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IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: T-Hawker on Mar 17, 2018, 09:03 PM
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Have had my Ion X about 5 weeks. I have used it 12 or so times. Always charge battery after each use. Battery charged then when charged removed from charger, charger unplugged and stays in-house. I love(d?) it but noticed that when I was drilling in more than 24" or so of ice that it seemed to slow / labor near the bottom of the hole right before breaking through.
I charged the battery last weekend and again stored it in the house (off the charger). Just went out this afternoon. 45F air temp. Battery showing 3 bars / fully charged. Drilled one hole fine but did it's typical "slowing down" right near bottom of hole. Had extension on - drilling through about 30" of ice. On second hole right about were it typically started laboring it just stalled. Hit the trigger but it would just twist a bit and stall--- acted like I assume a dead or weak battery would act. Let it sit a few minutes tried it again, same stall. Let it sit a few more minutes and tried a new hole... drilled down quite well again until near bottom of hole and stalled. Eventually after waiting a few minutes I was able to punch through the bottom of the 2nd and 3rd hole but definitely concerned / worried.
Any thoughts? It seemed to labor a bit less if I lifted it and slung the chips out of the hole a few times as I was drilling the hole.
Things that have entered my mind...
motor heating up too much drilling essentially 90" of ice back to back.
battery drawing too much with back to back drilling.
faulty battery or/ motor
30" of shavings on top of the auger flights is creating too much drag... it seems to drill the first 2/3rd of a new hole just fine.
Welcome any feedback.
Thanks.
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A couple of days ago I drilled two holes back to back in 40 inches with x8, no problem. I do lift and clear the chips frequently to reduce drag on the auger.
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Thanks - perhaps clearing the chips by lifting up is what I need to be doing - wouldn't have thought the chips would add that much drag but perhaps that's my issue. I will try that tomorrow.
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It just doesn’t have the power, your loading it up too much.
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A couple of days ago I drilled two holes back to back in 40 inches with x8, no problem. I do lift and clear the chips frequently to reduce drag on the auger.
The Kdrill instructs user to lift and clear chips. Me thinks your problem is solved.
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T-Hawker ,I agree with others posts one thing to check is if the Ion X has a built in electrical circuit breaker which is set to trip if motor gets to hot many electrical devices have such breakers to prevent damage. Since your auger started again after you let it sit for a few minutes leads me to think there is a circuit breaker check manual that came with auger it may have information about a breaker. I would give Ion customer service a call/email and see what they can tell you about your problem.
Steve
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Clear chip and you'll be fine. :icefish:
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the protection circuit should be in the battery. it sounds like it is tripping. this can happen if it over heats or draws too many amps/strains them.
the only thing consistent with your drilling is depth and the amount of load made the shavings left on top of the auger and the normal cutting on the bottom of it. this all can change some what with moisture content in the ice or how hard it is on any given day.
the main things to do is never push down on it and even lifting it some while drilling will make smaller bites into the ice. lifting a few time will remove the top load of the shavings. the shavings also slow down cuttings because there is less room for the new cut ice to go and packs in tighter and tighter behind the blades.
i would also double check the blades or have anther set to make sure it's not them and make sure they are not loose or have one loose bolt.
maybe they make a better battery? i would be looking into that also.
emailing them would be good to see what they have to say about it. maybe it has a defect or weak part in it and they might want to swap it out.
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3300 thank you for information on protection circuit .
Steve
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Are the shaving dry or wet? Wet shavings are a killer due to the excessive weight.
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Are the shaving dry or wet? Wet shavings are a killer due to the excessive weight.
I don’t have an ion but my drill/lazer combo gets really bogged down with late ice when the shavings are soggy. 30” of hard ice is no problem and I usually only lift out once to clear the hole, wet ice takes several lifts to get through.
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You're dragging shavings toward the bottom....happens to mine with really thick ice. Plus, a crooked hole makes it even worse somehow. Clear the chips out at the end.
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I don’t have an ion but my drill/lazer combo gets really bogged down with late ice when the shavings are soggy. 30” of hard ice is no problem and I usually only lift out once to clear the hole, wet ice takes several lifts to get through.
Agreed. I was using my k-drill today going though almost 3 feet of slushy/wet ice and it was a killer. Kept shutting of and you could smell the drill!
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Just be really careful when you go back down after removing the chips. If you go down to quick and bang the blades on the bottom of the hole even slightly it may change the pitch of the blades rendering them useless. I have an original Ion and have only drilled thru 24" max but did drill over 85 holes in one day with no problem.
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I think your fix is much simpler than what you might thing. This might sound corny, but I have an Ion X and I experience the same problems. I don't think it has anything to do with the auger. I think it is operator-induced. Pay attention to the next time you drill a hole and you end up with the auger head just about on the ice because of the depth. I noticed with mine that the angle of my hands on the handle changes as I bend over more and more as the auger is getting deeper. My palm was tipping ever so slightly when the motor got close to the ice - just enough to disengage the squeeze button on top of the handle under my right palm. I re-adjusted my hand placement and the auger works just fine. In my case at least, it had nothing to do with the motor...I noticed that mine would only do it when the ice got thicker than about 24", and payed close attention to what was happening when it stalled. Sure enough, once I determined the problem, and readjusted a bit as to how I grasp the handles, the problem hasn't happened since. I hope this works for you also!
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I just got an Ion X and have always cleared the chips because I notice it slowing down. Never had it cut out altogether, but I have had so many chips in I could barely pull the auger out. I had 36" of ice this weekend.
Your battery may also be reacting to the cold if you are not keeping it warm. I haven't owned my auger long enough yet to know if this is an issue, but the manual recommends keeping the battery warm on the way to your spot. I always had battery issues with my phone so now I keep it in a cooler with a botttle of hot water. I toss my Ion battery in there too for good measure.
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My K-drill is now retired and the old jiffy mod 30 is out. 25" of ice and water/slush on top, water starts filling the hole immediately and you are drilling plus pumping water. Very hard on the drill yes you can smell the drill getting hot. About 3 holes now will kill a fully charged 5 ah battery. Glad I didn't sell the old gas auger.
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I have had so many chips in I could barely pull the auger out
Your battery may also be reacting to the cold if you are not keeping it warm. I haven't owned my auger long enough yet to know if this is an issue, but the manual recommends keeping the battery warm on the way to your spot. I always had battery issues with my phone so now I keep it in a cooler with a botttle of hot water. I toss my Ion battery in there too for good measure.
I have yet to have any issues with cold affecting the battery but I have had the issue with being unable to pull the bit out of the ice. It was almost like a suction was created. Had to back it out and clear the hole bit by bit. Lesson learned, keep clearing the hole when the shavings are wet.
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But when water is also filling the hole as fast as it is pumping it out, it doesn't do much to try and clean the hole out. The water is worse drag than the chips.
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We have had guys up here on lake winnipeg that have burned out ions. Just too much ice.
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I've had an 8" Ion for five seasons, I fish 35-60 days/year depending on ice conditions. Mine has the original batteries (I bought a spare when I got the drill), both are still going strong. We typically get no more than a foot of ice in CT, but where I fish in ME and NY has 24-30. There are two scenarios where mine stalls as described by the OP:
1. The battery is cold...this has only happened to me with temps in the teens or below. I don't think 45 will do it.
2. Ice chips overload the motor just as described by others above. My rule of thumb is when the auger flight is loaded, clean the hole of chips. If you can't see the screws, there's no way for the chips to clear and your bogging the motor down. I don't doubt that some have been burned out by overheating due to not cleaning chips. Because of this when I know I'll be drilling many holes for a group tip-up fishing in 24+ inches, I fall back to the Nils/Tanaka. The Ion has it's limitations but overall I'm very satisfied and plan to stick with it.
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It is only these last few times out I have had to bring the gas auger. The electric has worked fine for the majority of the season. When I can use the electric it is a no brainer, 12 Lbs. VS 36 Lbs.
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Thanks for the feedback folks. Some good info. I did contact Ion customer service. They said it is either my blades or the battery. They asked me to send them photos of my blades. The blades look fine but I tried the paper test with them and it didn't cut very well so perhaps the blades are dull. I just sent them the pics now - I'll update once I hear back from them.
Seems like I'm not the Lone Ranger in terms of stalling in thicker ice. The shavings were dry (not slushy / wet). I don't think it is a matter of me not holding the trigger down since it's not an "instant off" but rather a gradual slow down then stall. Guessing some combo of dull blades, not clearing the holes enough and maybe a less than perfect (vertical) hole angle.
I'm typically not HOE (Hard On Equipment) but the comment about being careful when putting the auger back in the hole when lifting to clear chips so as to not bang the edge of the blades into the bottom of the partially drilled hole is not something I had thought about. I won't say I ever slammed it down but also can't say I was consciously being real gentle when re-engaging the auger into the partially drilled hole. Something for me to be more aware of.
Hoping to get another weekend on the ice yet but it's getting close to the end of the hard water season.
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The experiences in this post are proof that electric isnt quite ready to fully replace gas. Electrics can be a superior auger in many instances but wet/slushy or very thick ice are places where a gas auger has not yet been beat. I want to trim down to one auger but I dont feel the time is here yet to do that.
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I don’t think you will be able to bang the blades on the bottom of the hole when clearing ice out... even though you’re “clearing” the hole there will still be a lot of chips in the bottom of the hole acting as a cushion.
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Another question to think about...are you getting ice build up on the auger??? I know if I cut a ton of holes through thick ice when it's really cold, the ice freezes and prevents chip flow. When I get lower in the hole, I can hear it struggling. I have to knock frozen ice off to get it to cut well again. I think if your blades were dull, you wouldn't be stalling, just spinning more. Check for ice build up behind the blades too, thats a huge pain.
I still think its chips and a crooked hole. Are you letting the auger shave the chips or are you pushing down?
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Those blades should be easy to sharpen yourself. Go here to learn how. https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.60
Go to message #81 so you may have to scroll down to it.
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The experiences in this post are proof that electric isnt quite ready to fully replace gas. Electrics can be a superior auger in many instances but wet/slushy or very thick ice are places where a gas auger has not yet been beat. I want to trim down to one auger but I dont feel the time is here yet to do that.
Yesterday, 0C (32F), somewhat wet heavier late season ice, 48"+ thick using 8" brand new Fin bore+MilwaukeeFuel. After about 24" down (basically when flutes buried) it would start bogging down and I'd have to lift up. Had to pull up 3-4 times in total to clear the ice shavings. Compared to my buddies Trophy Strike 120V, beat him by a few seconds; he also had to clear the holes as many times. The gas guy (looked to be 8") beside us maybe had to clear once and not sure if he even needed to, but there was not much time difference between all three really and you can tell he had a harder time pulling the heavier auger out of a 4' hole once he was through the ice.
Is gas exact replacement for electric...maybe not yet. I love how light weight and compact my setup is and will settle for lifting a few times if need be.
Off season mod: I have another 8" auger (mora swedebore) that i may steal the flutes off of to double the height of the flutes similar to how the Nils and K-drills have more flutes. With 3-4' of flute height I'm hoping not to lift as many times.
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the most we get is 20 inches here, so i'm good with most any set up as long as the blades are sharp.
Those blades should be easy to sharpen yourself. Go here to learn how. https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.60
Go to message #81 so you may have to scroll down to it.
direct link;
https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.msg3699607#msg3699607
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I don’t think you will be able to bang the blades on the bottom of the hole when clearing ice out... even though you’re “clearing” the hole there will still be a lot of chips in the bottom of the hole acting as a cushion.
X2 ^ good point...
<°)))>{
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I bogged down twice this weekend. Once I got a rock and stalled (don't know how I hit the only @&!?%*# rock in the middle of the ice in the middle of the lake). The second I had left the auger battery side down on the ice. After I let the battery warm up, it was back to full power and no issues.