Question about New Strikemaster

[Luck e 1]

Just got it for christmas and just used it for the first time last night. Have a few questions.

1. The auger seem to come loose when i was drilling. I kept having to tighten it with the allen wrench. SHould there be a nut on the backside to keep it from slipping? Or do I just have to keep an eye on it?

2. When I get done drilling the hole the blade seems to get stuck. I tried to pull it back through the whole but the blades got stuck. When I try to give it some gase it just take me back down the hole. I this common? Do I just have to develop the feel for it? Or am I doing something wrong?

Blades cut like a dream.

Thanks guys.

[cliffy]

Good questions.

Mine didnt come with any nut for the bolt so I would say that is normal. I do check everyonce in awhile but have never had it fall out. The head and auger has always had a little wobble between the two...I just assumed that is normal.

Getting stuck? My only advise is not to put much pressure on the auger when drilling. Mine seems to cut much better if I just sorta hold it (slight upper body pressure) and let it do all the work. I would say that if you are leaning over and pushing down with a lot of force...your not doing it right. Some one please correct me if I am wrong. I hope this helps. Have a good new year.

Cliffy

[croixeyes]

To much force on the auger will cause it to cut to much to fast.It will cut kinda like a cork screw instead of shaving the ice as it goes.You will get the hang of it,just start drillin away.

[eurolarva]

Probably a 2Hp strikemaster. As mentioned above go light when getting close to the water. Even hand augers have problems when you break water. Strikemasters are pretty cold blooded and if you let it warm up the problem is greatly reduced. My first hole the auger wants to keep dying if I am not careful. After about 3 holes it will cut forever.

[jltimm]

Is it the Lazer or the Magnum 3 ? Let the weight of the auger do the cutting especially if it's the Lazer model.

[Luck e 1]

Thanks guys. That may be just the ticket.

I also noticed the wobble a little and that is why I just keep tightening as I go.

[upnorth]

I would find a way to keep that nut tight or you are gonna forget to check one of these time and the dang thing will fall out and your gonna lose the auger end of things down a hole.

[Huskiedevle]

My older model has no nut, just the bolt. You need to really tighten that bolt as hard as possible. I use a rubber mallet, and tap the allen wrench to crank that bolt as tight as possible.Hand cranking that allen wrench is not going to tighten it up enough. There should not be any wobble,'looseness', or slop between the auger bit,and the auger head.As someone had already posted,if it loosens up to much, you could loose your auger bit at the end of a hole cut. Definitely not good.Check your bolt tightness. That will solve your wobble problem.

[bigb56303]

heres just a idea try a little blue remvable lock tight on the threads then tighten it down good, should help it stay tight

[ChuckN]

I have a 9-10 year old Lazer and that bolt has frustrated me over the years. A few years ago I actually drilled a hole and the auger went down the hole because the bolt vibrated out, and broke. Unreal, but I fished it from 20' of water with an underwater camera and a long strap with a hook.

Then I put a longer bolt that threaded in and added a lock nut on the end. Well, the bolt broke, snapped clean in half.

So, now I have a grade 8 bolt/nut that better not give me any issues.

Oh, the wobble is normal. It's not necessary the bolt that creates all the wobble. Mine has a lot of wobble from so much use and it still cuts perfect.

[Powerstroke]

I have a new SM lazer 2hp also and I know what you're talking about. The bolt should be as tight as you can get it. I've never had mine loosen up ever. In fact it was almost too tight when I went to put my extension on last winter. Just put a little lean into it to cinch it down. The idea of some light lok-tite is a pretty good one. I might use that this year.

Also the "wobble" between the powerhead and the auger bit is normal. The wobble is not a result of a loose bolt. Its in there to provide some give for drilling holes and keeping straight.

The best way to drill through is let the auger do the work. If its not working well than you would need some new blades. Its easy to wreck them if they get bounced on the ice a few times. Also, I clear my holes of ice shavings while I'm drilling so that there is less slush to clean out. It also helps you see when you're about to break through. Then you can kind of wind up the motor before pushing through that last inch. Keep the motor running while you pull the auger up. It helps clean everything out.