Power augers inside a vehicle

[Ice Wombat]

Hi all, just fishing around to see if anyone transports their power augers in their vehicles if they do not have a truck. I have an SUV and as the season gets on the old hand auger limits my exploration at a spot. I have been told that gas powered ones can be really fumy in a confined space and not to sure about the electric options. Any info is helpful thanks.   

Would be happy to drive with my windows down but on the -35 days it is a little less than ideal.

[hardwater diehard]

Not sure what you mean by "funny" ...but I  transport mine in my SUV all the time ..I do travel short distances less than 15 miles ...but if your concerned with fumes spillage etc  get an auger bag. I would also recommend to of course close the vent as well as the choke .

[Ice Wombat]

Not sure what you mean by "funny" ...but I  transport mine in my SUV all the time ..I do travel short distances less than 15 miles ...but if your concerned with fumes spillage etc  get an auger bag. I would also recommend to of course close the vent as well as the choke .

ha ha no it says FUMY not FUNNY.

Thanks for your feedback hardwater diehard - Good to know

[BIGCREW]

Get yourself a propane auger and you wont smell a thing, the electric models wont stink up your suv either, or you could get one of those racks that goes into your hitch but you would have to protect whatever is in it from road grime, personally I like the jiffy pro 4 cuz thats what I got and I like it a lot no problems starting no smell and its a little quieter than 2 strokes and I can run it in my shelter and not have to smell it all day

[Ice Wombat]

Get yourself a propane auger and you wont smell a thing, the electric models wont stink up your suv either, or you could get one of those racks that goes into your hitch but you would have to protect whatever is in it from road grime, personally I like the jiffy pro 4 cuz thats what I got and I like it a lot no problems starting no smell and its a little quieter than 2 strokes and I can run it in my shelter and not have to smell it all day

Thanks BIGCREW, nice to have a model to research and also good to know that it won't gas me out on the way there. I don't need anything else to amp me up on my way to a fishing spot. I'm generally fully charged!!!

[hardwater diehard]

ha ha no it says FUMY not FUNNY.

Mmmmm either I need a new prescription or its from all those years running with a gas auger in my SUV   

Although I don't use my auger bag often ...as my local lakes is just a mile away ...I never had a Fumy smell that I can recall ..I am sure if left overnight that could be a concern ...with changing temps and fuel expansion.

[BIGCREW]

I used to dread the gas auger days I hate the smell of the gas and I always seemed to get it on me somehow those days are long gone nice clean burning propane for me

[Rebelss]

Don't have the tank filled to the brim, and make sure if you have a vent screw in your cap, it's closed....and the fill neck points up. 

[Uncle Al]

I hauled mine in the old lady's suv over a hundred miles one way and she didn't even know it was there. Drain most of the gas and shut all the vents as mentioned before, and you'll be ok.

[Ice Wombat]

Very encouraging answers. Many thanks.

[da man cave shack]

Before I got a truck I had an suv and hauld my gas auger inside all the time just make sure the gas cap is on tight and facing up.

[Ice Wombat]

Will be a game changer to not have to work through this with a hand held auger on seasoned blades. My set up time would dramatically change on those limited day light sessions. Let the research begin...

[Whytie]

I have left my auger in my SUV for 2 weeks when I was on vacation. Had the vent cap closed and in an eskimo head cover bag. My SUV didn't have a gas smell I asssume it was so cold the vapours don't really build up to much and the eskimo cover is rubber lined inside.

[swampy45]

ran a gas auger out of the back of my Corolla last winter and never had a problem with fumes or anything.  Travelled some long trips too.

[bobby2unes]

My old Strikemaster leaks and stinks up the SUV too so I bought the clam conversion kit.  http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/augers/conversion-kit.html. Here it is in action,

.

[Ice Wombat]

My old Strikemaster leaks and stinks up the SUV too so I bought the clam conversion kit.  http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/augers/conversion-kit.html. Here it is in action,

.

Hi there bobby2unes. I a couple of questions if you don't mind. Have you run the conversion kit on a 10 or 12 inch auger? Also, do you find your batteries lasting the session or do you bring a backup?

Thanks

[hardwater diehard]

Hi there bobby2unes. I a couple of questions if you don't mind. Have you run the conversion kit on a 10 or 12 inch auger? Also, do you find your batteries lasting the session or do you bring a backup?

Thanks

The 18-20 v drills shine with 4,5.6 and maybe 7 in drill units...after that ..you are asking way to much from them ...also the "flat" style blades/drill unit (Mora and the like) as opposed to the lazer type blades appear to work better as reported by other members on numerous threads ..I have a Dewalt 20v Max and a Strikemaster 6 in Lazer ...works quite well for ice less than a foot ..but with the lazer blades it does grab the last/break through ice ..its a learning curve ...this year getting the Clam plate (hope that takes care of that grabbing issue) .I plan on using it on first/last ice as well as places that do not allow gas augers .After a foot of ice its back to my gas auger.

good reads on the plate and other projects

http://www.iceshanty.com/search/googlecs.php?cx=partner-pub-4142604719202363%3A1m5u4k-rv05&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=clam+auger+plate&sa=Search

[bobby2unes]

Hi there bobby2unes. I a couple of questions if you don't mind. Have you run the conversion kit on a 10 or 12 inch auger? Also, do you find your batteries lasting the session or do you bring a backup?

Thanks

Hey Ice Wombat, I agree with what Hardwater was saying too.  I just got my Clam Auger Conversion Kit in the mail, so I haven't tested it out yet.  I plan to get the Milwaukee M18 hammer drill.  It's adverstised to have 550 inch/pounds of torque when used with the Red Lithium batteries.  From what I've seen on Youtube, it looks I would need to bring both batteries for the day.  I also plan to use a 4 or 6 inch bit only, so as to not stress the drill too much.  I can always drill two smaller holes side by side if I plan to catch bigger pike.  I can't wait for the ice!

[Ice Wombat]

Thanks for the insight into the clam. I took a read of that older feed about it too. Plenty to think about for sure.

For me I feel ok with the old hand help during early and late, so I guess my biggest need is when the ice is at its thickest and because I usually run 10inch holes (not that I can't change) the conversion kit may not be the best option for me.

Saying that, sure would like an excuse to upgrade my drill set.....

I guess I have a little more time to research, so thanks to all who have shared their thoughts thus far. Sure are a few options on the table now.

Big thanks 

[cube3]

Hi all, just fishing around to see if anyone transports their power augers in their vehicles if they do not have a truck. I have an SUV and as the season gets on the old hand auger limits my exploration at a spot. I have been told that gas powered ones can be really fumy in a confined space and not to sure about the electric options. Any info is helpful thanks.   

Would be happy to drive with my windows down but on the -35 days it is a little less than ideal.

I never had a problem of "fumy" smells inside my Chevy Astro. Had 2 different Eskimo gas augers and not once had a problem of gas spill or smell. I did get rid of the Astro last year (after 14 years) and now have a truck. I do miss that Astro though, in a lot of ways it was the perfect ice fishing machine. AWD and tons of room on the inside.


Good luck on your quest.

[Kim]

I can see it now, people draining there gas on the lake. Just put enough gas in the tank that you are going to need for a few holes, close the vent and you should be ok. Can even stick the head in a garbage bag if need be. Watch how you load the auger in the suv. Gas cap up. Helps if you have a small crate of some kind to keep the head from turning. I some times use a old milk crate for differant things that I don't want rolling around or moving.

[#1fisherman]

It is funny how opinions change over time. While working at one of the local retailers in the last two years, I had a difficult time trying to convince guys that propane augers and electric augers were THE way to go. For all of the reasons mentioned, It won't be too many more years and we will all be saying, " I can't believe we ever used gas augers". These relatively new options are so much more friendly to the environment and as people who enjoy the benefits of a healthy environment, we should all embrace that improvement in technology. Not to mention the clean cabin air in a vehicle.

[impulseturboguy]

Yup I switched to the jiffy pro 4 propane and it is awesome I can drill in my ice house without smoke or fumes

[cube3]

It is funny how opinions change over time. While working at one of the local retailers in the last two years, I had a difficult time trying to convince guys that propane augers and electric augers were THE way to go. For all of the reasons mentioned, It won't be too many more years and we will all be saying, " I can't believe we ever used gas augers". These relatively new options are so much more friendly to the environment and as people who enjoy the benefits of a healthy environment, we should all embrace that improvement in technology. Not to mention the clean cabin air in a vehicle.

This is just too funny