Drill for Clam Drill Plate

[walpy]

So I'm looking to get a Clam Drill Plate for this year.. no more hand drilling for this guy!

I really don't own any of my own tools (sad, I know.) so I need to buy a drill... any suggestions or ones to avoid? I was looking at a used Ryobi 18v Lithium on Craigslist for a good deal. Would that suffice?

Thanks for the help!

[Deal Ninja]

I have the Milwaukee 18V 1250 ip Fuel mated to Clam Plate to K-Drill Adapter to 8" K-Drill.  I only got to drill about 75 holes last year, through a max of about 8" of ice, but it's an awesome combo.  Expensive, but awesome.  Light, fast, safe, quiet and powerful.  Never even came close to draining the battery.

[3300]

avoid under 4 amp hour battery. the battery is the fuel supply and in some cases under powers the motor.
ridgid is lifetime warranted on batteries and all including labor, but not claiming the torque of the other high end units.
i have been using ridgid drills on ice and off and always cuts my holes. on ice using a 6" strike master auger. several years the drill was in the shavings cutting ice hole and it needed an extension. you can burn out any drill, so listen to it to know how to use it. if you bind it too hard while cutting the self protect should kick in and stop the drill. some burn out instead even brushless types.
sharp blades are key too and how much water is on top and in the ice your cutting. it loads up the shavings and makes them harder to clear and heavier.
the plate is not needed for myself. controlling a drill is easy. just use the auxiliary handle. on strike master augers, they tend to bind on the end of the cut, so lifting some at that stage of the cut keeps that problem away.

[Shack man Shoney]

I would stay away from any of the lower end drills. I have been down the road with some of these other drills and were not happy with any of them.  You should be able to purchase a Milwaukee fuel from Amazon for a really reasonable price (I have purchased several kits for under $100) look for kits with 4 or 5 ah batteries and I wouldn't be afraid of the used Milwaukee fuel drills on Amazon either, as most of them i have seen are generally demos and have had light use. I have assembled many of the Milwaukee fuel drills on Clam plates and have yet to see ANY issues from the Milwaukee drills or Clam plates. The Milwaukee fuel+Clam plate setup=AWESOME!!!  The only other drill I would even consider for a drill auger would be the Makita that has 1100 in\lbs of torque. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

[Monticatgeek]

the most common used drill with the plate has been either the Fuel M18 or the Dewalt 995 hammer drill. if you go hammer drill model, DO NOT RUN IT IN HAMMER MODE. also remember the drill needs to be a 1/2 inch drive. there is going to be something new in regards to the drill plates this year but just cant say what until the 25th. the only hint I will give is that it will improve the plate even more then the plate being released it self. Oh and one last thing stay away from the light duty 1/2 inch brushed drill. they will burn out the brushes. go with a brushless model to avoid this.

[Thorney]

There is a lot to consider with the Calm plate. Size of hole, type of blades (chipper vs. shaver). Torque rating of the drill is the critical factor. 6" or smaller hole you are probably okay with a drill around 550-600 in/lbs of torque. 7" or 8" you better have at least a 750 in/lbs drill. And 3300 is right, you need 5A/hr batteries, and you need to keep them warm. I use a small lunchbox cooler with a few hand warmers inside. I have been using a 6" mora auger with a Hilti drill 750 in/lbs. It burns through the ice. Way faster than my gas auger. Have three batteries and never use more than one, even punching holes for 4-5 guys. I don't hole hop much so usually 20-30 holes per outing. Only had it one year and the ice was only 24" at the thickest. My buddy got one and tried to spin an 8" bit with an older Makita 550 in/lbs. Didn't work. he stepped up to a big hilti drill 1050 in/lbs. and it burns the ice. Oh ya. ALWAYS drill in the slowest speed setting.

[prospector]

 There is no such thing as a good deal on a used Ryobi tool. Sorry. Run away fast!

[Spider1]

I agree, stay away from the cheap drills. Like the old saying goes, "buy the best and cry once". Ryobi doesn't have the torque needed for this kind of job. I run a ridgid on mine and it pulls right through the ice with a 6" auger. I want to try a bigger auger but this is only a 550 in/lb model and probably won't like it much. The 4ah batteries are fine and I have yet to us up a full battery in a day, even after leaving it out in the cold while drilling holes for myself and buddies. Brushless is the best but mine isn't and I've been using it for 2 years. The bare tool is cheap enough so I don't worry about replacing it but I'll be getting a better drill next time for sure so I can run a larger auger with it. Don't even think about a 2ah battery, it will not hold up. Once the ice gets thick it will only last a few holes. Depending on your auger, anything over 500 in/lbs is fine but if you want to turn a bigger auger don't settle for less than 725 in/lbs. After torque, battery is most important. Don't waste time with anything less than 4ah. And get 2 of them.

[Team_Reload]

I have a ridgid x4 and my buddy bought a ridgid x5 last year. Both running a 6" strikemaster lazers now. He has a 5ah battery we between the both of us hole hopping for a day couldn't kill it. I can comfortable say well over 50 holes closer to 80 to be honest. I think one of the most important things is keeping your blades sharp. If you use a lazer make sure you get the made in Sweden blades as they will last longer and stay sharp longer. Always replace you blade cover when done drilling and don't use it as a walking stick like some people do. I would stay away from mora augers. I have one and it does work but the stress on the drill is unbelievable compare to the lazer. Stay away from the cheap brands. Ridgid, Milwaukee, dewalt, and mikita will all serve you well. Spend the extra money and get the most torque you can. I see a lot of the newer drills are 1,000 in/lbs or more. I can only imagine how they would drive a 6" or 8". Good luck finding the right drill. Hope all of the info on here helps.

[hardwater diehard]

I went with a refurbished Dewalt 995 hammer (from a factory outlet ...think it was under $100 bucks with a $20 off code) as this was going to be a dedicated drill for my old style Clam Plate(required chuck removal) ..picked up two 5 amp batteries from HD on black Friday for $100 . Used it all last season ...although limited ice ...drilled a lot of holes in 10"-12" of ice ...very pleased ...its paired w/SM 6" lazer ...and extension ...get the extension your back will love you for it .

[Thorney]

+1 on the extension!!

[walpy]

Lots of great info! Thanks so much for all the help... noted - X the Ryobi!

I'll have to do my homework on drills, see what these hammer drills are.. and check out the Fuel, and Ridgid. Also, I would have never known what to look for torque-wise so thanks for that too!

Excited to see what drops on the 25th!

[Monticatgeek]

just a teaser here. I will say at this time there is no change to the plate it self this year except for a optional add on piece that will make the plate even better then it already is. will explain more in 2 days.

[Thorney]

Monticatgeek - so when you say optional add on piece, do you mean that it will be separately available and will work with previous models?? Let me guess...a beer can holder attachment? :-)

[Spider1]

Let me guess...a beer can holder attachment?

we can only hope! 

[3300]

that should help with the balance issues unless you drink it.

[Spider1]

I don't know... drinkin it usually helps with my balance issues, LOL!!!

[Deal Ninja]

Let me guess...a beer can holder attachment? :-)

A most excellent idea!   Good one Thorney!

[IcePirateJace]

I think there is a lot of good drills that would get the job done. It seems to be personal preference. I run a K-drill and went with the Milwaukee mostly because that is what is recommended. I have a buddy that thinks I'm dumb and should have gotten a Dewalt. You read a lot of people thinking that ridgid is the best.

The Milwaukee works great for me, cuts great (which may have more to do with the K-drill), cuts fast, battery hasn't been an issue. I bought one that came with 4.0 batteries and the deal included a free battery which was the 5.0. Both have done really well and it gets cold up here in NoDak. I say buy whichever brand you can find the best deal with but make sure it is a good brand (Ridgid, Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee) that has a lot of torque.

[Monticatgeek]

this is what I was referring to when I said add on piece for the plate.

http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/new-for-2016-2017/conversion-kit-gear-box.html

Note : this will only fit on the plates where you do not remove the chuck from the drill.

[Spider1]

very cool! It says that it mounts right up to the new version but I wonder if the original can be used with a little more work?

[Monticatgeek]

very cool! It says that it mounts right up to the new version but I wonder if the original can be used with a little more work?

I don't think it will because the bracket that holds the drill on the gen 1 and 2 plates is too short for leaving the chuck on the drill. don't know about gen 3 plates(last year of having to take the chuck off the drill). it has the taller bracket but still don't know if the holes in the plate would line up right or not. gen 4 plates (last years model and this years model) is what it will bolt to easily.

[Spider1]

I made an adapter so I could use my drill with the chuck on for the original plate. I have a compact drill so it fit but just barely. I've been a machinist for some 40 years so making a bracket isn't that hard. Drilling and tapping a couple holes wouldn't be a problem either. I bet I could make it work

[Shack man Shoney]

I don't see any real need for this gear reduction... I have been running a Milwaukee drill auger with clam plate for several years now and the LAST thing I want to do is drill holes slower, Not to mention wasting battery life on it.

[Gills-only]

I don't see any real need for this gear reduction... I have been running a Milwaukee drill auger with clam plate for several years now and the LAST thing I want to do is drill holes slower, Not to mention wasting battery life on it.

.      X2

[luv2fish2]

x3                    i bought a k drill it's designed to spin that fast i'd be defeating the it's design if i slowed it down ( it's a hole drilling mutha with my 2 year old  set up ) but i could see if i used an 8" lazer i'd wanna slow it down and lighten the load on the drill

[Spider1]

not everyone has, wants or can afford a high end, high torque drill. This gives them the ability to use a smaller drill and get effective torque out of it. I'd like to see some real testing done on it before condemning it.

[Shack man Shoney]

You can buy a Milwaukee Fuel online for darn near as much as they want for that gear reduction. My thinking is buy a good drill, save a little bit of weight, and some battery life as well and drill holes twice as fast as the gear reduction.....

[Spider1]

I haven't seen a price for the gear reduction yet? How much is it?

[river rat78]

I haven't seen a price for the gear reduction yet? How much is it?

I saw someone post that it has a price tag of $69.99.