Who has gone electric with the auger and gotten rid of the gas powered auger?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I've been running a jiffy 3hp model 30 8in from the start of my ice fishing. Last year I made a milwaukee fuel brushless drill clam plate set up with a 7in eskimo with shaver blades. I added a kit to turn that into a 7in lazer auger. Then I put a nils 8in auger on it. The setup just chewed through the ice with any of the configurations.

I've been really pleased with the benifits of the set up. Such has no fuel spill, no having to start the auger, the light weight of the setup, and how compact I can make the setup with the eskimo auger.

Now my question is has anyone just sold the gas auger and gone to this? I've kept the Jiffy model 30 with extension for trips to bitter lake or north where you can chew through 3 foot of ice per hole. However, i used my clam plate setup a few times on 24inch ice and cut 20-30 holes no problem.

I've kept the Jiffy since it is a good metal headed power head and tuff has f$&@. However I'm thinking of getting away from it.

[Tackle]

I'm sure if you're seasons are short and you don't get over 3' of ice, an electric is fine...whether it's a drill or electric auger.

I can't see getting rid of the gas augers for myself since 3' and more is regular. Plus I like to drill holes. I've yet to run out of gas.

[rags]

I was wondering the same thing , I have an old gas  eskimo auger and thinking on going to something without mixing gas and the mess

[masoneddie]

My drill auger has the 6" Lazer on it, light and fast, does everything I need it to do.
 The power auger is a  8.25" StrikeMaster with the Solo engine and ripper blade, works great and fires on the 2nd pull just about every time...no complaints.
I fish quite a bit with my sons, so having 2 augers running is a benefit, especially the power auger when targeting larger fish like pike and laker's, and thicker ice like mentioned. I can't see getting rid of it anytime soon.
Might be adding another 6" Lazer drill auger to the collection this year with the new Clam Plate.

[Firefightertom32]

Ditched my 8in gas and went with drill set up with 6" auger. I went with Rigid drill from home depot because of the LIFETIME warranty on the drills and the batteries! It worked great for early through mid season, but struggled when the ice got 10"+ All in all i think it was a good switch. Going to upgrade batteries this year and hopefully that takes care of my issue for thick ice.

[vaughan]

Went with Ion 8" and sold gas powered.  Mostly CT fishing but grandson and I do go up to North Hero, VT by the Canadian border every year.  The Ion will do 30 holes thru 2 1/2 feet of ice and a few jigging holes every time without a charge.  Keep it warm and you'll never look back!

[3300]

why not keep both?  they are paid for.

always good to have a back up plan for when those unexpected break downs occur. more so for the few months we have for ice. i keep several of the important things like augers and drills and shacks and rods and sonars and such.

i use only hand crank or drills. havn't had to use the hand crank in a long time, but i take it in case some thing goes wrong (the handle is light enough) with the drill method like depleted batteries from the cold (hasn't happened yet) or the adaptor breaking (also hasn't happened yet). just good to have a back up plan is all i'm saying. you might not need to take the gas auger with you, but if you have a major failure and need customer service to get your drill back online, you'll have a wait in front of you.

i'd keep both anyway.

[Spider1]

why not keep both?  they are paid for.

cuz sometimes ya gotta sell some stuff to afford more stuff

lol, I sold a really nice tablesaw last year so I could get my clam flip. I had too many tablesaws so it only hurt a little!

I never had a gas auger, my old one ran on elbow grease!   I got the clam plate and put a Ridgid on it with a 6" HT auger. Works just fine and dandy. Only thing is that the battery is too small. I need to invest in the bigger batteries. I like how light weight it is and I bring the handle along for when the battery dies on me, which it has. But like I said, it's the smallest they got. 1.5 amps. With this set up, as long as you got the torque, the battery is the next most important factor.

[jacksmelt71]

bought a 8in. ion this year and am having a carb. kit put in my mod.30. gonna use the ion for the shack and early / late season fishing and keep the jiffy for the colder / thicker ice scenarios. 

[Agronomist_at_IA]

bought a 8in. ion this year and am having a carb. kit put in my mod.30. gonna use the ion for the shack and early / late season fishing and keep the jiffy for the colder / thicker ice scenarios. 

Thats what I've been doing. I just haven't really tested the miwaukee drill setup in the 3ft thick ice for an all day trip..........just wondering if anyone does use it that way. Thinking it is able to do it just never really tried

[jethro]

why not keep both?  they are paid for.

Because once you haul an 18 lb auger around you will never want to haul the 40lb auger around. I am planning on doing that this year, ditching my Jiffy 30 for an electric. When I go north even with 3' of ice I am laker fishing and usually drill no more than 10 holes for the day so I think it should work for me.

[holehopper]

Thats what I've been doing. I just haven't really tested the miwaukee drill setup in the 3ft thick ice for an all day trip..........just wondering if anyone does use it that way. Thinking it is able to do it just never really tried

This is what I do too.  I keep a gas auger for the 3 or 4 day trips on February ice.  Tends to include some very nasty conditions with 3 feet of ice not uncommon and usually some brutal temps.  95% of my fishing is done with the battery powered auger but here and there having a gas powered option is definitely worth it.  For anyone considering selling their gas auger, just take a look at the used market for them.  Especially if you have an older two-stroke model.  You aren't exactly going to get rich selling a used auger so hanging onto it won't break the bank in most cases.

[luv2fish2]

still got my eskimoe 8" 51cc but last year went cordless milwaukee and started with a 6" lazer then a 7" mora ended up with a clam auger plate and a  8" k drill i can't bring myself to get rid of gas but i can see me only using once or twice a year , cordless anyway you roll (brand , with or without clam plate ) is cat's ass light , easy no problems other than running out of battery , if your a whole drilling machine stay gas , if your gonna drill under 30 holes electric rules 

[tjacob]

Agronimist,
I'm running the Milwaukee with an eight inch Nils as well and have sold my gas auger. I've also tested the 30+ inches of ice for eight holes. Even had the extension attached. No problem with the four amp batteries. Power to spare. Below 15 degrees however I think you would want to keep the batteries warmed. I just keep the hand power handle and an extra battery for spare.

[Shack man Shoney]

Im running the Milwaukee/Clam plate auger with the 7"mora and Sweedish blades. I still have my 8" Eskimo only because it starts and runs good. I figure any used auger is realistically only worth half the price of a new one and I can't hardly part with it for that money....... yet.....

[ran7ger]

i busted 11 holes through just under 48" ice last march on one 4ah battery with my m18 fuel and an 8" finbore III(sharp is key).  still have the honda 4stroke for over 4' ice but am putting a clam plate on the milwaukee this winter and can't wait to cut some ice.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

still got my eskimoe 8" 51cc but last year went cordless milwaukee and started with a 6" lazer then a 7" mora ended up with a clam auger plate and a  8" k drill i can't bring myself to get rid of gas but i can see me only using once or twice a year , cordless anyway you roll (brand , with or without clam plate ) is cat's ass light , easy no problems other than running out of battery , if your a whole drilling machine stay gas , if your gonna drill under 30 holes electric rules 

I wanna get the new 9ah battery......that should drill a chit load of holes

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Agronimist,
I'm running the Milwaukee with an eight inch Nils as well and have sold my gas auger. I've also tested the 30+ inches of ice for eight holes. Even had the extension attached. No problem with the four amp batteries. Power to spare. Below 15 degrees however I think you would want to keep the batteries warmed. I just keep the hand power handle and an extra battery for spare.

How many holes though?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

i busted 11 holes through just under 48" ice last march on one 4ah battery with my m18 fuel and an 8" finbore III(sharp is key).  still have the honda 4stroke for over 4' ice but am putting a clam plate on the milwaukee this winter and can't wait to cut some ice.

Cool good info

[luv2fish2]

yeah i almost bought a couple of 5ah batteries this summer , glad i waited i to want a 9ah battery we'll have to see how much coin though i don't think i'm gonna look back on the whole cordless thing rules love my set up and i can vary it to suite my need ( change auger size when needed)

[tjacob]

How many holes though?

As stated did eight holes. That's all I needed. Know I could have done more, but don't know how many.

[rjbreese]

I'm sure if you're seasons are short and you don't get over 3' of ice, an electric is fine...whether it's a drill or electric auger.

I can't see getting rid of the gas augers for myself since 3' and more is regular. Plus I like to drill holes. I've yet to run out of gas.

hey man I sold my gas auger last year when I got the Litium lazer but after sending it back on recall, looking to stay with electric... a lot less hastle and I have read your posts on the clam plate/Milwaukee set up loved your info along with everybody else's so today pulled the trigger and went with the new Milwaukee drill today heck of a deal at Bobs Tools in DM I purchased a Milwaukee fuel 18V combo kit #2897-22 this kit comes with the 1/2" hammer drill/driver#2704-20 (1200in.lbs. torque) and the 1/4" hex impact driver #2753-20 comes with (2) 5ah batteries and charger AND they throw in another 4ah battery for free all for $299....til the end of October, My question to you is you talk about using a nils 8",,, is that the same thing as a mora 8 ", I have an old Electra with the blue 8" auger section and it has the mora blades I assume this is a mora and it has the screw wing nut on the shaft, will this work for the clam plate set-up

[joefishmore]

i busted 11 holes through just under 48" ice last march on one 4ah battery with my m18 fuel and an 8" finbore III(sharp is key).  still have the honda 4stroke for over 4' ice but am putting a clam plate on the milwaukee this winter and can't wait to cut some ice.

Why are you getting a clam plate ? The Finbore won't attach directly to the  Fuel ?
Just wondering if there is some advantage to the Clam plate ?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

hey man I sold my gas auger last year when I got the Litium lazer but after sending it back on recall, looking to stay with electric... a lot less hastle and I have read your posts on the clam plate/Milwaukee set up loved your info along with everybody else's so today pulled the trigger and went with the new Milwaukee drill today heck of a deal at Bobs Tools in DM I purchased a Milwaukee fuel 18V combo kit #2897-22 this kit comes with the 1/2" hammer drill/driver#2704-20 (1200in.lbs. torque) and the 1/4" hex impact driver #2753-20 comes with (2) 5ah batteries and charger AND they throw in another 4ah battery for free all for $299....til the end of October, My question to you is you talk about using a nils 8",,, is that the same thing as a mora 8 ", I have an old Electra with the blue 8" auger section and it has the mora blades I assume this is a mora and it has the screw wing nut on the shaft, will this work for the clam plate set-up

Yes a mora will attach to the clam plate. Unless you are short, you will want the extension for it to add some height. Should look like below when your done only blue auger instead of red.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Why are you getting a clam plate ? The Finbore won't attach directly to the  Fuel ?
Just wondering if there is some advantage to the Clam plate ?

The clam plate isn't a have to have item. However, it makes drilling holes a lot nicer and gives you additional control. With some of the high torque drills out there it saves a persons wrist.

[clm]

I took my 8" Ion to Lake Winnipeg last March and was able to drill up to 17 holes thru 48" of ice on one battery.    My buddy has an Ion also and let me take his battery, so I had two with me.   Took my Strikemaster gas auger with as a backup and it never got used the entire week.    Thinking about selling the Strikemaster and getting an Icegator for this year's trip and having the Ion as a backup.   Not messing with gas or cold starts is nice! 

[peteinvermont]

I've already commited to myself that I'm done with that old iffy jiffy. 

Opinions seem to vary so much on here, but it seems like I'd be fine with a 7" or 8" auger on the m18 fuel - since I rarely drill more than 16 or 20 holes in a day, and its rare that I'd be going through more than 20-24" of ice. 

I don't want to spend the cash on a Nils, so I'll probably put a Lazer on it and be done. 

[dabills]

Agronimist,
I'm running the Milwaukee with an eight inch Nils as well and have sold my gas auger. I've also tested the 30+ inches of ice for eight holes. Even had the extension attached. No problem with the four amp batteries. Power to spare. Below 15 degrees however I think you would want to keep the batteries warmed. I just keep the hand power handle and an extra battery for spare.

How many holes off the 4ah?

Edit: went back and read your post and saw 8. Felt double dumb (also slightly better) when I kept reading the thread and someone asked the exact same question lol. Also I think it was Agronimist that told me in another thread he was getting 30 through two feet of ice on an 8 inch auger. That's what I'm hoping for

[hamms]

I would keep the model 30 for sure. There may be times when you want to fish higher traffic areas that trucks are by and the sand they drop on the ice will dull up those laser blades to the point of not being usable. The jiffy will still cut a hole. I have a 6" nils on my Tanaka which I love is 19 lbs or so and the jiffy model 31 I picked up will be my 8" chipper option. I also run an 8" mora on the tanaka. I will guarantee the jiffy will outlast most out there. People complain about the weight but they forget its an 85cc motor on the top! Beast!

[tjacob]

How many holes off the 4ah?

Edit: went back and read your post and saw 8. Felt double dumb (also slightly better) when I kept reading the thread and someone asked the exact same question lol. Also I think it was Agronimist that told me in another thread he was getting 30 through two feet of ice on an 8 inch auger. That's what I'm hoping for

Haven't been here in a while, but will fill you in with all my experience with my eight inch Nils convertible and Milwaukee Fuel 18 with four amp batteries. I have drilled 36 holes through 12 inches of ice at 15 degrees with no protection of the batteries. Through 24 inches of ice the same amount at roughly the same temperature. I've drilled eight holes in 36 inches of ice, temp 0-10 degrees without warming the batteries and had battery to spare. Only once have I found the need to change out the battery to drill more holes. No clam plate or "T" handle. Will everyone get that? Can't say. Good luck with whatever you buy.