Lazer Mag Express 8"

[BuschPilot]

I bought a new lazer mag last year and what a bugger it is when drilling holes, Not bad to start with but right when its about to punch through the ice it about rips your arms off and sticks. what is wrong with it. I've tried pushing, not pushing, letting it drill itself, doesn't matter what you do, different person at the helm, same old thing. I had heard a lot of good for this auger but kinda dissapointed. ANy fixes or help would be great! thanks!!

[JimBuck]

When I'm close to punching through, I like to lift up and give it some gas on the way down to punch through. With time, you'll find what works with your auger.

[broman]

While you're drilling are you pulling the auger out of the hole ever couple of seconds to get the shavings out of the hole? If you're just drilling straight down, then when it hits the water, the shavings will stop your auger for a bit.

[MidCoast]

I had this problem with my Solo as well, but I have the Lazer Pro with 3 hp and 10 inch blades. At first my auger drilled really well, but towards the end of the season, I started to experience what you are talking about. Im thinking that maybe my blades were just dull?

I just drilled straight down though without lifting it at all. Perhaps Im suppose to lift the auger a little before I punch through the ice with it?

[brian6715]

I had the exact same problem on mine (the Tecumseh version).

I was going to mess with it and turn up the throttle limiter thing. Before I did though I figured I should make sure I don't void a warranty or something, so I brought it to SM. All they did was turn up the limiter, and it was good to go!

The problem is there just isn't enough power to punch through, and after that tweak it was perfect. I never have to lift up on mine to clean the hole out or anything; if you ask me you paid far too much for an auger to have to baby it to get it to go through (hence why I was really frustrated).

[broman]

brian6715, I don't have this auger, but in order to help BushPilot out can you describe where the limiter is and in which direction do you turn it up and by how much?

[JimBuck]

brian6715, I don't have this auger, but in order to help BushPilot out can you describe where the limiter is and in which direction do you turn it up and by how much?

+1.

[SmallJiffy]

I would like to know as well. I have this auger and have to "punch" the last bit of the ice to get through.

[triton189]

Check your blades to see if they were "made in China" if so I would recommend that you contact Strikemaster with your unit S/N# and have them send you a replacement set of Sweden blades free of charge. Mine was doing the exact same thing shortly after I purchased it and this was the fix.

[herefish101]

Check your blades to see if they were "made in China" if so I would recommend that you contact Strikemaster with your unit S/N# and have them send you a replacement set of Sweden blades free of charge. Mine was doing the exact same thing shortly after I purchased it and this was the fix.

+1

My lazer mag came with the made in china blades and would hang up before punching through, in my case one of my china blades shattered into peices, I took pictures of it all busted and sent them in an email to strikemaster and they sent me a new set of the made in sweeden blades free of charge, ever scince I put the new blades on it's like cutting butter, all the way through.

[jigmeister]

Just as the previous 2 posts stated. Call Strikemaster and tell them your problem and they will send out new "Swedish" blades. Had the same problem 2 years ago. Don't screw around with any settings on your engine until you tried new blades!

[BuschPilot]

I do lift auger up and clear the hole several times when drilling but still doesn't help. very frustrating. are the blades stamped in china or sweden, how do you tell? also how do you rev it up a bit for that limiter. I know the guy that owns Scenic Tackle had mentioned something about that once last year on our trout trip but didn't remember after that night! thanks for all the help, now lets get it fishing!

[triton189]

They will be stamped with the country they were manufactured in. If it says China get them replaced before you do anything else and you will be very HAPPY!

[Ed Carlson]

Because the outside of a shaver cutting system does not have a metering guide, once the center pop's through, it bites the ice unregulated...it suddenly gets more aggressive...it bites hard and bucks. It's the nature of the beast.

The best policy is to clear chips prior to breaking through and try to meter it as it shaves the last few bites off.

If the blades are worn or dulled on the outside of the blades, this will cause more drag and also fight you.

I agree, get a new set of blades and then try the recommendations we made, see if you have better luck.

Also, get a set of new StrikeMaster Center Point bits. This is a key element of the cutting system, and many do not replace or sharpen them often enough. They feed the main set of shaver blades, and is critical to a good clean fast cut.

[jwhjr]

I had this issue with a new one as well (Tecumseh motor). The pitch was off from the factory, but a quick stop into Strikemaster took care of that. They also tweaked the idle a hair. It's been punching through like butter ever since.

[MCRDP]

my blades have nothing stamped on them, does that mean china?

[eyebjim]

one thing to try also is just switch to amsoil sabre oil at 80:1 mixture. You will have more power without having to adjust the govenor. Less smoke and better idle also.

[CoorsCaptain]

I would check the blades, that auger should cut without clearing the shavings. Maybe your little buddy drilled holes in the dirt with it.

[rusty rapala]

MCRDP - I had China stamped on both my blades and the shaft and Strikemaster replaced both. They even let me swap out my 9" for an 8" and gave me a free extension since the 9" was worth more than the 8". I did this because the 9" had been discountinued and the 8" blades are easier to find.

[MCRDP]

rusty- so what do you do just say "hey these are from china i want new ones"?

[rusty rapala]

You should be able to see the words China on the shaft and or the blades. If so they will swap it out for you.

[MCRDP]

What's the deal with the china blades? I assume they are not as quality as the Swedish blades but why would they sell them in the first place if they are willing to just replace them for free?

[mr_jman]

I'm glad this issue was posted to remind me that mine does the same thing before I punch my first holes throuh the ice in a few days. I've had better luck clearing the hole and finishing, but it is frustrating when one time that works and the next it doesn't. Might have to check the blades, but those were replaced last year along with a pitch adjustment.

[Luck e 1]

I had the same problem...then I bought new blades and it works a lot better. I don't think you should need to pull up a few times to clear the hole while you are drilling. Once I changed blades it powered through.

+1 to know how to tune up the auger so it runs hotter.

[BuschPilot]

well, i checked my blades, They read Made in CHINA on them. emailed strikemaster, just waiting to hear back from them today. I found out even the china blades are sharp, barely touched the edge to see if that was an issue and a very clean cut on the thumb! dang that smarts. Thanks for all the help, hopefully this will work out now.