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Marcel, is that throttle cable/lever a part that's easily replaced on the ice? Just wondering if it pays to grab a spare one right away in case I need it.
I have the 4G and it's not bad starting at all.. you cant over prime and flood it, a tank of gas will last forever..I'm still on my first one actually. I did have to tweak the carb on the first start up, but now runs very well. I do believe they are the same motor as the pro4 because two of my buddies have them and they look and sound identical. The pro4 is still quicker on the draw with no priming etc. but in side by side comparison they are extremely similar.
The Propane has no choke and starts first pull after initial one or two pulls to start the day, 4G is cold hearted like any 4- stroke of today's no matter whose company, both have a weak spot and that's the throttle cable/lever, we carry 5 to 15 spares on our shelves. I have never seen a recoil go bad on either model, only have one spare and its been on the shelf for two years, compared to the other 2500/3500 models, we try to carry 5-15 of those spares as well, because we've replaced 30 or so this year alone. The propanes have had a history of bad LP delivery system for the Generation 1, cured with the generation 2, but carbs have been either great out of the box or need to be adjusted or replaced. Even some new carbs were not good. Seen two or three bad transmissions, the drive spline falls thru the press fitting in the clutch hub and drill its way down the bottom plastic lower case. Seen one Gen 1 that the bushings were so loosely fitted that the thing howled when ramping up and down. Also first year or so the plastic composition of the transmission cases were a bit brittle, ( all new models) that's been changed to a more plyable compound. My choice is propane, ethanol gas sucks whether 2 or 4 stroke. We are Central Maine's Authorized Jiffy Warranty/Repair/service/Sales New & Used Dealer, I have seen many of both models, good thing about Jiffy is the support you get from them, you won't get hung out to dry.-Marcel
When buying, how do you tell the difference between a Generation 1 and 2?
1. The Gen 2 has a sticker that say's " this end up"...cause people would lay them upside down... think of your car...upside down?/ the fluids all run out...oil from the crankcase...2. The dip stick was put in horizontally hard to check the oillevel,..Gen 2 was placed vertically like all other motors in your lifetime.... pull the stick, wipe it reinsert and then check.3. The biggest improvement, replaced the aluminum tube LP delivery line from the regulator to the carburetor, that was replaced mid year by the steel tube system ( first year model only). The second year and this third years model has the carb rotated 180 degrees and has a brass nipple from the regulator directly coupling the carb.... "KISS" keep it simple stupid... much better design, they have run this two years now.... Just need to get consistent with the carbs is all, and or have someone in the know on how to backdoor tweak them.... because if there good then you are in but if its iffy then your in for some trial and error.... over all on anything that's out there,,, I choose Propane all the way.-Marcel
thanks for the post. I'm on the edge of either going jiffy propane or ion; both I'd wait for this coming season to see if they do more improving.
Ion was available in 8 inch only this year, Regional Rep just told me that they will have a bigger bit for next year, hopefully a 10 inch..-Marcel
2nd year with my Pro4, I like it but when it is extremely cold (-20*F) and the tank is low it gets tempermental. It idles very high and bogs when you give it throttle. At this point I don't think I would trade it for any other auger out there. I like the no gas smell in the SUV and the 1-2 pull start up is great also. They are a bit on the heavy side though.
I have this exact same problem. There were even a few times this winter where I would have to bring the entire unit into the shack until it warmed up. I have a problem with the blade as well. One day it just wouldn't cut the same. Getting the hole started was a chore and it would always start to just spin even though the blades weren't frozen. I'm really not sure what is up. I tried new blades and that did not seem to fix it. It got to the point where I don't even use it anymore. I just borrow my friends because it is such an issue. It was a great unit up until a few weeks ago though except there is a hose that goes into the carb that always seems to get loose and leak. I wouldn't buy it again.