Propane or electric?? Help me decide

[jethro]

Right now I use a 6" Mora hand auger until we have about 7 or 8" of ice, then I switch to my tried and true Jiffy 30. The Jiffy is a 10" drill, and I think I want an 8" machine next. The Jiffy is ok, but it get's temperamental at times and I am over how heavy it is. So I am thinking about another auger this winter. Now I know the propane is if anything heavier (although I doubt it, my 10" model 30 weighs in at 46lbs) but I imagine it will be less work overall since it will cut quick and start easily. I am really liking the Ion, but I don't like being limited to a certain number of holes, even though it's a rare day I drill more than 20 holes. I love how light it is. I don't love how the batteries will need replacing in a number of years. I have a set of very nice Makita Li-Ion tools that the batteries need replacing on and it doesn't make me happy.

Any insight? Opinions? Other options I haven't considered? I didn't have a good experience with a Nils hand auger I bought last year, I might not be a good candidate for a Nills... that head is just to delicate.

[hockeynut12]

Pro's & con's to both. I have always had bad luck with battery power in cold weather. Batteries seem to die quickly. My uncle in northern Maine has a propane auger and he loves it. But... have to keep the propane tank warm so it doesn't freeze. He keeps two in his truck while driving to the lake and has no issues. Tough choice, good luck! I stuck to gas.

[Chris338378]

Between your choices I'd definitely go with propane all the way.  Sure you have to keep the tanks warm but they are a heck of a lot cheaper than batteries and you won't have to deal with the draw backs of the batteries, namely keeping them warm, running out of a charge, replacement costs, the limited places to get it repaired if you run into a problem, and you can buy a few extra tanks of propane to carry with you without breaking the bank.  Also keep in mind Jiffy has a lighter version of their propane augers.  Another option is Eskimo came out with a propane auger for this year. 

[jwetovick]

I'm in the same boat as you. I have been reading reviews for months now and still tough to decide. I, like you, have a jiffy model 30 but in 8in. It purrrs fairly well, just looking for an upgrade. I almost pulled the trigger on an ice gator but still hesitant on battery power. I think I have narrowed it down to either the Jiffy pro4 lite or the one that has my attention is the strikemaster Honda. It weighs in at like 25lbs and is a 4 stroke. The pro4 lite is about the same weight. So, either gas or propane is now the question. I'd be very hesitant on battery power. Can get a propane or gas auger that weighs about the same as the ion and not worry about battery power. Just my opinion. Decisions, decisions.

[Rebelss]

If I had my choice, I'd do propane...always available, and fairly cheap. That's the kicker for me. 

[Nightbird]

Jiffy says the Pro-4 weighs 34-36 #, depending on auger size. Pro-4 Lite is 26-28#. I ran the Pro-4 last winter and no problems.

[jethro]

It weighs in at like 25lbs and is a 4 stroke. The pro4 lite is about the same weight.

Well, I hate to be a stickler but the pro4lite in an 8" drill is 28lbs without the propane tank. The Ion is 22 lbs in 8" configuration. Doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it is. The Honda powered Strikemaster is intriguing though! 23lbs in an 8" drill for gas! That is light. I am curious why they don't list horsepower though? I hope it's not underpowered. I did not know about this auger, thanks for confusing the issue even more!

[Nightbird]

Had a new 1# propane bottle, so weighed it. Was 1lb, 15oz., something to add to the Jiffy figures. Of course, a gas can and gas weighs something also.

[ice dawg]

Well, I hate to be a stickler but the pro4lite in an 8" drill is 28lbs without the propane tank. The Ion is 22 lbs in 8" configuration. Doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it is. The Honda powered Strikemaster is intriguing though! 23lbs in an 8" drill for gas! That is light. I am curious why they don't list horsepower though? I hope it's not underpowered. I did not know about this auger, thanks for confusing the issue even more!

Honda says the engine on the strikelite is 1.3 hp. Plenty of power for that drill. I used one all last winter and at the end of the season I needed the extension as we had 35" of ice. That little guy gets right with the program.

[jwetovick]

The one thing i like about the propane is there is little to no warm up time. Start and drill. Not a huuuge deal but my buddy has a couple holes drilled with his propane before i my gas gets warmed up. Not a deal breaker but something else to kick around. No priming either with propane. Sure do like the specs on that honda lite though. Light!

[jethro]

Honda says the engine on the strikelite is 1.3 hp. Plenty of power for that drill. I used one all last winter and at the end of the season I needed the extension as we had 35" of ice. That little guy gets right with the program.

Good to know. It's 4 stroke too, so it must have some good torque. I like how light it is!

[HIMO]

I have the Pro4, 8" and love it. be advised that the Pro4 lite has a smaller engine than the Pro4 which gives you less weight. the Pro4 has a 49cc motor and the Pro4 lite has a 33cc motor. hope this makes your decision easier.

                                                                                                                     HIMO
                                                                                                    Iceshanty & MFF Moderator

[ice dawg]

The Pro 4 lite doesn't have the same blade setup as the pro 4 and can hang up a bit when going through the bottom of the ice. I think the Pro 4 has stealth or STX blades.

[VTWoodchuck]

Hi folks. I'm new to this collective but I've been looking at the site for a couple seasons and have a bit over 50 years of fishing behind me.  This site seems to be the best source of info about hard water fishing I've seen.  I have always used a hand auger like my current Lazer until last season.  I had always deferred buying a power auger because I felt that I'd have to be fishing commercially to justify paying $400 plus to punch holes in the ice. ( I'm retired now so I've become cheap)  I had seen a few guys up at Knights Point in South Hero Vt. using 18v cordless drills with a chuck adapter but it looked like they were hard to hold onto once the auger took hold.  Then I saw that Clam had come out with a drill plate mount that basically clamps the drill onto a plate that you hold just like a gas auger and has a trigger bar.  The thing I really liked was that it also has a machined bearing that the drill mounts to after you remove the chuck.  As a former machinist I liked this because I know it will help transfer all the torque to the auger and protect the drill from wearing out.  They sell the whole setup less drill for about $170? but I already had a Lazer auger and an old 18v drill so I opted to buy just the drill plate from Bass Pro Shops on line for $55 and free shipping. (clam gets $69 on their website). If you already have a Lazer or Mora you only need to buy the drill plate.  My whole unit assembled weighs a little more than 10 lbs.  Everything I read claimed Lithium Ion is a must, bullcrap.  I'm using an old well worn Porter Cable 18v ni-cad drill and it works just fine.  The key point is whatever drill you use must be rated for greater than 400 lbs of torque.   Most of the less expensive drills don't have that high a torque rating but the Porter Ni-Cad 18v is rated for 440 lbs.  I am amazed how this thing cuts holes.  My 6" Lazer is a good auger anyway but attached to the drill it cuts like a hot knife through butter.  We had between 2 an 3 feet of ice for most of the winter last year and I am consistently getting 20-30 holes out of a battery and I bring 2 batteries with me.   I think it would get a lot more holes if we hadn't had so much ice last year.  This year I bought the extension rod so I'm ready if it gets thick again.  I keep my spare battery in my lunch box with a sandwich and my coffee.  Over the summer the local hardware store had a close out on the identical drill that I have so I picked up another drill and that came with 2 more batteries and a charger for $69.  So now I have one drill dedicated to my ice auger and have 4 batteries I can bring with me though I can't see myself needing to drill more than 30 or 40 holes before I get cold enough to head home.  You can get a look at it here and they have a video too; http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/augers/ice-auger-conversion-kit-combo.html    .     So if you're a cheap old fart like me and want a light weight drill that you don't need to fuss with this is the way to go. 

[Shack man Shoney]

Well... first off welcome to the shanty!!! It helps if you fill in your location so everybody knows what region of the country you call home. I ran a clam auger plate 3/4 of the last season and absolutely loved it. I changed drill motors twice finally stepping up to the brushless Milwaukee Fuel 18v with xc-4.0 batteries. It has 525 in/lbs of torque and 50 more rpm in low gear over other drills in its class. I run it on a Mora auger with 7" blades. I tested last year to find I could drill 700+ inches of ice on one battery. There are also guys on this site running the same drill/plate combo on 8" mora blades with great results as well. I got my drill off amazon brand new for $85 bare tool only. It pretty much retired my eskimo gas auger...... Anyway there is a ton of information on this site about this subject. I would recommend using the search window in the upper left hand portion of your screen, most questions you have can be answered there. Feel free to PM me with any questions with your auger setup.

[VTWoodchuck]

Profile updated.  Thanks Shack.

[jethro]

Yes, welcome VTWoodchuck! I have considered the hand drill setup, but when all is said and done I am close to the cost of a new electric or propane auger. My current hand auger is a 6" and my gas is a 10", I want an 8" for my all around setup, so I have to buy a new flight anyway.

[Alex Delarge]

My pro4-10" weighs in at 43# if I'm not mistaken... heavy and bulky anyway. Starts 1st or 2nd pull every time unless it sits outside in -25*F, then I don't think it would start at all. Actually anything below -10*F and it is a PITA. If temps are 0*F+ these things are great. Unlike someone else mentioned however, I let it warm up for 30+ seconds from a cold start. The stealth STX blades usually work fine unless you drill through certain ice conditions that have a pocket of slush in between layers of ice. Slush/ice builds up around the 2 center ripper blades and forms a hard pack "cup" for lack of a better word. This "cup" must be chipped away before continuing to drill. I found using silicone spray on the blades helps a lot.
The general consensus seems to be that the pro4 is one of jiffy's better augers for this time period (post Tecumseh).
I recently purchased a model 30 (circa late 70's) and a model 34 that is probably a 2007, the 34 has only drilled 10 holes and the 30 is in very good shape. Doc, you are correct, those model 30's are tried and true. I don't think many of the augers manufactured these days will still be going 30-40 years down the road.
Have you thought about buying an 8" stealth drill for it?
The new eskimo hc40 propane looks nice as well, and lighter than the pro4.

[jethro]

Have you thought about buying an 8" stealth drill for it?

I have considered that and actually this may be what happens in the end. My 30 is a good one, it's one of the last of the Tecumseh motors so it's not really that old, but it's damn heavy.

[Alex Delarge]

You mentioned your 30 is temperamental at times. Is the carb properly adjusted? Have you tried running a synthetic mix oil at leaner ratio like 70:1? Change the plug? Clean carb? There isn't too much to those 30's. I don't want to discourage you from purchasing another unit but the grass isn't always greener on the other side. An 8" bit will only lighten up your 30 by a few pounds. Those older 30's are heavy cause a lot of the parts are metal. Newer augers have more plastic hence, they are lighter. Very cold weather and plastic don't mix well. I hate the throttle cables on all new augers, Jiffy had a great design with the older 30's. I don't know why they got away from it. My 34 is also the last year that jiffy used the tecumseh 3hp. Shoot me a PM if you decide to sell your 30.

[blackmer826]

I cannot help you with the electric side of this topic, however I do have a Jiffy Pro 4 auger and this thing is sweet. I live in the Adirondack mtns in NY and have fished in -20 temps before with little problems. The tanks do frost up and need to be kept warm in these temps, however most days I can leave my auger outside and it will start first pull. Also there is not gas and oil spill in your jet sled. My auger has been very dependable and cuts like a charm. The warranty is fantastic and I would highly recommend this auger to anyone if you're serious about your ice fishing. You cannot go wrong

[dangle]

I agree with shackman shoney. I went to that setup last year with the clam plate and drill 7".I have a gas jiffy 10",but when the snow/slush we got in Michigan, was hard to travel with it. At first I did try different drills; sears 19.2[junk], dewalt 20v lithium [better, but would time itself out all the time after 6 holes], then I went to the Milwaukee fuel 18v with xc-40 batteries. In 12" to 24" of ice, I was averaging 35-45 holes a battery. [When fishing  with my nephew, we will average about 25-35 holes that we will use. At the end of the day I've  picked a safe spot and drilled holes in succession until the battery died, to see how many. Now when the ice got 30' +, we averaged about 25-28 holes. I considered that pretty good.]  I really like the mobility with the electric auger, probably will not use the gas auger very much, unless I can use my quad to carry it,[hee]. Hope the input will help you.

tight lines
dangle

[BIGCREW]

I have a pro 4 and its the best auger I have ever owned, starts easy no smelly gas to deal with and im fairly sure that it will out last a cordless drill or a battery powered auger, having to recharge batterys all the time would be a pain, also for the guys that have trouble with the propane freezing theres a jacket sort of thing available now it reminds me of one of those things to keep your beer or soda cool in the summer, I would go with propane

[jethro]

You mentioned your 30 is temperamental at times. Is the carb properly adjusted? Have you tried running a synthetic mix oil at leaner ratio like 70:1? Change the plug? Clean carb? 

Yes, I tuned the thing up really well. Bought a new diaphragm for the carb, new plug, cleaned the carb... it runs well just not flawless. If I lean it over 10 or 15 degrees off perfectly upright it will stall for some reason. The mixture screws seem to need adjusting frequently and I get frustrated because often it doesn't seem like I can get it to scream like a chainsaw engine does. It always seems like it is down on power but it's a big 3hp auger. Like I say it's not bad, it's just not great. And I'm pretty good with motors, just can't get this motor to have that 2 stroke scream like a big chainsaw motor no matter what I do!

One thing I have not done is try a synthetic oil and run it leaner. I may try that this year.

[hamms]

Those 30s are good old dogs but heavy is right. 85 cc is huge! My tanaka is 27cc... And very light. If it were me though I'd tune up the 30 cause another jiffy is just as heavy . Unless you want a different / new toy. Dad's buddy has his same model 30 for like 30 years now

[Alex Delarge]

just can't get this motor to have that 2 stroke scream like a big chainsaw motor no matter what I do!

One thing I have not done is try a synthetic oil and run it leaner. I may try that this year.

I think the 3 hp tecumseh has greater tolerances between the piston and bore. Meaning it is sloppy in there compared to a higher revving chainsaw. Chainsaws are probably turning 1000+ more RPM than those 30's do, that is why the chainsaw will scream.

Definitely try the AMSoil Sabre Pro. Recommended to mix up to 100:1 but I'm trying mine @ 70:1. Just hard for me to swallow a 100:1 mixture, although that is what my Yamaha outboard is recommended to run at. And Yamaha isn't even recommending synthetic oil, just TCW-3, however, I still mix that @70:1 and run ring free also.

That is something else you could do with the auger, give it a shock treatment of ring free to clean out carbon deposits. Especially if you've been running dino oil @ 24:1. The other thing would be to take that little exhaust piece off and soak it in carb cleaner or brake cleaner to get carbon deposits off it.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[jethro]

Those 30s are good old dogs but heavy is right. 85 cc is huge! My tanaka is 27cc... And very light. If it were me though I'd tune up the 30 cause another jiffy is just as heavy . Unless you want a different / new toy. Dad's buddy has his same model 30 for like 30 years now

I know. That's the issue, it's so freakin' heavy. Even going to an 8" flight is not going to save enough to make is tolerable. I even pull with a machine, but going out and drilling 12 holes is amazingly hard work with that heavy auger.

[joefishmore]

What is the best augur to use with an electric drill ?

[Shack man Shoney]

I sure have good luck with the strike master mora 7" but I haven't needed to try anything else. I have heard of others using nils, finbore, laser and clam with good results. The key seems to be the Milwaukee fuel brushless. More RPM and higher torque= better performance. One thing I have never mentioned is that I purchased my mora hand auger brand new in the box as an 8" probably 15yrs ago. The 8" blades hung over the auger a little over 1/2" per side so I was able to just bolt on 7" blades and go. Maybe everybody else in the world already knew this was possible but me, I think it works great and allows me to bolt on 8" blades of I feel I need a bigger hole. I haven't needed to do this yet but i will be trying it this year just to see the difference.... just my2c worth

[Shack man Shoney]

I was wrong in my earlier post. The Milwaukee fuel is actually 725 ft/lb torque not 525. Sorry musta been thinking about the first drill I tried.