Milwaukee M18 1200 in lbs fuel hammer drill and tiny batteries on my Nils

[Brian A]

Hey guys. Just bought a Milwaukee Fuel 1/2 brushless Fuel hammer drill.

I have a 6" Nils to use with it. Bought a Kovacs adapter to connect the two.

The thing is I already have Milwaukee stuff and have a bunch of 1.5 ah batteries and a charger so I bought the bare tool.

I am going to try this on Saturday. I dont really plan on drilling a lot of holes, I can take 4 batteries (2 are new) with me.

Not sure how thick the ice is, probably 8" or so

How many holes do you think I could get out of one of these batteries? Even if I got 5 holes per battery that would be ok. Its a real small lake and this will just be a test run.

I am bringing the handle too just in case.

Never used a cordless drill on an auger like this before so I thought I would ask as I am sitting here at my desk in another boring meeting

[ActiveTrapChecker]

I run an 8” auger on the same drill. While I use a 5ah battery, I’ve punched 38 holes on a fully charged battery and I still have 3 bars on the power gauge:

My guess based upon my experience is you’ll have plenty of juice

[Skywagon]

I am bringing the handle too just in case.

Never used a cordless drill on an auger like this before so I thought I would ask as I am sitting here at my desk in another boring meeting

Definitely put the handle on (tightly) before you even try to drill the first hole, then hang on tight, there is the potential to break a wrist if you don't take it seriously.  A Clam plate is a nice addition to eliminate such problems.

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Definitely put the handle on (tightly) before you even try to drill the first hole, then hang on tight, there is the potential to break a wrist if you don't take it seriously.  A Clam plate is a nice addition to eliminate such problems.

I think he was referencing the handle to the auger, in case he runs out of juice. I always bring mine, as a backup. Doesn’t take much room and isn’t heavy. Would hate to have drill issues and no way to punch holes

[Brian A]

Yeah I meant the handle on the auger.

I do appreciate the advice of holding on tight!

Actually I may end up getting the Clam plate if things work out.

Thanks for the quick replies!

I think I should be able to punch enough holes to keep me entertained anyway.

I will get a larger battery when I can and use one or two of these little ones as backups.

[hardwater diehard]

Brian A  dont forget you will need a Clam Plate to Nils adapter ..the Clam Plate is very cheap insurance $80 bucks MSRP for a potential wrist injury ..loss work time ..loss fishing time ..copays ..therapy ..

[filetandrelease]

 how many holes depends on how many inches of ice your drilling , I have drilled 25, holes in 21”s of ice with a 3.0 battery
 on an old dewalt with my 6” nils
 These day I’m using a 18 fuel , but for now it’s all by hand until the ice gets over 10”
 

[Brian A]

I have been told its probably about 8". Its a lake at my cabin. I am going there on Friday

[Brian A]

Brian A  dont forget you will need a Clam Plate to Nils adapter ..the Clam Plate is very cheap insurance $80 bucks MSRP for a potential wrist injury ..loss work time ..loss fishing time ..copays ..therapy ..

Yeah if this works out as hoped I will probably spring for a Clam plate at some point.

I am just getting back into ice fishing after about a 15 year break. Lots of stuff I have needs updating.

[kc_]

Make sure you use something so the auger does not slip down the hole if it comes loose from the chuck.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=380889.0

[kc_]

I used those 1.5ah batteries for 3 or4 years. I just carried 1 or 2 extras with me.

[Brian A]

Thanks guys

I got the drill yesterday. Its a beast compared to my old Milwaukee

Cant wait to try it on Saturday!

[Brian A]

Well I am back home. It was quite an adventure. Apart from getting my truck stuck in the middle of nowhere and having to use my spud to dig out it went ok.

On the auger. For some reason the first battery I grabbed was the oldest one. I did not notice this. I tried it and got 1/2 way through the first hole and it started to slow down and started making like a buzzing noise. I stopped and started it a few times, Finally got the hole drilled.

So I checked the battery gauge it showed 3/4 full. I set up and started fishing for gills. I started getting them right away but they were small but it was non stop action

I decided I needed to get a tipup out at least so I tried again, same thing. But now the battery read 1/4 left. So at that point I changed the battery to one of the new ones and drilled a few holes.

It worked fine. I didnt get to drill any more holes as the bluegills kept me busy for the rest of the afternoon.

I think I could probably get maybe 8-10 holes. The ice was probably 10" thick

So overall I was happy with the setup. The drill is easy to hold no problems there.

So I will get some larger batteries at some point

[skifisher]

Anyone who says you need a clam plate with a 6” Nils and a Milwaukee Fuel is being overly cautious in my opinion. I drilled 5 holes, (that’s all I needed), through 20+” of ice with no problems. Just make sure you have the handle on your drill, and some kind of auger saver attached in case the chuck loosens up. Start slow until the blades grip, and then “power-up” to finish the hole.

[badger132]

The small batteries, in addition to lower energy capacity, have a lower max current capacity. They have usually 5 cells in series, and produce just over 20V total when full. When you get the next size up, you get another 5 cells in parallel. In addition to 2X the amp hours, you get 2X the max current.
I have the non- Octane Ridgid Gen5X drill, and had the same kind of cutouts with 2 and 4 AH batteries. I got a 9AH, and never had another issue.
Sounds like you already proved this to yourself, but I would get 1 big battery instead of 2 smaller ones if you can. Going from 0-100% is what wears out the battery. If you get a big one, you can charge it when you still have 1-2 bars, and charge it up to just barely 4 bars, and it will last forever. I only charge about every 3 trips, and I drill a lot of holes- 30-60 per trip. I don't think I will outlive this battery.

[tjk3rd]

I run the same drill as badger using a 9 ah battery and an 8" nils.  We are cutting holes all day long and never run out of power.  I always carry a spare 9 ah battery but have never even thought about breaking it out.  When I first got my set up I had 1.5 ah batteries and had similar experiences to yours.  Go for the big battery, you'll never be sorry.

[skifisher]

I agree 100% with a larger battery. I’m using a 5ah, and that seems to be more than adequate for my needs. Just remember, the larger the battery, the heavier your rig becomes. Use the size that works for you. No reason for overkill.

[Brian A]

Thanks again. I will get a battery upgrade here at some point

As far as losing the drill down the hole I have the Kovacs Ice Master. Its a nice adapter. Has a small nylon disk with a bungee cord setup to hold the drill if it comes loose

No large plastic disk no bolts spinning around

I like it a lot