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My old two-stroke ice auger is getting old and temperamental (kind of like me). I've been pricing new ones, and they're not cheap--especially the four-stroke ones. I've also got an old hand auger that I used to use, but using power augers has left me spoiled and unwilling to do a lot of hand drilling, especially when I'm out with a group and need to drill lots of holes in the ice. I've heard of people fitting a cordless electric drill to a hand auger shaft and drilling holes in the ice that way. Does anyone have any experience with that? I'd appreciate knowing how to rig the connection between the drill chuck and the auger shaft, how powerful the electric drill needs to be (18V? More?), how many holes you can drill before the battery dies, etc.
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We are sold on electric drill. No more gas for us. Nils 6" and Milwaukee 18volt fuel...never used second battery. Punched on Cascade during day max 15-20 holes no issue...invest in the drill and auger ya won't be disappointed come next season...
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I watched K2 put it to work at Cascade seemed to work great for her and it didn't seem like she had any problem carrying it around and she's just a little gal (But Strong as a Bull).......sorry Kim had to put that in there[:p]
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Thanks! That's very encouraging! I'm not sure about the details though. Can you give me a little more information? Is "Nils 6" the auger size? Is "Milwaukee 18" your drill? Do you have to rig any sort of cross-bar to prevent the drill from rotating when the blades hit hard ice? Do you have any pictures of the rig? Not having to worry about temperamental two-strokes or mixing fuel sounds great!
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My big ice fishing purchase this year was the k-drill. I run it with an 18 volt Milwaukee Fuel drill. I will never go back to any other set up. It has worked flawlessly for the whole season. My friend converted his NILS 8" to a drill. He bought the Attachment from Cabelas, and has had no issues either. In my opinion, the key is the drill and the battery. If you have that right, it is a great system.
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I have a rare 4" auger I use with my DeWalt 20 v. lithium ion drill motor.
I mostly fish for perch so the 4" has been fabulous, drills many holes due to 4"diameter, is VERY portable, and is very compact.
I was at FL last saturday, ice nearly 20", and I drilled at least 12 or 13 holes and didn't even begin to pull down the first battery but I do pack a spare just in case.
My little 4" auger pulls appx. an inch of ice per revolution.
If I ever ruin this auger I will definitely replace it with a Nils 4.5" battery auger.
The adapter between the drill motor and the auger was about 13 bucks online.
If you purchase the correct Nils, it is already machined on the top of the auger ready to be chucked on.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Here is a link to the auger:[/#800000][/font] [url "http://www.nilsmaster.com/web2008035002.jpg"]picture[/url][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]. Comes in 4.5, 6, and 8 inch versions. Most of us here in Utah have gone with the 6".[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]You will want an 18 volt, cordless drill that produces a minimum 725 in-lbs of torque. My Milwaukee M18 MILR2604-82 does. They have been upgraded since I bought mine 2 years ago and the newer MILR2704-22 now has 1,200 in-lbs of torque. You can but it here - [/#800000][/font][url "http://www.cpomilwaukee.com/milwaukee-2704-22-fuel-m18-18v-5-0-ah-cordless-lithium-ion-1-2-in--hammer-drill-driver-kit/miln2704-22,default,pd.html?start=1&q=2704"]CPO Milwaukee[/url] [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]- for $299 with free shipping.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I have personally drilled about 40 holes on one battery charge through 8 to 12 inches of ice and never had to use the spare battery I always carry just in case.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]You will absolutely never want to ever use a gas powered auger again after you have tried this setup.[/#800000][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
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[quote SkinnyLynnie]Thanks! That's very encouraging! I'm not sure about the details though. Can you give me a little more information? Is "Nils 6" the auger size? Is "Milwaukee 18" your drill? Do you have to rig any sort of cross-bar to prevent the drill from rotating when the blades hit hard ice? Do you have any pictures of the rig? Not having to worry about temperamental two-strokes or mixing fuel sounds great![/quote]
Sure can: Nils is a 6" Drill is a Milwaukee 18 Volt 2604 Lithium XC 4.0 batteries. Comes with sturdy carrying case, extra XC battery and charger and yep it comes with a handle but I don't use it as I have it set on low speed (1) and if the auger blade grabs the setting on the collar I have it at provides a breakaway ratchet if the blade gets stuck. Haven't had it snap my wrists yet plus I don't max out the speed either and you want to use the low setting not high speed.
Entire setup Drill and Auger will run ya bout the same or slightly cheaper than the gas augers. Check ebay for some good deals plus no tax and free shipping that's how we purchased the drill. Well worth it as I don't have the nearly the auger weight including have to mess with the gas or oil and gas mixing and I never have yet to use the second battery...Love it just slight downward pressure and let the Nils do the cutting. Here's pictures of the setup plus Dubob turned me on to Cold Snap auger cover better than the yellow cover that comes with Nils augers.
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About 3 years ago I bought a clam adapter attachment for my makita 18 v drill. I use a 6 inch auger. I love it. I go to Strawberry (thick thick ice) and punch holes through the ice quickly and with no problem. I almost always get questions (or at the least odd looks) from nearby ice fishers, and they are impressed. I also have never needed to use my back up battery. Best $70 bucks I have spent on fishing gear in a while. Here is a link.
look up clam ice auger conversion kit on Amazon.
I started with an attachment similar to one of the pics above, bit this set up is much more stable and won't wrench your wrist when the auger gets caught up on the ice. I would highly recommend it.
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[#000000]I have a Craftsman 19.2 volt with 2 batteries and a 6 inch auger from Cabelas. I have never had a problem. Maybe a tad slower than a gas or propane, but it works fine. Use your left hand to drill with the motor against you, and you won't get the wrist whiplash. [/#000000]
I've attached a picture as I needed to install a frisbee and a washer to prevent the shaft from going through the hole to the bottom of the lake.
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Wow! Thanks to all of you who responded for all the helpful information. I plan on getting the right equipment to do some electric-powered ice angering next winter.
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Don't forget the ice anchor attachments for securing a tent. That's worth dragging a drill a long also. Even though I fish a 10" hole I still love the 6" Nils with drill for transducer holes and searching a area. I've got a cheap Ryobi lithium plus drill and can easily drill 3 dozen holes and and anchor and pull up the tent several times. It's also great for checking ice conditions early.
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This adapter is made by Clam, and attaches to a cordless drill. I use a 20V lithium ion DeWalt drill. My friend was drilling a hole with his 10" gas auger, while was drilling an 8" hole. It was just as fast as his. Although I have the small battery , I wish I had the bigger 20 V. I can still about 10-20holes with the 2 battery's. However ice thickness is a big factor in how many holes you get.
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my friend has an Eskimo 8" hand auger that he got an adapter to run in a drill, he uses a milwaukee 18 volt and drilled about 30 holes at flaming gorge in early January on one battery, it seems to work just fine for him.
P.S. he bought the attachment from cabelas and it broke the first time he used it, he had a machinist make him one out of billet aluminum and has not had any issues after that.
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I am planning on replacing my 10" gas auger and my two Nils hand augers (6" and 8") with either a 6" or 8" Nils auger attached to a drill. In researching my options, I noticed that some use a drill, attached to a clam plate, and some just use a drill directly attached to the Nils auger. I would appreciate the pros and cons of the two different approaches.
Thanks,
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Not sure Dubob will see this but if not, send him a PM. He was telling me all about the differences the other day. Since he has the drill motor Nils setup, he can explain it better than I.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I just sent him a PM.
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I like the setup shown above where the drill attaches directly to the NILS shaft. The plate requires that the drill chuck be modified or removed to use it on the Clam plate. Didn't like that and won't do it. I can still use mine instantly as a drill. Not so with the Clam plate as near as I can tell, but could be wrong on that. One of our regulars uses the plate and really likes it. I'll stick with my setup. You will have to weigh the differences between the two and pick which ever one will work for you.
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
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Thanks, ever had any problem holding the drill while drilling without a Clam plate?
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When I was looking into this I watched several videos of guys losing their auger through the hole because they didn't have something larger than the hole attached to the auger to keep it from going through the ice.
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