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Author Topic: Why no double flighted augers?  (Read 3329 times)

RallyGreen

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Why no double flighted augers?
« on: Nov 06, 2016, 09:41 AM »
I noticed a couple months ago that Ice Gator is advertising a double flighted auger. This struck me as a great idea - I often cut 3-4' of ice (dozens of holes a day) so removing more shavings would be great. The Ice Gator auger does have a few issues: I'd rather buy a commonly available blade system, have doubts as to the durability of plastic flighting and most significantly, I can't buy it. The company is not responding to my phone calls, emails, nor seemingly to current customers on Facebook.

Well, where there's a will there's a way, so I've identified some alternatives. There's a custom auger company near my town which sells fabricated flighting in as small as 2' pieces. There's also the option of breaking down a new Strikemaster auger to reuse its flighting on my Strikemaster to "siamese" it. Imagine dual chipper blades on a 10" auger!

Extra rotating mass and resistance from a second blade aside, I still wonder why double flighted augers aren't more prevalent. I found a book published this year titled "Mechanical Ice Drilling Technology" which detailed the evolution of augers and many of those drills were double flighted. I read through all of the patents I could find relating to ice fishing augers and only one of them mentioned double flighting as it was attempting to reach the same effectiveness with a single flight. It vaguely suggested ice  becoming stuck in an area between the two section of flighting in a double flight arrangement, but it was such a minor footnote I question it's legitimacy. There are a few papers from Midwestern universities on grain auger design I've read that also make me think "this seems like a good idea."

I thought I should post in case anyone has gone down this road already - is there some reason single flighted augers are superior in ice fishing augers or is this purely a case of a standard pitch, single flighted auger being "good enough" and cheap enough to be dictated by bean counters?


Offline OldSailor

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #1 on: Nov 06, 2016, 09:45 AM »
I would buy into the good enough, cheap enough theory!  ;)
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Offline stripernut

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #2 on: Nov 06, 2016, 10:08 AM »
Weight and cost are the first things that come to mind...

Offline Ice Scratcher

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #3 on: Nov 06, 2016, 12:47 PM »
I have a 6" Mora I've removed half the flights from and I like it even better now. The flights don't bind on the edge at the bottom of a 2ft hole, and it's lighter too..

I'm going to do the same thing with my 8" also, with another weight saving mod that has yet to be revealed.. ;)

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RallyGreen

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #4 on: Nov 06, 2016, 12:59 PM »
That makes sense to me, given that the patents for the Eskimo cutting heads with dual shaver blades say the ring around the cutting head is supposed to prevent binding on the edges of the hole and the Mora lacks that. But unless you had some really high rpm flinging the shavings from the non-continuous flighting sections, wouldn't you end up with a bunch of shavings in the hole? I think the kdrill is doing the same sort of thing

On the subject of weight, using 16ga steel each additional 10.25" twist should add about 2.2lbs (per twist) to the overall weight. I haven't looked into the amount of material for a half pitch single flight vs a standard pitch double flight yet

luv2fish2

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #5 on: Nov 06, 2016, 08:31 PM »
k drill ?

RallyGreen

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #6 on: Nov 06, 2016, 08:49 PM »
Similar concerns with it as the ice gator, plus the flighting looks to be non continuous. The manual for it says the k drill requires 300-500rpm, so its flighting must be purpose built for that application.

Offline Tbone9

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #7 on: Nov 06, 2016, 09:01 PM »
I've wondered the same thing. My guess would be dual flights would add more weight and with the power of augers today maybe it's not necessary.
Always trying to catch those light bitin lethargic sons of fishes.

RallyGreen

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #8 on: Nov 07, 2016, 08:09 PM »
Thinking I'll try this in 2 phases - will extend the single flighting on my chipper auger to help with deeper drilling first and see how that goes first. I have owned a 8" Nils and the 18" extension with flighting was very nice. 

Will see about getting a second piece of 46" of flighting to tweak a lazer, too

Offline thewyler

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #9 on: Dec 11, 2016, 07:48 PM »
I can imagine the extra cost is a factor, as well a weight, and on top of that the added friction of debris moving over the second flight could cause the debris to clogg up. It seems like alot of added production that wouldn't give much benefit with the relatively low powered motors we use.
go hard or go home

Offline Ice Scratcher

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #10 on: Dec 11, 2016, 08:04 PM »
I have a 6" Mora I've removed half the flights from and I like it even better now. The flights don't bind on the edge at the bottom of a 2ft hole, and it's lighter too..

I'm going to do the same thing with my 8" also, with another weight saving mod that has yet to be revealed.. ;)

<°)))>{

Here is that mod..

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=335162.0

<°)))>{

Offline Rebelss

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #11 on: Dec 11, 2016, 08:26 PM »
How about a nuclear powered engine too?  ;) You're only drilling a hole in the ice....I guess you can take anything as far as you want to. One flighting works well enough for me.
“The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation”  Thoreau

RallyGreen

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #12 on: Dec 16, 2016, 07:00 PM »
Great story

Offline 69396al

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #13 on: Feb 15, 2018, 09:35 PM »
Any luck on an alternative dual flight auger? I was lucky enough the to the new 9.5 42 volt beast! However I broke a couple auger flights last weekend. I’m scouring the web with no luck.

Offline Ice Scratcher

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Re: Why no double flighted augers?
« Reply #14 on: Feb 15, 2018, 09:53 PM »
Here is that mod..

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=335162.0

<°)))>{

Photo bucket failed...

Repost picture of modded 8" Mora, weighs just over 3lbs, and doesn't need a heavy extension either...



<°)))>{

 



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