NEW Clam Ice Auger Conversion Kit!!!

[SkiSoloII]

Operational report. Took it out yesterday.

This drill: http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Hammer-Drill-and-Impact-Driver-Kit-with-Free-4-0-Amp-Hour-Battery-Pack-R8611501KP-AC840087/204496973?N=%2FNtk-All%2FNtt-rigid%252Bdrill

5" Lazer Auger. 6" clear, black ice.

Drilled ~60 holes. No obvious reduction in performance. Power indicator on battery still showed 3/4 full.

Light weight, easy to cart around and use. I am 6' tall, do not have the extension, and I love the compact-ness of the unit.

Dave

[Lusid]

anyone have a weight WITH a fully operating setup?

My gas auger + fuel + cover weighs close to 40lbs lol

[SkiSoloII]

My complete setup w/ 4ah battery(bathroom scale): 12.5 lbs.

Dave

[Lusid]

My complete setup w/ 4ah battery(bathroom scale): 12.5 lbs.

Dave

that's it! FS ESKIMO AUGER! jk jk..

I'll rip some more holes and sell it next year.

[Brad B]

mine weighs in at 13 LBS 5 OZ using the dewalt DCD771 and a 3.0 Ah Battery and a 6" auger.

[Jmorfish]

My first post in this forum...I was interested in Clam's kit right when I saw it, as I needed a power auger because of 'age creep' and I didn't like relying on someone else's power..I really didn't like the idea of those heavyweight gas augers, although they seem to usually work good..I went with Clam's complete kit, including extra blades and the 16" ext. I read a lot of Matt's reports, and others on this forum, and decided on the full size DeWalt 20v with 4.0 amp, Model DCD980M2...This was a little pricier than the compact drills I looked at, and I looked at a lot of drills,but I want this to do the job, and last a long time, and I have a great drill for the 'off season'..and I got a good discount from Lowes because of my military veteran status. ..My whole setup, ready to drill, weighs 13.5lbs, and I've just recently got it put together and tried it, very successfully, on 2 short outings, but thin ice of only 5-6". I really like the compactness and light weight and workability of this unit..My only problem was getting the chuck off to make the conversion..I had to take it to a (fairly) local DeWalt service center, and they had to work hard to get it off..in doing so, they buggered up the chuck pretty bad, and gave me a free replacement - along with free service to do the job. I was amazed, thankful, and of course would now recommend DeWalt for anyone's choice for power..Right now I'm a happy camper/driller/icefisher...

[Coryy]

Hey Jmorfish,

Great to hear that you like the unit. These things are the cat's meow if you ask me.

The question I wonder is did you tell the service center why you were removing the chuck? The reason I ask is I wonder what their thoughts were on the application and if they made any indication about possible warranty issues?

I would forsee anything, but just curious as this use is a bit different than a standard application and was wondering if they might take exception to the fact.

[AndRo]

Here is my short review.

I had 0 issues with installation. Dewalt DCD985 Premium Hammer Drill 20V 3A/H Batteries. Worked perfect with zero modification to the plate. The reverse thread chuck screw came out with minimal torque and the chuck came off of the drill pretty easy with a crescent wrench and a framing hammer. With the drill I purchased the Clam Auger Conversion Kit Combo (the one with the 6" auger bit).

I was out on 14" of good ice Saturday, I must have punched 25-30 holes. When I wasn't drilling holes the battery stayed in my pocket. I was incredibly pleased and surprised how well this kit chewed through the ice. At the end of the day my battery indicator showed that the battery still had a full charge. On Sunday I went out and decided to just leave the battery on the drill the entire time, to see how the weather affected the battery. I was able to punch the same about of holes 25-30 on a different lake 16" of ice. My battery indicator showed 1 bar out of 3 left at the end of the day... after the battery was in the warm truck, by time I got home it showed 2 out of 3 bars. Time will tell, but so far I absolutely love this little drill. I do have 4 of the 3 A/H batteries for my drills and plan to use this hell out of this. I'll update you as time goes on.

Only thing I would recommend so far would be some sort of industrial strength foam padding for your hands on the handles and throttle. When it is freezing cold, your hands are wet, I don't like my hands sticking to the metal. With some foam on the handles it would insulate the metal a bit and just be more comfortable to use. I would almost recommend to anyone to buy the extension right away... not just to go through more ice but for your backs sake. My 5' 2" father in-law could use it the way it is all day but for myself being close to 6'2" I could see myself getting sore. I will definitely be picking up the extension before next weekend if I can find one in store.

I recorded my buddy Josh drilling some crooked holes:

[rwill]

My wife got me this for xmas. She thought since i hand drill i could use it. Sadly she didnt realize our 18v drill isnt great (black and decker). Thus i got the chucks off and it didnt fit the shaft adapter. The drill shaft is too small. Yet it gives me a reason to buy a stronger drill!

[outkast7222]

Hey Jmorfish,

Great to hear that you like the unit. These things are the cat's meow if you ask me.

The question I wonder is did you tell the service center why you were removing the chuck? The reason I ask is I wonder what their thoughts were on the application and if they made any indication about possible warranty issues?

I would forsee anything, but just curious as this use is a bit different than a standard application and was wondering if they might take exception to the fact.

I know that Dewalt warrantied drills for me in the past that were used with edgeing attachments. Would think as long as you don't burn up motor after motor warranty would not be a problem.

[Jmorfish]

Hey CORY -- I did tell the manager at the service center what my application was and why the chuck had to come off..He just said that he's had to take chucks off for others, and didn't bat an eye when I said it was for powering my ice auger..nothing was said about warranty issues..

[Jdjulik]

Just a heads up for anyone using the $99 Home Depot special Dewalt. It does come with(2) 20V 1.3aH batteries and you will get about 10 holes a battery in 16" of ice with a 6" auger. Not a problem for me since I usually only drill about 10 holes on the lakes that I know and keep the spare battery with me charged just in case.

[JimW]

Anyone know where you can find one in stock? Everyone seems to be out. Have drill and a 6 inch auger and would love to have one as the feedback and videos seem to show that it works.

Thanks

Jim

[SkiSoloII]

Only thing I would recommend so far would be some sort of industrial strength foam padding for your hands on the handles and throttle. When it is freezing cold, your hands are wet, I don't like my hands sticking to the metal. With some foam on the handles it would insulate the metal a bit and just be more comfortable to use.

Same thing I use to attach the reels to my rods.....

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-10-ft-self-bonding-super-tape-68401.html

Dave

[tengy]

Why not try rod wraps?

[Ice Angler1]

AndRo,

I used pipe insulation from Home Depot which works great. It already has adhesive on the ends to glue it together.

[ammoman16]

I'd be a little leery of using that impact driver...

[Ice Angler1]

WHY? It proves 3x more toque than a drill with force only being applied in the torsional direction.

Have not tried it as yet so looking for cons.

Thanks for comment.

[amateurfishing]

AndRo,

I used pipe insulation from Home Depot which works great. It already has adhesive on the ends to glue it together.

that's exactly what I will be doing also for handlebars.....pipe insulation

[Ice Angler1]

Hi Matt

For what's worth, the power required to drill a hole should be proportional to the volume of ice extracted , which in turn, is proportional to the area of the auger bit. Area is proportional to the diameter squared. Therefore, if compared to a 6" auger at 700" of ice, then. a 7" auger would require 36% more power resulting in 448" of ice , and an 8" auger would require 78% more power or 154" of ice.

[Matt Johnson]

Hi Matt

For what's worth, the power required to drill a hole should be proportional to the volume of ice extracted , which in turn, is proportional to the area of the auger bit. Area is proportional to the diameter squared. Therefore, if compared to a 6" auger at 700" of ice, then. a 7" auger would require 36% more power resulting in 448" of ice , and an 8" auger would require 78% more power or 154" of ice.

Absolutely correct. Clam's reference of 700" was directed at the Clam Combo package which includes the 6" auger bit. We have found similar results to your percentages above as you move up to 7" and 8" auger bits.

PS... A big thank you to the emails you have sent my way too!

[AndRo]

So how is the impact drill working for you?

[Ice Angler1]

Results: I answered my own question. The Ryobi Impact Driver WILL NOT WORK on the Clam auger conversion plate. I quit after boring about 3” deep with an 8” Mora auger. Even though I wrapped some aluminum duct tape foil around the drive pin to minimize the clearance between the drive pin and auger hole, as I suspected, the torsional impacts mushroomed out the hole making it difficult to remove the auger. Also, the impact torque was insufficient to smoothly drive the auger. It needs a positive engagement reaction torque to work. Converted over to the Ryobi hammer drill ( use only drill action) which has the correct thread size (1/2"-20). This set-up worked fine with the 8" auger for about 10 holes in 10" of ice. Only time will tell if the drill holds up.

[Craig Oyler]

I fished a tournament this weekend, and the Clam Auger Conversion Kit was a big key to our success. The ice was clear, so we were able to drive around with ATV's and use the Vexilar to shoot through the ice to find the suspended schools of perch. As soon as I or my partner would find them, I would jump off of my wheeler and drill some holes. The perch move fast, so it's important to be able to get the baits in front of them quickly. Not having to deal with starting an auger, and the extra weight of a gas auger was really nice. Unless I am fishing for lake trout, I can't imagine using anything else to cut my holes.

[Fishinbud]

This is a great, I repeat GREAT product imo. However, there is also one glaring thing that should be mentioned within the instructions (if it already isn't, I have not personally seen it addressed). I use a Dewalt DCD980 20V drill with this conversion kit. Again, it cuts as well, or better than my Strikemaster 224 gas auger, without the extra weight, and hassle of gas. Unlike a gas auger, with fresh batteries, there's never any frustration in getting the auger going. That's the positive news.

The negative, this conversion plate apparently should ONLY be used with your drill in the low speed, high torque, FORWARD position, and NOT in the reverse direction. I've seen online where some have said how you can push the slush left in the hole back under the ice, by reversing the drill. Again, do NOT, I repeat do NOT! do this. Sure, the slush will disappear, but ya' know what else is likely to also disappear? Your DRILL!!!!

I contacted Clam and mentioned that my drill likely had been put in reverse when using the product, that it still functions, but is making some clunky sounds when letting pressure off of the power button (when using the auger plate). The lady at clam said do NOT use the drill on this plate while in reverse, or it will FRY your drill, seizing up the motor. I mentioned that the above information should definitely be included within the operating instructions. She wasn't sure if it was mentioned (she actually thought that it probably wasn't) mentioned within the operating instructions, but assured me that she'd check and make sure that it is going forward. Again, just a heads up to a GREAT product, with one issue that owners should be aware of. Take care.