4 stroke augers

[northernnyice]

Anyone have a 4 stroke Strikemaster or a 4 stroke jiffy propane?? How do you like them? How do they start in the cold?? Any any other input

[delta9]

X2

[paulwhittom]

I don't own one, but fished with a guy who had a propane auger.  Quiet,  seemed to have lots of power, and had almost 75 holes to the one bottle.  I'll probably look for one in the spring if I can find any deals.

Should add that the day we fished it wasn't overly cold, not sure how that would affect it and the owner seemed very pleased with it.

[delta9]

I don't own one, but fished with a guy who had a propane auger.  Quiet,  seemed to have lots of power, and had almost 75 holes to the one bottle.  I'll probably look for one in the spring if I can find any deals.

Should add that the day we fished it wasn't overly cold, not sure how that would affect it and the owner seemed very pleased with it.

75 holes at what thickness of ice?

[paulwhittom]

It was towards the end of season, so probably ran  36", didn't need an extension last year, but got close.  Not sure how much fishing the guy does, so not sure if that was total season or just the last tank.  Could have drilled a few holes through thinner ice.

[delta9]

Now I am intriged that many holes, I was set on gas, now I may have to ponder it some more.

[northernnyice]

I'm caught between Jiffy's propane auger, and Strikemasters new 4 stroke gas auger that sports a HONDA motor. Very interesting! Honda makes bulletproof wheeler and bike motors, why wouldn't the auger motor be the same? And at 23lb for an 8" auger. Wow! I'm in a pickle.

[spikes]

Has anyone had trouble starting the Jiffy?   I purchased the new Jiffy two seasons ago and it took 20 minutes to get it going and some time every other time needed to use after that over the course of the day.   I returned it for the strikemaster 2.5HP and it starts on first or second pull everytime. 

[highsparks]

   I just picked up a Honda  powered Strikemaster .  I havent drilled any holes yet , but it looks sweet.  No more mixing gas and oil , I can use the same gas for wheeler and auger .  It has a cold weather kit on the engine , much like your car has .  I cant wait to get this on the ice , Ill be sure to report back !

[moonjig]

I love my Jiffy propane auger. Has never failed me yet on 1st pull start. Have drilled around 60 holes and still have propane left on 10 to 12 inches of ice last year.

[Buckshots]

Gas or propane- they both have their advantages. But one thing to ponder, no matter how many holes that propane tank drills, a gallon of gas will last all season and the propane tank will have to be replaced more than once. It's much cheaper to run the gas than it is the propane.

[quigley257]

My buddy got the Stealth last year and we drilled a TON of holes with it before changing cylinders.  The Stealth is a bit on the heavy side but the ease of starting and torque are unreal. The thing that took some getting used to is the auger bit spinning the "wrong" way...

[DBK81]

This video impressed me with the propane.

[jimyoumook]

i have a pro 4 and let me tell you i love the thing and yes 60+ holes through 12 inches of ice is very doable

[dcso3009]

I counted holes for my first tank on my Pro4.  (10")   140 but that was less than 12" of ice.  Total of 4 tanks for me for the whole season.  I bet 1/2 the holes where demonstion for others on the ice who where intrigued by the Pro4. 
Only thing I can complain about is the Pro4 is heavy, but I knew that when I bought it.
As for cold weather starts.... Worked fine at -30.  any colder and I'm staying home.

[BaitBucket]

This video impressed me with the propane.

Eh pretty poor comparison..
They would have to use the same blades to have an accurate comparison.
Also the guy on the gas auger takes 2 steps back between holes. And also gets hung up coming back up.

There is no doubt the propane is better. But not as drastic as it looks in that vid.

[dcso3009]

Do a search for "First thoughts on the Jiffy Pro4" on youtube.  I can't post a link from my mobile, but I posted that videp last year.

[ammoman16]

I have the 8 inch Pro4 and have nothing but good things to say. The first tank I used i kept pretty good track of the number of holes and it was just short of 150 through ice that averaged probably a little under 2 feet thick. As far as starting in the cold, I've never had a problem and that includes a lot of days well below zero.

[hnd]

we've fished with a 4 stroke strikelite now for 2 years. it pops off in dead of winter if not on the first pull, on the 2nd for sure.  great unit.   the only problem with it is youhave to lay it right on the ice or else oil will leak out of the crankcase.

[DBK81]

Eh pretty poor comparison..
They would have to use the same blades to have an accurate comparison.
Also the guy on the gas auger takes 2 steps back between holes. And also gets hung up coming back up.

There is no doubt the propane is better. But not as drastic as it looks in that vid.

Ya I wasn't so much saying that the race was impressive, just that it drilled well. All Auger races are BS, different guys different way of drilling, the only true race would be to get the same guy and do a time matchup, I know I (6'2" 240lbs) can drill a hell of allot faster than my older brother (5'10" 170lbs) with the same auger, so really for me it comes down to ease of drilling, it shouldn't look like you are doing the work but that the drill is doing the work.

[ice dawg]

Have any of you looked at the new Jiffy four stroke gasoline auger??? It could be a good alternative.

[ducks forever]

my dad bought a pro 4 last year we drilled 150+ holes on a tank most were through less than 12" of ice tons of torque quiet no smell starts first or second pull every time dont have to deal with gas i will be buying one for myself this year in my opinion the pro 4 is the best auger out there last year everyone was coming around to check it out

[northernnyice]

we've fished with a 4 stroke strikelite now for 2 years. it pops off in dead of winter if not on the first pull, on the 2nd for sure.  great unit.   the only problem with it is youhave to lay it right on the ice or else oil will leak out of the crankcase.

They have corrected this with the new Honda motor, the crank case is fully enclosed in a "bladder" they call it,  you can lay it down on any side or even upside down of you like, so they say.

[northernnyice]

I'm nervous too about the plasticy handles on the Strikemasters. That's probably the only thing holding me back from getting one.

[paulwhittom]

I have also heard that the propane tank is equal to about 3/4 of a tank on a conventional auger.  Not sure if it is true or not.  But something to look at I guess.

[WalleyeTom]

I need an auger that can drill 10" dia holes in 30 -  36" of ice.

[northernnyice]

I have also heard that the propane tank is equal to about 3/4 of a tank on a conventional auger.  Not sure if it is true or not.  But something to look at I guess.

Jiffy claims it is equivalent to 2/3 tank which is pretty good, IMO.

[dcso3009]

I need an auger that can drill 10" dia holes in 30 -  36" of ice.

no problem for the Pro4.

[Tod]

Strikemaste has my vote
23# vs 38#
tank of gas 67 cents vs 3.00 and what to do with all the empty bottles
300 holes vs 80 per tank

15# X how many holes adds up to a lot of extra work on your back

100 holes x 15= 1500 you lifted extra in just one day.

6 yrs of running the strike lite
2 days of using a P4

Jiffy may have something up their sleeve for next season lets just say they are on a diet. 

[northernnyice]

So who is making the engine on Jiffy's 4 stroke gas auger??