Clam Plate?

[Hardwater2]

I’ve been towing around the idea of getting one of these. Will it work with my Eskimo pistol bit 8”?? (Dewalt 20v brushless) If you have one are you happy with the set up? Any Pros/cons? I like the idea of even drilling pressure. What exactly do I need to order/purchase for my particular setup. Adapter etc….
Thank you

[Arctic Addict]

I run a Clamplate with a Rigid Octane 18v drill with an 8" E-Drill bit.  I love this set up.  It is pretty light and it cuts very fast.  I have a clam extension so i'm not hunched over when drilling. 

I would recommend the Clamplate opposed to a straight up pistol drill set up.  Do some research and do the spring trigger mod on the clamplate.  Also, don't travel with the battery on the drill if you don't have a dedicated auger holder. 

[Newman]

I’ve been towing around the idea of getting one of these. Will it work with my Eskimo pistol bit 8”?? (Dewalt 20v brushless) If you have one are you happy with the set up? Any Pros/cons? I like the idea of even drilling pressure. What exactly do I need to order/purchase for my particular setup. Adapter etc….
Thank you

I have the exact setup for 3 years and love it. No problems . Still cuts amazing through 30 inch plus ice here in Ontario. I did the spring mod also on the trigger. I have the old pistol with no center point that is only problem as you have to start easy on glare ice so it doesn’t skate. New model all good!!
Weighs 11lb. Old 10 inch jiffy 36 Lb!!!
 no adapter needed.

[Doeslayer]

I have the clam plate with the gear box.... I personally would recommend the gear box... Saves on your drill battery a ton and allows more holes... Does cut at a slower pace... But still burns through the ice

[Hardwater2]

Appreciate everyone’s response. Thank you.

[Hardwater2]

I have the clam plate with the gear box.... I personally would recommend the gear box... Saves on your drill battery a ton and allows more holes... Does cut at a slower pace... But still burns through the ice

Is the clam plate, gear box and spring trigger all sold separately? How does the bit attach to the plate/or gear box? Looked on the clam website but was slightly confused with the options they have.

[hardwater diehard]

These are battle tested drills ..any one of these paired with the right ah battery will run most 8" set ups with a Clam Plate w/o the gear box ..The Eskimo Pistol bit is tall enough and does not require an extension and/or adapter ...it will bolt right onto the Clam Plate.

Dewalt DCD991

Dewalt DCD996

Dewalt DCD997

Dewalt DCD998 must use 6ah or better Flexvolt battery to achieve the higher advertised torque

Dewalt DCD999 must use 6ah or better Flexvolt battery to achieve the higher advertised torque
 
Milwaukee 2804-20

Milwaukee 2803-20

Spec for the proper drill

18V or Higher Brushless Drill

5 Amp Hour or Higher Battery

1/2” Chuck Type

Side Stabilizer /  Handle

Minimum Torque Rating of 84 Nm / 750 in. lbs/800 UWO

DRILL SETTING ....DRILL MODE.. Speed Setting 1  NO HAMMEER MODE !!!


As for taking out the slop of the trigger ...just add a castration ring (Tractor Supply/Fleet Farms)

[Hardwater2]

Sweet!! Thank you HD!👍

[R.S.]

they work but not a necessity.  i see hundreds of plain drills out there doing the same thing.  not a lot of advantages to it from what I've seen. 

[Arctic Addict]

The trigger spring mod i did involved (2) 3/8" locking shaft collars and a compression spring. 

[Newman]

Something like this

[GBguy]

The side handle on Mikwaukee M18 is no longer reliable, drilled a few too many overlapping holes and the knobs the side handle grab onto are wearing out. I'll be on the lookout for a clam player for next season.

That's one reason for them.

[badger132]

There are several reasons for the Clam plate:

2 handles that are easy to use with mittens- helps with bigger bits/torque

Holds the drill up off the ice

Keeps the bit from going down the hole

The gearbox version multiplies your torque- might be the difference with a big bit and lighter drill

The slower speed is easier to control and start, if you don't have a center point


Drawbacks:

Cost of the plate

weight

Slower drilling if you gear down

[Doeslayer]

You can buy the place seperately from the gear box or buy as one.... I bought as one as you save about 30$ if you do it that way but if you dont wanna spend all the money at once you can buy the plate and the gear box at a later time..... My drill i have doesnt have enough power on its own to cut holes but with the gear box it cuts about 14 holes through 16 inches of ice per battery.... 1.5 amp hour batteries mind you.... Next season i will be upgrading to a big battery and will be swiss cheesing lakes before you know it lol

[hardwater diehard]

You can buy the place seperately from the gear box or buy as one.... I bought as one as you save about 30$ if you do it that way but if you dont wanna spend all the money at once you can buy the plate and the gear box at a later time..... My drill i have doesnt have enough power on its own to cut holes but with the gear box it cuts about 14 holes through 16 inches of ice per battery.... 1.5 amp hour batteries mind you.... Next season i will be upgrading to a big battery and will be swiss cheesing lakes before you know it lol

This is the intended purpose of Clam Plate w/Gear Drive . Low torqued drill and/or smaller batteries

[bowski76]

I have the clam plate and added the gear box later. I's cheaper to buy the clam box and gear box as a unit, Amazon has a good price on them:

https://www.amazon.com/Corporation-15501-Drill-Plate-Power/dp/B08F2XVJSV/ref=asc_df_B08F2XVJSV/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475812153762&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9088717962480851101&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004247&hvtargid=pla-1003918835648&psc=1

The gear box does slow down the auger, I would say about 50% slower but you can drill holes all day. I have a Milwaukee 1200 lb torque hammer drill with (2) 5A batteries. We drilled 40+ holes in 14" of black ice and I still had 2 bars on my battery gauge. I do bring the second battery just incase but I have never used it.

I did buy the 12 A battery for my other Milwaukee tools, but there's no need to bring it on the ice.