:

Pick a price....any price:

 

I have the gray one from Harbor Freight, works well.

[PT20J]

No.

I have a cheap  ACDelco creeper with a tiltable headrest that I bought at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

It is not all that well made and so I bought the Aerocreeper as a replacement. Fortunately, I didn't throw out the Delco as I find I use it much more than the Aerocreeper.

The Aerocreeper sits higher off the ground and although it fits with me on it under the airplane it's not nearly as comfortable for cleaning the belly as the Delco. Even with the optional headrest (which attaches with a strap and is always falling off) it doesn't put my head at a comfortable angle without neck strain to look in any direction but up. And, tilting the back to get a good angle also raises the seat making it too high for most work. I use it mostly as a very expensive chair.

[RoundTwo]

20 minutes ago, Mooneymite said:

Pick a price....any price:

 

Daytona looks like the winner for me at 6’4”.

[Ragsf15e]

Is there one that sits negative 6” off the ground?  Because that’s the one I want under my Mooney.

[N201MKTurbo]

I got an AeroCreeper for my birthday last year. I still mostly use my old creeper, which is a high quality 6 wheel flat creeper. 
 

I wouldn’t buy the Aero Creeper for the Mooney. The Mooney is too close to the ground. There are not really any raised  up settings that work anywhere on the Mooney. 
 

I have two complaints about the AC. It rolls to easily. That doesn’t sound like a problem, but there is nowhere in my hangar I can put the AC that it will stay where I leave it. I thought my hangar floor was flat, but not for the AC. If I just get up off of it, it will roll until it hits something. It never stays where you leave it. The other issue is how long it is to the back hen raised up. The wheels seem to stick out a long way back. If you need to spin around a bit, the back wheels will smack something. 

[N201MKTurbo]

I have used Aero Creepers on twin Cessna’s and Cherokee 6’s. They are wonderful for them. Not for a Mooney.

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

No.

I have a cheap  ACDelco creeper with a tiltable headrest that I bought at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

It is not all that well made and so I bought the Aerocreeper as a replacement. Fortunately, I didn't throw out the Delco as I find I use it much more than the Aerocreeper.

The Aerocreeper sits higher off the ground and although it fits with me on it under the airplane it's not nearly as comfortable for cleaning the belly as the Delco. Even with the optional headrest (which attaches with a strap and is always falling off) it doesn't put my head at a comfortable angle without neck strain to look in any direction but up. And, tilting the back to get a good angle also raises the seat making it too high for most work. I use it mostly as a very expensive chair.

My main creeper is just like yours, but with two more wheels in the middle.

[N201MKTurbo]

There are days that I swear I get on and off that creeper 50 times. I tell my wife I did creeper aerobics. It is great exercise. It keeps you limber.

[PT20J]

55 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

If I just get up off of it, it will roll until it hits something. It never stays where you leave it.

But, it's soooo much fun to give it a shove and watch it sail across the hangar and bounce off the wall. 

I got the locking wheels on mine (extra $$) so I can keep it from wandering. 

[N201MKTurbo]

  If the Aero Creeper had electric motor that would move it from the sitting position to the flat position and from the flat position to the sitting position at the touch of a button,,,,, they would a real creeper!

[dkkim73]

3 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

Is there one that sits negative 6” off the ground?  Because that’s the one I want under my Mooney.

Exactly the issue. 

[MikeOH]

I got my AC as a XMAS present and I have been happy with it.  I have a rather poor hangar floor surface and the AC rolls much better than my old flat creeper with its small wheels (I wish I had a smooth hangar floor!).  I find I am able to clean the underside of the wings with much less effort.  No way a flat creeper works for that!  Yes, it's tight to get the belly but I just work my way down from each side.  If my floor was smooth I'd use the flat creeper for the belly.

Honestly, while I'm happy to have my AC, I probably would not have spent that much on myself.

[EricJ]

5 hours ago, Mooneymite said:

Pick a price....any price:

 

Nice!   Harbor Freight FTW!!   I have the Pittsburgh creeper.   I've been pretty happy with it except that having an elevated headrest or back would be nice.   Maybe I'll get a Daytona, too.

 

[RoundTwo]

10 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

  If the Aero Creeper had electric motor that would move it from the sitting position to the flat position and from the flat position to the sitting position at the touch of a button,,,,, they would a real creeper!

 

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, RoundTwo said:

 

No, I meant the $500 electric creeper!

[DonMuncy]

My hangar has an asphalt floor, which is too rough for ordinary creeper wheels to work at all. I finally got a "Bone", which has substantially larger wheels. I like it, but this doesn't speak to the height or tilt questions.

[GeeBee]

I use two creepers.  One is the AC unit for wings and tail. Another cheepie for the belly.

[MooneyMitch]

This creeper discussion is very interesting indeed.  However, and more importantly is possibly a device/system needed to lower and raise us older/geezer pilots off of and onto the creeper itself. 

Perhaps a new thread of videos showing how you [old farts, you know who you are] get up and down onto and off of your personal creeper!!

Using the roll off method, and laying on your side, then making your way on your hands and knees, maybe a grab bar to elevate yourself vertically........with the slick, fast easy rolling of the Aerocreeper, does it go flying out from under you as you try to roll off? 

[jlunseth]

18 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

Is there one that sits negative 6” off the ground?  Because that’s the one I want under my Mooney.

Just reset your altimeter.

[MooneyMitch]

There were many times I would simply raise the plane on the jacks.  Easy to do and provided plenty of room underneath for cleaning the belly.

And with the Ovation, sometimes I'd just remove the one piece panels and clean them away from the fuselage.  That was also fairly easy to accomplish without laying under the plane for extended periods

Edited February 28, 2024 by MooneyMitch

[Skates97]

20 hours ago, RoundTwo said:

My budget creeper has finally died and the Aerocreeper has caught my eye. It’s definitely a pricey piece of kit, but is it worth it?

I've been really happy with it. As others have said it sits higher than the others so if I'm using it under the belly I just jack the plane up. About the only time I'm under it is during annual and I already have my jacks out for that anyway.

18 hours ago, PT20J said:

But, it's soooo much fun to give it a shove and watch it sail across the hangar and bounce off the wall. 

I got the locking wheels on mine (extra $$) so I can keep it from wandering. 

I got the locking wheels also and they are great to keep me from rolling away from whatever I ma working on, or trying to get a little leverage on. Except when I accidentally hit one of the locks with my foot, go to move and can't, then start looking around for whatever the wheel is running into only to find it has been inadvertently locked...

[GeeBee]

The electric Aero Creeper is really interesting because it uses the same batteries as the Sidewinder tow unit. Extra batteries!

[Mooneymite]

In keeping with the principle of "KISS" and being a true CB, I have used the cardboard from Chewy boxes to slide around on my epoxy floor.  I hope to get trifecta points for cheap, simple and very low height.