Auger Questions...........

[jnorm1984]

I just bought a new auger shaft last winter( 2 blade strikemaster shaft) and have had very good luck with it since I bought it until just recently. I used to be able to just set it on the ice and with little effort it would glide throgh the ice like butter, then jut recently took it out and it won't dig in the ice any more, it just spins at the top of the ice, and to get it though I have to apply all of my weight and it is time consuming to get through the ice, and a pain in the neck. The blades still seem very sharp, nothings bent as far as I can notice. I really dont know what to do. I would would think the blades would gradually go dull, but in my case it worked wonderful on one hole, and the next one it wouldnt go though....Any suggestions???

[McGurk]

Thin glaze of ice on the blades? It's been pretty cold as of late, try warming it up and seeing if anything melts off.

[jnorm1984]

I've been keeping it in the house with me, so its not staying iced up... Im not sure what to try...

[BIG DS]

The blades may feel sharp, but that does not mean that they are sharp enough to cut the ice. Try a new set of blades first. The lazer augers can be bent out of pitch just by bouncing the auger in an old hole. You will not be able to see that the bottom is bent enough to change the pitch on the blades. It does not take much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the Lazer auger is fragile by any means, but I have seen a lot of people trying to re-open old holes and they start by hitting the throttle wide open. That just causes the auger to start jumping around in the hole and it usually causes them to make a trip to my shop so I can re-pitch the blades. I would suggest taking a trip to Big Lake if you have the time. They will usually re-pitch the blades at no cost to you.

[jnorm1984]

Thanks for the tip, ill give it a try. I dont think Ill be making it to Big Lake anytime soon, Ill probably have to crack and go buy a new set. thanks

[FL SNIPER]

Yep...try new blades and I think you'll be surprised. That's my only complaint against strikemaster...their blades seem to be fragile and can dull or get a "nik" in them and not work very well. I always put my auger cover right back on after drilling a hole just for that reason...so nobody hits the blades with a chisel or a metal runner sled or even an ice scoop. It doesn't take much to mess them up. But when they are sharp and working well...they are great!

[Duffman]

Blades can go from doing great to doing nothing in a hurry, especially if you happen to auger thru some sand left behind from sand clumps dropping off of vehicles. It doesn't take much to dull a blade for augering even if they still feel sharp to the touch, they just won't cut anymore. I'd suggest trying new blades first, and then go from there.

[Corey Bechtold]

One note on auger blade care, never slam the auger down on the Ice. This could change the pitch of the blades. If this has happened replacing the blades won't do much good. Call Strikemaster if you have any problems and they can probably check and make sure the pitch is ok.

(763)263-8999

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[Jim Hudson]

To me it sounds more like an out of tuned auger bit.. Sounds like the pitch is off.. Had this happen to one of mine a few years back... Unsure why.. but I suspect it happened when I lent the auger to a friend...

If you can make it to Big Lake and see Sy and the gang in the StrikeMaster shop, they can level it out for you again...

[Green&Gold]

I must echo what Corey and Jim have said. Mine has been out of pitch several times. It doesn't take much, but it also doesn't take much to fix it. Yes, you will notice better cutting if you buy new blades, but they will dull very fast and you will find yourself pushing down again when you drill. The Strikemaster boys have told me, "as soon as you start having to put pressure on the powerhead when drilling, stop and have the pitch checked." If you don't, from then on its just a snowball effect: the more you push, the more it gets out of whack, the more dull the blades get, the more blades you buy, and on and on.

[McGurk]

Is this "out of pitch" true for chipper blades too, or just the lazer blades?

[Green&Gold]

Couldn't tell you, McGurck. I've only ever owned my Strikemaster.

[McGurk]

The SM Mag2000 has a chipper blade, I bought it because of the hole-redrilling part. It too seems to have slowed down, I'll have to check the centering point for a burr.

[Green&Gold]

Oh yeah, that's right...some SMs have the chipper blade instead.

[McGurk]

Went to DRock yesterday, and asked about the chipper blades going out of pitch. He said that there is almost no way that that can happen, but did ask if I made sure the blade was mounted up over the bottom flighting, and not underneath it. I sharpened up the centering point and there was a noticeable difference. I need to just buy a Lazer shaft to get the results I'm looking for.