Auger tip!

[hanson]

Remember to tighten up the allen head bolt that holds your auger shaft to the powerhead!!

I know its the end of the year so this is a good time to double check your connections on your auger. I'm running an extension right now so I have 2 connection points. Both of them have started to loosen up and my auger was wobbling pretty bad while cutting holes the other day.

Many people have commented about possible bent auger blades in the past. I'm willing to bet they had a loose allen bolt.

I decided to pull out the allen wrench to double check and they were definitely loose. I tightened them up and I was good to go!

How many of you keep the appropriate size allen wrench in your tackle box?? Saved the day for me.

[icehousebob]

Isn't it easier to just carry a strong magnet and a heavy cord to retrieve to auger when it falls to the bottom?

[ChuckN]

I got sick and tired of that bolt loosening up, and especially after I fished my auger head out of 20 feet of water!

Do yourself a favor and put in a whole new bolt/washer/locktite nut to seal the deal. You won't have any issues again.

[MercMan]

I used my brand new Strikemaster a couple of weeks ago and on the third or fourth hole one of my blades fell off. I contacted Strikemaster and they were kind enough to replace the blades for me. The paint wasn't even worn off the mounting holes. The lesson learned for me is to give the bolts a "tweak" before I take the auger anywhere. Stikemaster actually put a sticker on their augers to have you inspect the bolts. I just didn't figure that on a brand new auger the blade would fall off. Chuck has a good idea with the loctite. Use blue loctite so you can get the bolts out at a later day to replace the blades.

[Diesel D]

I have a question for anyone who wants to chime in.

I have a very old (20+ yrs) 10" power auger with a Techumsch(sp?) motor. I don't know the brand but it is bright orange and loud as you know what. I am trying to replace the blade (yes singular) but I can't find one and without knowing the brand. Does anyone know of someone locally that would have old blades like this?

It is rectangle about 2"D X 3.5"W and the cutting edge has grooves in it.

Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ChuckN]

I have one like that, but I believe the auger is red/orange. It's a beast and ear plugs are manditory! I think it's an old Eskimo?? Stickers have fallen off...it's really old.

[Diesel D]

Thanks for the info ChuckN.

Actually, I was just looking on hsolist hoping someone would be getting rid of an old hog and would have a picture of the blade. Believe it or not, after 14 pages of posts, 4th from the last one, I found a picture of a Jiffy with exactly the same blade. The only difference is the drill is black, not orange. I have the auger with me so I am going to stop into Thorne Brothers tonight to see if they have something to match it. Who knows, I might get lucky. Let me tell you, I was out on Beebe (St. Michael) on Saturday and it took about 3.5 minutes to get through about 24" of ice. My ears are still ringing!

Thanks again for the help. Now I know its either an Eskimo or a Jiffy.

Good Luck

[ChuckN]

I have found blades for that old dog, just take the blade off and compare to the ones on the shelf. If I recall, they are pretty universal. That auger weighs as my as my Otter fishhouse too (in fact the handles have broken off and re-welded on, twice it's so heavy).

[Diesel D]

Like the old saying goes,"They don't make 'em like they used to"....well, that is a good thing sometimes.

If I remember right, when the blade is sharp, it drills really well though. I am sure the weight and speed of the drill have a lot to do with that. It sure spins a lot faster than the new ones but it is also 4x as loud.

I have another question for you. On the drill opposite side of the cutting blade, there is a small bolt with about 6 washers on it. Do you know if these are intended to be placed under the blade as the metal wears down on the cutting edge so it can bite into the ice? Right now when it turns, the cutting portion of the blade barely digs into the ice. Maybe if I put these spacers between the blade and drill, it will dig in a little better???? Otherwise there seems to be no purpose for the bold and washers. My father said they have always been there, he didn't know what they were for.

Any thoughts?

D

[ChuckN]

I think I remember the washers on mine too. I suppose these could adjust the blade cut, worth a shot to experiment on the lake sometime. I would try new blades first, or a professional sharpening person could touch them up too.

I haven't worked on this old machine in years and it sits in a shed in the woods far from home. Nobody has used it since the handles broke off.

[Diesel D]

Well, Thorne Brothers had nothing that matched up. They said it is either an Eskimo, Kluge or possibly a Jiffy. It spins counter clockwise so they were leaning closer to Kluge or Eskimo. Regardless, I have a very heavy, loud, dull auger. I am going to take the blade off tonight, lock it into the vice and try to sharpen it. It is my only hope at this point. I am just getting back into ice fishing so so I am in need of quite a few items (portable and a Vexilar) and I was hoping to use the old auger for a few years as every item I need is in excess of $300.

The inside of the cutting edge is pretty beat up, I will have to straighten it out and try to put a new edge on it. I will let you know tomorrow how it worked out.

By the way, Thorne Bros said the washers are there to stop you from taking too much bite out of the ice. They are NOT for use under the blade. I guess I better out them back on.

Thanks again. I will let you know how it goes.

D

[iffwalleyes]

That should be a Eskimo like Chuck said. I saw several of those come into the motor shop I worked at a few years ago. At least it matches your discription old, loud, heavy and orange. I might be wrong but my dad has a kluge and it is is a green/blue color and they didn't use a Tech. motor on them. Unless they used other variety of colors.

[Diesel D]

Thanks!

Now if I could just find a replacement blade, it could last a couple more years. I hate to not use it just because of a $20 blade.

[packattack]

Just another little tip. Take a some black tape and go around the shaft of your auger where the bolt goes through. This way even if the bolt comes loose it won't fall out.

[Diesel D]

Well, I just got off the phone with Eskimo (Ardisam) and the think they have a replacement blade for me. They belive it is a 1961g model. I illustrated a picture of the blade nad e-mailed it to them. They called me back and they said they have a match. They are putting it in the mail today so hopefully I will have it on Friday.

Very nice folks there. I just may buy an Eskimo when I need a new one.

Thanks for everyones input.

[jlm]

My SM LME came with the allen wrench which fits under the handle or someplace, I can't remember. I just know it is there and there is a spot to hold it. Sorry if someone already mentioned this, I did not see it in the threads but I read them pretty quick. Take a look, you might have the right tool for the job right under your nose! Good luck all!

[hanson]

jlm-

I believe you are correct on that. I also think I purposefully removed mine and put it in a 'safer' place.

[Tripleplay]

My SM LME was new this year and honestly the allen wrench currently fits so tightly under the throttle that I have to use a pliers to leverage it out! I'm sure as I remove it more times it is going to loosen up and I'll like move it to a safer place as well but at least for now I have to work pretty hard even to take it off.