MKE Mud Mixer - K-Drill observations

[esox_xtm]

OK. At the risk of stirring a simmering pot, I feel compelled to share something I learned this past weekend.

We're out in below zero to single digit temps most of the day Saturday and a half day on Sunday. 20" of good hard ice, no slush and I'm the guy with the auger for 3 of us. Saturday started out great with a new 12 Ah battery riding on the mixer.

By the afternoon I started getting motor cut out near the bottom of the hole. Never did that before. If I lifted it up, it started right back up and made the remaining inch or two easily. I thought it was curious and surmised that I'd perhaps run the battery down but it still showed two bars. Swapped into a fresh 5Ah spare and it was fine though we only drilled another half dozen holes with it.

Sun. afternoon went back out with the freshly charged 12Ah and in the middle of the 3rd hole it cut out. Well, crap. Fourth hole same thing. Set up a couple of tippys each and returned to drilling. Bill grabbed the auger and proceeded to crank off another six holes without stopping OR clearing chips from the hole with no cut out. Really? This is really curious.

On a whim, I got over the auger again and made a conscious effort to not lean on it. Didn't cut out. Another eight holes... no cut out. Well, I've got a hypothesis:

I think if you put any extra force at all on that combo it's too much for the circuitry and it shuts off to protect itself. Neither the motor or the battery was noticeably hot or even warm but it was pretty darn cold out. Maybe it's an internal current draw thing. Anyway, I though it was something to share in that I experienced both performances with better performance coming after I modified my technique.

In fairness, it is tempting to lean on it a bit because until it cuts out, it just chews through the ice like crazy. It is a torque monster. Don't be impatient, let the motor and drill do the work without adding any downward steady pressure and it's fine. Once in a while I do notice, like with any other auger, it picks up chips or something and I have to change the angle or add pressure for a moment until it gets a grip. Everyone knows that a KD is not the fastest auger on the ice. To try to make it work faster/harder with the Mud Mixer does not work well.

Stay away from steady downward pressure and see if that helps with cut out issue. Again, won't be the fastest but if you wanted that you'd have bought something other than a K. Let it do it's stuff and you should be fine. At least that was my recent experience.

[Deal Ninja]

I think you're onto something.  I used my Mudmixer/8" Nils combo all of last year without an overload protection cut-out, but I concentrate on letting the auger do the work for me.  Putting downward pressure on an auger is a hard habit to break, but putting downward pressure on an auger yields very little in terms of cutting speed increases.  The weight of the MM and Nils together is MORE than enough to provide impetus to the cutting head.

Good observations esox.

DN

[lefty2053]

My Gen 5x Brushless Ridgid cut out last week on me and I think it was due to pressure. Just in case I took the battery off and warmed it up in the tent. Went back out and it drilled fine.

[jethro]

I posted in "the other mud mixer thread" and haven't had any cut out issues after upping my speeds to the max.

[MT204]

OK. At the risk of stirring a simmering pot, I feel compelled to share something I learned this past weekend.
On a whim, I got over the auger again and made a conscious effort to not lean on it. Didn't cut out. Another eight holes... no cut out. Well, I've got a hypothesis:
I think if you put any extra force at all on that combo it's too much for the circuitry and it shuts off to protect itself. Neither the motor or the battery was noticeably hot or even warm but it was pretty darn cold out. Maybe it's an internal current draw thing. Anyway, I though it was something to share in that I experienced both performances with better performance coming after I modified my technique.
In fairness, it is tempting to lean on it a bit because until it cuts out, it just chews through the ice like crazy. It is a torque monster. Don't be impatient, let the motor and drill do the work without adding any downward steady pressure and it's fine. Once in a while I do notice, like with any other auger, it picks up chips or something and I have to change the angle or add pressure for a moment until it gets a grip. Everyone knows that a KD is not the fastest auger on the ice. To try to make it work faster/harder with the Mud Mixer does not work well.

Stay away from steady downward pressure and see if that helps with cut out issue. Again, won't be the fastest but if you wanted that you'd have bought something other than a K. Let it do it's stuff and you should be fine. At least that was my recent experience.

Thank you!

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

I run the 2603-22 drill/driver not the mud mixer with the KDrill , but one thing I've noticed is that if you apply downward pressure while drilling it cuts down on battery life as well. Best to let the tool do all the work. If the auger doesn't seem to be cutting normally try new blades.

[Cub]

Good to know! Thanks for the heads up

[kondan]

I don't have a mudmixer but I have the 2704 and with the 6" kdrill this past weekend, it was cutting out quick. Temp was single digits and ice was 24". I got maybe 10 holes with a 5ah. After going through 3 5ah I've concluded that the kdrill is not meant for cold temps and 20"+ of ice. Time to take out the gas auger 

[PazzoCorso]

I think the kdrill is the problem. I run a MM with an 8" Mora and have not had it cut out. 30 holes on an 9 amp battery and still juice for more. I just let the tool do it's job and cut with it's own weight

[esox_xtm]

I was on the ice last Saturday, -27F through 22" of rock hard ice. Mud Mixer/ 8" K Drill was flawless. Made the conscious effort to NOT lean on it. Son used it with no issues. Drilled some 20 or so holes in the morning, another 8 - 10 after lunch after it sat on the tailgate and another dozen later in the afternoon.

The only issue cropped up the last three holes where it wanted to cut out. Battery (12 Ah) was on it's last legs, one bar showing.

I got no issues with the combo. The K IS slower and consumes more battery per hole than several other auger alternatives. That has been proven in tests several times. It is a rip snorter through ice if you allow it to work at it's own speed. Keep those MM RPMs at max too.

Speaking of that, it's perhaps my one gripe on the MM. K Drill specs 500 - 700 RPM and the MM is at the very lowest end of that range. Of course, it is for mixing mud, not drilling holes in the ice...