Auger Issue

[no_bod]

My last time on the ice last year I had an issue with my auger. It was late ice and somehow I managed to get the auger stuck in the ice as I was drilling a hole. After about a minute, the auger became dislodged. As I went to drill another hole, it didn't seem like it wanted to cut without me having to lay across the top and apply most of my body weight. The auger doesn't appear to be bent in anyway. The blades are 2 years old and seem to be very sharp. Maybe a blade was slightly bent? Any suggestions on what may have happened? Thanks in advance. Bring on the ice!

[FISHINGURU]

sounds to me like your shaft is out of pitch

[no_bod]

Guru, is there an "easy" fix to this?

[RebelSS]

What GURU said or...you've knocked your blades off pitch. If you really whammed 'er in tight, and leaned on it to get 'er out, you probably did bend an auger blade. (The tail end of the auger the blades bolt on to) You could also have "slid" a blade back on the auger, too, causing the angle of attack to be out of proper alignment. Oh boy, I don't know where you'd start...but I wish you luck. When I get mine stuck, I just pull the hex bolt out, lift the powerhead off, and "unscrew" the auger.

[SP180]

If it is a strikemaster, just take it to the store. They fixed mine this summer for nothing and it took them 5 minutes. I had the same issue.

[jwmiller33]

i'd get a new set of blades. always nice to have a backup pair, and you could see if this solved your problem.

[no_bod]

SP180, do you recall what they told you the fix was? I will probably start off with a new set of blades. Hopefully that's the cats' meow.

[Fishin_addict]

if it is a strike master it is more likly where the blads bolt on rather than the blads them selfs it is common on the lazer type drill. mine is out of aline right now from reopening holes and my cousins was out of pitch right out of the box but strike master fixed it in about 5 min as stated before. as for the blades I belive they are temperd and will break rather than bend could be wrong however. If your close enough I would just bring it in.

[jwhjr]

If it's out of pitch, chances are the new blades won't make a difference. It doesn't hurt to have a backup set though. The fix (at least what I saw them do at Strikemaster) is to put it into a jig and check the pitch and adjust (bend) accordingly.

[Fishin_addict]

I just seen ur in bemidji u can ship your dill assembly too them but i would do it soon cause ice is right around the corner.I wouldnt recomend using it this way too long cause as I said before the pitch is off on mine and I used it quite awhile like this and ended up takin out my clutch

[SP180]

New blades did not do a thing, actually they were worse due to the fact that the old blades formed a little to the pitch issue. My thought is to get it done right and then get new blades. I drove from Grand Forks one day to have it done when i came to the TC for something. They are open till 1630 mon-fri.

[no_bod]

Hey guys, thanks for all the helpful comments.

[NCLaker]

Call strikemaster cust support. They can tell you if you have a SM service shop closer to you. If hey do, they should have the tools to check/fix your blade pitch.

[no_bod]

Thanks again for the help. I was able to get in contact with Strikemaster. There are two places in town that can take care of my issue. How convenient!

[Ed Carlson]

If it is a Lazer or even a Jiffy for that matter..Is the center point tip in good shape? Is the point dulled?

If so, it will not feed the main cutting edge properly. Might wish to replace the tip or check to see if it is blunted. They come in 2 packs, and are good to have on hand, no matter what.

A non replacable Jiffy center point, or the StrikeMaster Mag with a welded point can be files back into shape, just be sure to maintain the 17 degree angle.

[FISHINGURU]

i can pretty much guarentee the pitch of the shaft is out of whack...especially if its a 10" which you didn't mention the size...its pretty common in the 10" because there is more shaft to bend.

i bought blades, center points, and the whole ball of wax a couple years ago when my 10" strikemaster was out of whack and wouldn't cut...i would have to lean on it and put everything i had into it just to cut a hole.

brought it to d-rock and with a couple little bends she was cutting like a brand new auger...he actually hooked me up and fixed my auger, gave me sharp blades, and center points for like 15 bucks.

he said it was pretty common with 10" models but still happens with 8" just not as much...he said he never had to do one smaller then 8" at the time.

i sold my old lazer mag express to a buddy at the end of that year and he still uses it today...works good as new.

[NCLaker]

Blades out of pitch can not only cause your auger not to cut (requiring excessive pressure to cut). It can also cause the reverse problem - blades cutting too agressively. My auger kept trying to screw itself into the ice, would bogg down, and would not clean cut at the bottom of the hole - I actually had to hold it back by lifting up while cutting the hole to get it to cut properly. Had that problem on a display Lazer Express. Also brought it to D-Rock, fixed it under warrenty - great service!