thinking about a propane auger

[legend]

thinking about switching to a propane auger for the next ice season, used or new would not matter as much as what seems to work good for you. please tell me what brands you like best. thank you.

[Doz601]

I too was considering buying a propane... however I drilled a hole on keyhole two weeks ago with another members clam plate and dewalt drill! I'm sold I'm sold... way lighter no pulling no fuel, put a hand warmer on the batteries if it's really cold or put it in your pocket. Cuts like butter, literally effortless. Fraction of the weight, the pros far outweigh any cons.

[fish/hunt4ever]

Just seen a propane auger in Rocky mountain in Riverton yesterday it was used and I did not look at the price to even see how much they wanted for it.

[Thickerthin]

Just my opinion but the ION electric is close to the same money and weighs half as much, now comes with a 10 inch auger, I've had it several busy years, no fails.

[legend]

i have the time this year to look around for the best deal, the IONS are too rich for my blood...truth be told so is a propane though...im tired of my strikemaster not working. it has limited where and how i have fished this year. and that sucks.

[bearnoob]

I had the same thought about electrics, but I think the cost of propane and oil versus the cost of charging the battery will ultimately make it the cheaper option over the long haul, and the weight savings were my primary concern.

I also considered the clam plate option. Despite the popularity, I feel a dedicated auger is the way to go (why force a tool to do what it was not designed for?).

Electrics are all sold out online and in the stores by me, so I'm going to pinch pennies until next year.

[wyoutdoors]

This season and the last has seen me running an 8" K-Drill with the Milwaukee Fuel M18 cordless drill, and also carry along a Strikemaster 4 stroke. I haven't run the Clam plate but may next season. The gas powered auger hasn't even seen a pull on the cord while on the ice in two seasons. Not sure if I'll sell it or keep it for next season, but I did carry it just in case the K-Drill run out of juice and I needed to cut more holes. It just hasn't happened. Heading to Winnipeg in a couple of weeks and leaving the gas auger at home. I did order a 12" extension for the electric though. Bottom line... I'm completely sold on the K-Drill and Milwaukee setup for ease of use, reliability, lightweight and the ability to cut holes like a champ.  I know the Jiffy reps and have used their propane equipment and it works, although almost every where I go hear les and less gas augers firing up. A sign of times are changing?

[mobilerat]

Not much ice anywhere this year most I found was 16 inches. Less than 10 most places I fished this year. I bought a $26 dollar adapter at  Scheels and borrowed a 18 volt snap on drill to get the feel of cordless ice auguring. I think it is great method I will buy an 18 volt of my own next season(I use 12 volt makitas at home and work for the weight].I will not get rid of my jiffy gas as I don't think the electric will hold up[without alot of expensive batteries] when we get 24 plus inches of ice drilling multiple holes looking for Lakers. Can any one estimate how many inches of ice the are getting per battery{and size of battery}.$150 bucks for 6ah Milwaukee battery that is 40 gals of ethanol free. 20 years worth of fuel for me.
  I think it is worth it for the gas free  noise free  aspect.

[WYOBEAR]

Here is what I have experienced.  Keep in mind that there is a lot of variables that come into play.  Hardness and thickness of ice, size and type of auger and what drill and battery set up you have.   I run a Ridgid with 650 inch pounds of torque and a 4 amp hr battery on top of a clam plate with a 7 inch strikemaster auger.  I love this set up.  With 12 inches of ice I can punch 25+ holes easy.  Never really just drilled holes to find out how many I could get.  I fish with a friend that uses a m18 fuel with a 8 inch auger that performs well also.  With the Ridgid warranty I get free batteries and drills for life.  I dont think i will ever use my gas auger again..

[jpohlic]

I've been using a cordless drill and 6" auger for the past ten years, but this year I switched to a 10" Eskimo P1 propane auger. I was tired of replacing batteries and even burned out a drill but I couldn't justify spending the big money on a replacement Milwaukee drill that would only be used for fishing. I did consider going with a ridgid kit with lifetime warranty but in the end decided that a dedicated auger would work better, especially considering we get 36" of ice (or more) out here. I briefly considered an Ion or trophy strike electric auger but when I saw the cost of replacement batteries I changed my mind. So far I'm really happy with the P1, and the 10" is a nice upgrade in my shack

[RedFins]

Picked up an Eskimo HC40 last year and haven't had a bit of trouble with it.  It's an 8" and will drill a lot of ice before having to change bottles.  Works fine in the cold too.  Had it out in -25 before and started just fine after being in the back of the pickup all night.  Only took one extra pull.

[bearnoob]

I'm starting to take another look at propane. What sort of annual maintenance is needed (if any)?

[olefish]

I had a chance to use a friends 8 inch Ion this year and it was very easy on my old bones.  I have the 10.25 strikemaster that starts and drills great but packing it around is not as easy as it was. The most ice we drilled was 27 inchs and it was 20 inches most of the year on Boysen. My issue is that I fish all night long and when the temps are below 0 the holes cone in a lot.  I have very good custom made hole covers that make a huge difference but the difference in a 10 inch hole in the morning and 8 inch is surprising.   I have caught catfish that will not come through an 8 inch hole that's been sitting all night.  Also I lent my strikemaster to 2 different people that could not get their propane Jiffys to run and a friend has had fuel issues with his and had to have it repaired and it was only 1 year old.  The cost of fuel in a gas auger is not an issue at all.  I used about 1/2 gal and drilled over 300 holes and that is an average year for me.   Good luck

[jpohlic]

I'm starting to take another look at propane. What sort of annual maintenance is needed (if any)?

The eskimo manual recommends the following seasonal maintenance: change the oil, clean air filter, check spark plug, check valve lash, check oil line and crankcase ventilation line

[PoleJerker]

I have a Jiffy 4.  Probably 5 years old now.  Works awesome. Have only changed oil and plug as far as maintenance.

[legend]

well, i pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered the eskimo P1 in 8 inch....now to see if it gets here before friday, lol.. thank you all for the input. it seems the people using propane augers are overall very pleased. thank you !