Ice auger powered by cordless drill?

[weld1]

I remember a couple of years ago seeing a ice auger that was powered by a cordless drill.... anyone out there have any info on something like this? thanks for any help!

[zamboni]

I have heard you get one maybe two holes out of them and they are dead, don't know if thats true, but thats what I heard

[Eric Wetteland]

I think they work ok if you have the right auger. I'm told they work better with a 6" or 5" auger. I am going to give it a try this year if I get a new drill. It may be a good idea to bring two batteries. I don't know it looks cool.

[Sonicrunch]

Some of the bada$$ drills they have now will get quite of few holes I hear.

[gbc]

On the ice fishing today show the guy fishing gills was using one. I think it was a 6" bit and he said he got 15-20 holes per charge.

[18 inch Crappie]

Why? Would you want to put your self through that? Gas is better.

[ec30_06]

Seems like it would be faster to drill a 5 or 6 inch hole by hand.

[Quetico]

I've always liked the idea for thinner ice conditions. But my concern would be mid to later season when the ice is more 18".

Like ec30_06 said it might be faster to use a hand auger. The hand auger would prevent the need for extra batteries and cold kill batteries.

[MuskieJunkie]

If you go on the Ice Fishing Today HSOforum you can buy the adapter that will fit a strikmaster hand auger. $45

I thought about getting one but I think unless you already own a high quality, high voltage cordless drill you would be better off buying a jiffy or strikmaster electric auger.

[SkunkedAgain]

I bought the adapter two years ago and use it with my 8" auger. I have an 18 volt DeWalt cordless drill. Here are my thoughts:

- The batteries don't last long in the cold so I would try to keep them warm (i.e. don't leave them in your truck bed all night before use)

- Drill all of your holes right away before the batteries get cold

- The drills don't do a good job of breaking through that last bit of bottom ice. Drill down to that point and then hand-auger through the last bit. It will save wear and tear on your drill

- Using a drill for ice augering puts a LOT of stress on the drill. I'm not qualified to say if it puts too much stress on the gears, but you can feel the plastic body of the drill twisting.

After using the drill option a bunch of times, I decided that it wasn't worth it and went back to the hand auger. Maybe somebody else has had a different experience.

[dpayne]

I built a adapter for my 8" hand auger last winter to try with my 18v milwaukee. That drill is a beast and after drilling maybe 2 holes I thought it was going to ruin my drill. I think they are way to hard on drills and it isn't much faster. It may have worked better with a 5 or 6"

[muc33]

Or do like I did and get an Ice Gator Electric, know you have the power, and have no fumes to go with it. I understand the "thinking" that this sounds great, which it does, but lets face it. Today's average had drills just weren't made to do this.

[WinterHaven]

Ditto get the Ice Gator.

[Neighbor_guy]

I used one last year and intend to purchase one this year. (the addaptor for the 18V drill) The thing was great. Out drilled my gas drill and my hand drill times threw 18" of good solid ice. The guys I spoke to said they get between 30 and 40 holes out of a battery and they were drilling a lot of holes that day.

I would say if you already have a good quality drill go ahead and try it. If you dont, by the time you spent the $$$ on a good drill, you can get a good start on a Gator or a quality gas drill.

[TonkaBass]

The only thing I have seen involing hand drills is the sluch remover that attatches to a cordless.

[weld1]

Thanks for the info guys, is the adapter like a gear reducer type thing? thats what i think saw at the show a couple of years ago, it was like a gear reducer between the drill and auger bit??

[Neighbor_guy]

No, it is a "bit" that replaces the handle on your hand auger and fits directly into the chuck on your drill. No reduction in gears.

The one I used last year was on an 18volt deWalt and a 6" mora auger.