PLEASE HELP - Arm Ripping Auger Issue

[Frozenflyguy]

Hi All

My auger is trying to kill me!

I have a strike master 10" with a new solo power head and and old Lazer Mag auger with chipper blade. Last year trying to cut through the last 1/2 inch of ice at the bottom of an 18" hole and this year cutting through the last 1/2 inch of ice on a 6" (black ice) hole ... my auger is grabbing and ripping free of my arms! It is all I can do to hold onto the thing and finish the hole! Does anyone know why this is happening and what I can do to cut a hole safely? I had to build up the nerve to drill 5 holes yesterday after the first one damn near ripped my right arm out of the socket! It used to cut like a dream ... now it scares me. That said ... it was worth it for the fish :) !

Could it be that the new solo power head is too powerful for the Lazer Mag chipper auger? you would think and auger is an auger but perhaps it is not...

It also sucks that even with brand new blades my 8" manual strike master auger I can't get a hole started either ... so the hand auger doesn't want to cut and the power auger does right up until the bottom of the hole!

I really hope that someone can me figure out the issues with my manual auger or power auger.

Thanks in advance

FFG

[Pyraci]

Try shimming your blades so they don't bite so hard. Or even file it out a little

[dodger]

I blew 3 gearboxes on a Strikemaster with this issue. Good luck as I switched to a Jiffy out of frustration with the Strikemaster. Try the shim idea mentioned above.

Dodger.

[niwrek]

Lol Nester!!! Don't let off the throttle..... when you release the throttle it is more likely to grab,,,,, full throttle all the way.... I still like my jiffy though

[EZM]

It's about finding out what works for you ...... I'd suggest sharp blades, clear the shavings from the hole often and full throttle with no down pressure near the bottom.

My Z-71 sometimes gives me a pretty good jolt as she nears that softer wet ice right at the bottom of the hole right before the break through. I found that the above works for my auger .....

[Frozenflyguy]

To provide a little more detail ...the original power head was a Strikemaster mag 2000 with 10" chipper. The new power head is a solo. Going to call Strikemaster tomorrow and get their take as well. It just strikes me as odd that you would have to shim blade to get the right bite but if it is a quick and safe fix ... I'm down with it ... But I do plan on logging this call and discussion with Strikemaster in case there are warranty issues in the future.

Thanks for all the help !

FFG

[Bobby B.]

FFG,

In Nov. of 2011, I purchased a StrikeMaster Lazer Mag 2.5HP 10" auger. This is the Solo powerhead. According to the instructions, do NOT push down when cutting a hole, allow the auger to DRILL through the ice. You mentioned that your auger has chipper blades, I was under the impression that all StrikeMasters utililize cutting blades not chippers.

As the blades begin to cut through the last bit of ice before contacting the water, I can feel the 'grabbing effect' you describe. However, regardless of ice thickness or hardness, I can readily control my auger without fearing for my arms or shoulders.

Have others experienced the same 'wrenching' sensation as you when drilling holes with your auger?

Bobby

[Kim473]

I would maybe shim the blades to less of a cutting angle and don't push down when about to break threw. All augers have a tendency to grab when breaking threw. Maybe your clutch is grabing more than usual and not releasing as soon as it should ? Not really a clutch problem but rather, just grabing hard.

Do your blades have a centering ring around them ? If not this may be a problem as the the auger does not stay centered in the hole and the blades want to grab on one side and twist you.

[ROA]

If you got a grabby auger just lift up and take little pecks of ice once you feel it starting to grab/break through, keep it pinned while you do this.

Also I tried a few different shimms on the blade on a jiffy 10" and found it didn't make much of a difference on that auger. Had to push down hard to get it to cut and it always grabbed like a bastard at the end of the hole.

Got a cheap-o 33cc Eskimo 8"on sale a few years ago and havent looked back.

[Dean2]

Your hand auger needs to be shimmed so it has MORE bite. Shim the back of the blade, away from the sharp edge so the cutting edge is angled down more.

The power auger is grabbing the soft ice at the bottom of the hole, like all augers do. If you aren't pushing down on it, and assuming you are of normal adult male strength, it should not gab hard enough to rip it out of your hands. The clutch should stop the auger and slip before that happens. If it isn't slipping properly it needs to be adjusted or replaced. Also, if you auger was not designed for chipper blades that will explain why it is gabbing so hard as they bite more than a regular cutting blade, but that doesn't change the fact the clutch should be slipping. "The auger needs to go back for warranty fix.

[niwrek]

A new auger should be ......add fuel and go, they have been tested and tested. Why should you have to experiment with shims????

[Fishslayer99]

A new auger should be ......add fuel and go, they have been tested and tested. Why should you have to experiment with shims????

Great point but you answered your own question (should be) quality control isn't worth a s**t these days and things just are not made to last like they used to regardless of how much you pay for them. Its a disposable world and a lot of us know what a pain it can be dealing with manufacturers and the BS they feed you.

I think this fella is looking for some knowledgeable people, and hopefully an easy fix from guys that have had this experience in the past to avoid getting the typical runaround and grief from the manufacturer. Sorry I cant be of much help with your situation, as I have never had my 20 year old Jiffy bind on me like that...but good luck!

[niwrek]

Great point but you answered your own question (should be) quality control isn't worth a s**t these days and things just are not made to last like they used to regardless of how much you pay for them. Its a disposable world and a lot of us know what a pain it can be dealing with manufacturers and the BS they feed you.

I think this fella is looking for some knowledgeable people, and hopefully an easy fix from guys that have had this experience in the past to avoid getting the typical runaround and grief from the manufacturer. Sorry I cant be of much help with your situation, as I have never had my 20 year old Jiffy bind on me like that...but good luck!

Totally agree,,,,,,all I can add is a auger that grabs is sharp.....which is good in my opinion. No snow you need cleats, I have a video of me spinning around the auger. Not very safe but its still funny

[Mayhem]

I'll throw in my $0.02 here since I run a Strikemaster LM Express, almost identical but in 8". The Solo powerhead is only a 1/2 hp more than it's Tecumseh predecessor. The only time I had this issue was after the blades became slightly dull from momentarily touching bottom while checking ice thickness. I can only imagine it would be worse with a 10". You mentioned the blades on the HA are new and the PA leg is old so might be worth sharpening/replacing those.

[super mario]

REMOVE one blade problems solve

[Frozenflyguy]

Thanks for all the help guys. I opted to shim the blades on my hand auger and replace the lower end on my power auger. I will hopefully report back with on the success if these recent choices. I admit I am eager to see if the shims make a difference but then again I was never a fan of hand augers to begin with.

FFG

[Big Schnizz]

I have an older Jiffy model 30 that I bought used about 5 years ago or so. It's a 10" and I'd say it does the same thing at the bottom. I feel the trick when you get to the bottom is to lift it up right away and then just slowly come back down similar to what ROA said above.

[Badlildoggy]

Only because nobody has said it, In the word's of my Old Man "Put your purse down and hang on to that #$cker" LOL,.....:scared0018:

[Frozenflyguy]

So after replacing the auger flight... my Strikemaster is again cutting like butter! Drilled over 25 holes yesterday without an issue! I am now wondering how the auger flight got damaged with the likely suspect being the moving company we used since it was working just fine before the move! and here I thought it was because Alberta ice was tougher than Ontario ice!

Thanks to all who offered their thoughts on how to overcome auger challenges!

Good luck to everyone on the hardwater!

FFG

[cube]

Glad this worked out for you, have a great season