Getting auger "stuck" when drilling deep ice

[Cove]

I put this post on the Mille Lacs forum but thought I would put it on the Ice Fishing forum too in order to get widest input:

Well, it happened again this week end as I fished this deep, late season ice on Mille Lacs. I thought I was being careful and clearing some of the shavings as I drilled but 2 or 3 times, as I reached the end of the hole, my auger stopped and I started spinning! Hard to get the auger out, too. I even broke the weld off the top of my 8 inch Mora auger (StrikeMaster Lite). I need some fresh insight on this. Tried to Google it up but got a lot of conflicting information. Is it my technique? Torgue? What can I do to prevent it and what do you do when your auger is stuck!. I have always managed to wiggle it out but, as mentioned above, apparently broke the vane on my auger to the tune of about 140 for a new one.

[Duckman8]

I would also like some help on this. This happened to me on LOW this past weekend. It took us an hour to get it out. Can anyone help with this question?

[JimBuck]

I think a lot of the binding of the auger during late ice has to do with clearing the flighting too early and not cutting at the initial angle. It's amazing how much leaning a bit can be magnified by 26+ inches of ice, not to mention the extension. You could try augering 2/3 of the hole before clearing out the shavings the first time. I usually do this and then lift half way out 3-4 more times to finish the cut. My Lazer has a tendency to get caught up at the bottom and this helps out. Keeping the blades moving while pulling up can take some of those imperfections out of the cut that might hang up on the flighting. A long screwdriver can be a life saver if things get ugly and you need to take the powerhead off. Good luck out there. I know the feeling all too well.

[fisherman-andy]

I have noticed this with my lazer Pro and couple other older strikemaster augers i've used in the past. I have not noticed this with my eskimo or a Jiffy but I have gotten a Jiffy/Eskimo stuck in mid drill. Simple pull and drill gets them going again but never stuck on end of drill like the strikemaster. Maybe its just me?

I have suspect its the design of the auger and blades on how it cuts downwards. The eskimo's incorporate a center ring on its auger to prevent it from drilling at angle or uneven.

Going on if its your strikemaster then its extremely important to keep the auger as straight as possible and pulling it up a bit per strikemaster's instructions during the drill several times to clear ice and allow it to be full speed.

If it gets stuck, stop throttle, get a firm grip and hold auger at present depth and give it full throttle, try pulling up a little. Once it spins freely slowly do an up and down in small increments and this should help clear out and ice. At anytime do not let the trottle down from its full speed.

I have done this maybe 10 times in the 100+ holes i've drilled with the lazer pro in the last month or so that I owned it. I have also done this with the older mag2000 in the past.

P.S. I have not noticed the same issue with the chipper blades on the strikemaster.

[slipperybob]

Most of the times I have auger getting stuck and spinning around is from warmer weather. The ice shavings are like icee slush and that's a disaster recipe for me. The drill bit is riding ontop of the slush and the blades is not biting into hard ice. The icee slush is too slushy to be pulled up the flighting and not getting anymore ice shavings means it's not going to go anywhere. Thus it spins around.

[walleyeking19]

It happened to me and my brother on mille lacs. we think what was causing it was pieces of slush and ice got stuck in between the different layers on the shaft. we just kept gunning it and pulling up and it eventually broke through

[staresatice]

if its the composite head join the crowd its happened to everyone one i know that owned one. we where at red lake with a extension on and that cup at the head of the auger would always catch at the bottom of the ice even with clearing the hole and then it would even ride up on the shavings and not cut at all after clearing. then we got it stuck and tried pulling on it and broke the flighting on the auger so we sat on red lake with no auger. called the guy at strikemaster and he recommended that composite auger for early ice and said if we wanted a new drill unit to send in the old one and he would ship out a steel one we all did it and got 5 new drill units back and they give u peace of mind of not sitting on a lake without a auger.

[aczr2k]

Happens with a Nils too. Just a combination of thick ice, little crooked hole etc... I've gotten mine pulled out drilled through and pulled up 2-3" size chunks of ice that obviously broke off the bottom of the hole. Try to keep the hole as clean a possible, even tougher when shorter augers with less flighting are used with an extension. With the Nils extension you actually add flighting on the bottom, that's the way they all should be.

[BartmanMN]

I believe the conclusion in the other forumn was to clear shavings as you are doing, but to try to drill with the auger out in front of you versus leaning over it. People seem to think when you lean over it that you tend to cut the hole at an angle.

That would suck to get you bit stuck 30 inches down.

[FIRECAT]

We were using a new never used SM laser mag and got it jammed at the bottom. I think i was in the habit of leaning on the old Jiffy instead of letting the auger do the work . Finally got it out with the help of a pipewrench.

[Greg Clusiau]

I've seen this happen a time or two, especialy when the ice is thick. It happened a few times on a recent trip to Lake Winnipeg, where the ice is about 48" thick.

Always cautious, I pull the auger out several times (6-7 at least) and clear the hole of most shavings. Seems to work for me. I didn't get stuck out there but a novice Winnipeg angler, along for his first trip, got stuck bad enough where he broke the handle on his Strikemaster by pulling on it. I had to go over and help clear the hole with an ice-scooper and eventually it came out. Thought we might have to take the power-head off and leave that auger blade there!

[Cove]

Thanks all, for your comments.

Got my steel auger rewelded for about 20 bucks and learned a lot from forums.

Thinking about it, the depth of the hole must be important variable because nobody gets bound up in shallow ice. Makes sense to me that the deeper hole the bigger the chance of getting it a little off kilter. Then, when the blade cuts through the last bit of ice there is a lot more "resistance" to the auger than when it is shaving off slice after slice, and with very little forgiveness due to the long hole it binds.

Anyway, I will be more conscious of letting the auger do the drilling rather than leaning over it and pressing own. Will keep cleaning out shavings and try to do so with engine at idle (pull up the drill to clear shavings) so doesn't cut on way up and down and score the side of the hole. Will use my extension bit and not try to tough it out, resulting in some pretty ridiculous situations where I am leaning over and drill head is at my feet.

Finally, carry a pipe wrench and go immediately to that, without trying to jerk free and bully the auger around, risking damage to the flighting.

[Greg Clusiau]

Re: Pulling up the auger when clearing hole - I always have mine cranked up pretty good, keeping things moving. I think at idle speed you may be giving it a chance to get stuck.

[dan z]

I know its hard to read a small bubble on your auger but it would be a good thing to have around late ice. I have one on my 224 and have never had any troubles with getting stuck. maybe the 4 blades help with this dunno...

[shooter_mcgavin]

Was this a strikemaster strikelite? I had this problem with a brand new strikelite. Tried clearing the hole, letting up just before it breaks through, etc. The auger just kept getting stuck until something snapped and it wouldn't turn anymore. Returned it for a strikemaster lazer mag express and it hasn't stuck once.

Maybe I just got a lemon....

[Cove]

Yes, Shooter, it is the StrikeMaster Lite. I love it, other than for this late season getting stuck thing. It is, indeed, light and starts easily, burns straight gas. I seem to read others that find they get stuck with other StrikeMaster products, including the Lazer Pro but I do harbor some vague suspicion that something to do with the power delivered under lead may make a difference. I am going to try the things i learned, and i have my drill all welded and I have my pipe wrench packed so will give it a go next week, which may be the end of the line for this season, then sit back and think about it. Meanwhile still listening if anyone has ideas or tesitmonials about models or brands that do not get stuck as often.

[gardn184]

I have to say that I've never had an issue with my old model 30 jiffy getting stuck, but I feel that its more the fact that it drills an 11 inch hole with a 10 inch blade, has a slight bend in it so it gets a little extra wobble That being said the key is just keeping it straight going down

[Ed Carlson]

I personally believe it has more to do with the blade size vrs the auger flight size.

They used to be 1/8" over-sized on the blade and that clearance made less binding on the auger flight. Models that they are a closer fit on the blade and the flight may bind on deep holes.

Jiffy's and the Chipper StrikeMaster system are still 1/8" over on each blade, a .25" accumulative difference, so the added clearance on the flight in the hole tends to not bind as badly.

No matter what style your using, clearing the hole of chips and slush is always a key part to eliminating deep ice drilling complications.