Another question for Nils owners

[fishinnut_3446]

I would say about 1/4 of the holes I drill, auger will get stuck!

Drilling through about 30",When I first got it she ran sweet, pulled right through, now it's kind of ticking me off!

And not iced up, I could drill 2-3 holes and the next stuck.

Dull blades?

[Jim Almquist]

My guess is you are pressing down on the auger. That is the only time mine will bog. I always like to take a little bit of the weight off the auger so it cuts nice and easy.

On a side note it sure is funny listening to folks starting there auger and cutting there holes. I think if my auger took that much work I would consider quitting fishing.

[fishinnut_3446]

So true Jim ! We were fishing a little tourney couple weeks ago and listening to all the augers coughing/spudering, even seen 2 guys putting all their weight on the auger to get going through the ice !

[Northlander]

Warm it up for a minute 1st. Cut with no down pressure and clear out shavings as you go. If its still getting stuck send the blade to surface tension and it will cut better than new.

[Surface Tension]

30" of ice is starting to get into some good depth. I'll lift the drill with rotation to clean some of the chips out and go on and continue drilling if on that day for whatever reason I bind. This would be especially so if there was slush and heavy wet chips.

I've found 87 octane mixed with Amzoil Saber at 80:1 or 100:1 gives you about the best performance.

Temps make a difference. The engine is gong to run at its peak performance on the colder days but that is after the engine has warmed up.

Usually a blade will lose its bite and not cut as aggressively or not at all when dulled.

Or it could seem to cut well but not track properly. It will drift as it cuts and eventually bind. If the blade is cutting good I'd just clear the chips as I mentioned in the thicker ice.

The quick lift while drill to clear the hole only takes a second and will become seamless in your drilling routine.

[FISHINGURU]

Pretty much every auger will get stuck on that last little punch through the ice at some point. Nils especially because alot of the ice and slush like to stay in the holes.

I like to drill until I think I'm getting close to the end then lift the auger a bit, stop drilling, and kick the mound of slush and snow out of the way all the way around the auger then finish. I keep the auger spinning all the way back out to take out more slush.

Doing that I don't even have to scoop my holes out and I don't have a 2ft mound to take care of when I'm done. I have been known to just kick out half of the mound though on windy hole hopping days and leave the big mound on the side that will block the wind.

[walleye vision]

Warm it up for a minute 1st. Cut with no down pressure and clear out shavings as you go. If its still getting stuck send the blade to surface tension and it will cut better than new.

Does surface tension have a HSOforum or contact info for sharpening? I have a PowerPoint blade and it seems to cut slower than advertised.

[Jim Almquist]

Does surface tension have a HSOforum or contact info for sharpening? I have a PowerPoint blade and it seems to cut slower than advertised.

His contact information is in green in his post. The info is in the sponsors forum as well.

Or Click Here!!!!

[fishinnut_3446]

Thanks for the tips guys, I will try to let it warm a little longer and cleaning the holes as drilling, we'll see what happens.

I took the Pro4 this morning but dang that thing is heavy now !

[walleye44]

Does surface tension have a HSOforum or contact info for sharpening? I have a PowerPoint blade and it seems to cut slower than advertised.

[fishinnut_3446]

With the way this year is going it won't surprise me if I got a auger with not so great blades.

It fist started off when I bought and returned 2 Pro4 lites.

(That's the reason for the new Nils)

Yesterday went to use my 2 month old LX7 and don't work.

Saying go's if it was not for bad luck I would have no luck at all

But yes it will be going to Frank after the season.

[Fred_Bear]

What are you using for fuel?

I had the exact same issue you are experiencing with a new Nils. I was running amsoil at 50:1 for break in and every few holes the motor would bog and get stuck... just didn't have enough power. I dumped the gas and switched to 90:1 amsoil and never had the issue again.

[fishinnut_3446]

Never thought of that Fred, I'm running Strikemaster 50:1 and 87 oct.

for the break in.

I have read some running at 80:1-100:1 that not running them to lean?

It's worth a shot

[Fred_Bear]

Never thought of that Fred, I'm running Strikemaster 50:1 and 87 oct.

for the break in.

I have read some running at 80:1-100:1 that not running them to lean?

It's worth a shot

Don't mix the strikemaster oil at those lean ratios.

You need to find Amsoil saber professional and mix it between 80:1 and 100:1, it's a synthetic 2 stroke small engine oil. Just a heads up, it can be hard to find locally so you may have to do some searching.

Be sure to dump your current fuel and try this before you do anything like send the cutting head in. I'd put money on this fixing your issue.

Please report back when you get a chance to try it.

[Fred_Bear]

Oh and I recommend using gasoline without any ethanol added. This won't noticeably change the performance but is just better for the longevity of the fuel system. Octane rating doesn't really matter, anything from 87-92 will be fine, just stay away from ethanol if you can.

[dfeste]

I'm on my 3rd year with my Nils and it's never seen anything but Amsoil Sabre. If I were you I'd probably dump out the conventional oil and run at least half a tank through the thing at 50:1. You want it a bit richer for the break in period. After that you can lean out to 80 or 100 to one. A brand new motor will take a little time to work at it's prime and get broken in. The Tanaka motors truly run better with a bit of time under their belt.

[fishinnut_3446]

Thanks guys, I will start with the 50:1(Amsoil) then try to lean it out, Will update this weekend.

And Fred you don't have to tell me about ethanol, I thought I got a bad batch of gas this year, Just about everything I had took a chit this yr.

2 chainsaws,weedwacker,string trimmer, and that was in the matter of weeks apart.

[20lbSloughShark]

Good oil is a good idea, but running less than what the manufacturer recommends is a terrible idea. From the sounds of it you identified the problem, bad gas. Get some fresh 91 no-ox and warm it up. A slight bog or lack of power hints at running lean. Try warming it up, turning the fuel/air screw out 1/4 turn and drill a hole. Repeat if it improves. To be honest though, if it ran great before, and is now having issues, you may just need a spark plug. If the gap gets messed up, or has some crud caked on it can do that. You'll know if its fully fouled, it will barely run. I think you should get new gas and spark plug, then mess with the carb before running less oil than recommended.

[trapperdirk]

I don't think you understand why Amsoil Sabre can be run at such a high mix ratio . It's a very concentrated mix unlike others and the reason it is intended to run at a high ratio . Run it at a lower ratio and all your doing is blowing it out the exhaust .

TD

[20lbSloughShark]

Concentrated oil does not make it any better. It needs a certain amount to cover all the engine parts.

[Esox_Magnum]

Concentrated oil does not make it any better. It needs a certain amount to cover all the engine parts.

It is not concentrated it is formulated to be run at high ratio and still give the same or better lubrication as typical Dyne oil....

[trapperdirk]

OMG dear man . Read up on the Amsoil . There is not an issue with your motor getting enough lube . If it wasn't getting enough it would seize .

My Nils has never seen any different mix than the Amsoil Sabre 100-1 since day one and often has to drill up to 200 holes a day while I'm guiding and it's in its 7 th season . My Jiffy is in its 15th and maybe more although it was first run on OPTI 11 at those ratios till I was able to use Amsoil Sabre . Opti 11 is also rated to be run at 100-1 .

Your looking at it like as if it's a 4 stroke which needs a certain volume of lube to cover all parts while it's running . Two strokes don't have oil sitting in a crank case like a car . I know it's hard to wrap your head around and it was for me too when I first heard of it, but the facts speak for themselves . From my understanding they will even warranty your engine if it is found that running this mix caused engine failure . To this day I have yet to see or hear of one .

TD

[Fred_Bear]

Good oil is a good idea, but running less than what the manufacturer recommends is a terrible idea. From the sounds of it you identified the problem, bad gas. Get some fresh 91 no-ox and warm it up. A slight bog or lack of power hints at running lean. Try warming it up, turning the fuel/air screw out 1/4 turn and drill a hole. Repeat if it improves. To be honest though, if it ran great before, and is now having issues, you may just need a spark plug. If the gap gets messed up, or has some crud caked on it can do that. You'll know if its fully fouled, it will barely run. I think you should get new gas and spark plug, then mess with the carb before running less oil than recommended.

[fishinnut_3446]

The Nils is brand new and only use 1/2 doz. times, And it was a different batch of gas/oil mix.

Today will get Amsoil and 91 oct. and mix at 50:1 since I still have not ran a tank through it.

[trapperdirk]

For first tank initial breakin , I just disconnect the auger and set the powerhead on a milk crate and let her rip . throttling up and down and sometimes idling . It takes forever to burn through a tank still but atleast your getting it up to some decent temps so everything seats that you never would while drilling unless you have a crew of lads with you and drill a few hours continuosly .

TD