auger dies under load?

[marcus]

I have an older jiffy 3 hp    model 30 I have been happy with this auger up until now    It starts on the first or second pull  doesnt idle good   but never has.  This year i brought it out to cut very thin ice and it bogs down when I try to cut the ice or it seems to be binding...  I am only cutting through 3 inches of ice. If anyone has any ideas let me know    I know some dont like power augers for thin ice but its all i got and would like to use it    It is a pain to cut 20-30 holes when it takes at least 2 start-ups for a hole I am as far from a small engine mechanic as you could be...  I have never changed the blades  could that be part of it   not sure any help would be greatly appreciated

[LoneWolf]

First is there fresh fuel in it ? Is it the right mixture ? Has the spark plug been changed ? I would check those items first.

 

[marcus]

i changed the plug   the gas should be fresh I ran it dry before putting it away and then ran it for a while with a  fresh tank before my first trip   I have never had any problems with it    The mix is damn near perfect according to the engine stamp 24:1   i believe    almost seems to possibly be something in the gear box maybe..  like i said i am not a mechanic by any stretch so i am not sure    just seems weird that it feels like it is binding through almost nonexistant ice ( you wouldnt even want to see what im standing on sometimes) I appreciate the reply I think i may try to get it working   but for now I will probably break down and buy a hand auger   all we need in the land of deep snow and paper thin ice (WNY)

[LoneWolf]

marcus I sent you a PM. 

[empty hook]

I have an older jiffy 3 hp    model 30 I have been happy with this auger up until now    It starts on the first or second pull  doesnt idle good   but never has.  This year i brought it out to cut very thin ice and it bogs down when I try to cut the ice or it seems to be binding...  I am only cutting through 3 inches of ice. If anyone has any ideas let me know    I know some dont like power augers for thin ice but its all i got and would like to use it    It is a pain to cut 20-30 holes when it takes at least 2 start-ups for a hole I am as far from a small engine mechanic as you could be...  I have never changed the blades  could that be part of it   not sure any help would be greatly appreciated

Before I would take the jiffy to a repair shop I'd pull the muffler and check to see if the  portor muffler is cabboned up. This sometimes happens with two cycles and can cause them to lose power.

[ice dawg]

You may want to put a couple of caps full of Sea Foam in the tank and let it idle for a while to clean any deposits out of the carburetor. Works for me.

[marcus]

thank you all for the suggestions i believe i am still going to take the muffler off and make sure it isnt all gummed up and i will now run sea foam through it .  Thanks lone wolf   minor adjustments to the 2 screws on the carb made a worl of difference  I do believe there are a few things i should still do to it

[fishingonly2002]

get a brand new pair of blades and take care of them, the auger wont need a fraction of the horse power to cut through if it has sharp blades. my electric jiffy cuts through over a foot of ice under its own wiehgt.

~Neal

[LoneWolf]

I'm glad I could help and now you learned something new. 
Did you check the other items I mentioned ?

[marcus]

i didnt yet i was able to get out of work early and first thoughts after missing a day on the ice sunday, were hit the ice i did and the auger ran better than it has in a while it idled and cut with no effort   did stall out a little but i cut alot of holes. I have to wait until noon to fish tommorrow so I have some morning hours i will check the spark arrester i will clean the screen with a carb cleaner . thank you   these adjustments i made were very small but seemed to have made a difference i am no longer cutting through only 3 inches of ice either so i was worried aside from the couple stalls it cut great

[LoneWolf]

 

[Whitefish Slayer]

get a brand new pair of blades and take care of them, the auger wont need a fraction of the horse power to cut through if it has sharp blades. my electric jiffy cuts through over a foot of ice under its own wiehgt.

~Neal

how do u like the electric anyway??