Clam Plate or Side Arm for Power Drill – Lite Flite

I bought a Lite Flite this year thinking that I would attach to power drill.

For people that run power drill augers do you think having a clam plate type of support is necessary or can I get away with buying the Dewalt 996 drill (that is drill I am leaning towards) and then just adding the support arm that you can get?

I have been seeing both ways. I have not looked into cost savings with not using a clam plate maybe it is not worth the $50ish in savings to use just the side support I have seen guys say that those can break easily?

Any insight would be helpful as Black Friday I plan to pull the trigger on things.

Quick note the auger is only about 3-4 pounds lighter than the standard auger my Lazer Mag came with but it does make a difference compared to original auger when it is on the power head I was surprised.

Thanks in advance.

I run k drill 8 inch.
Do not have a plate.
I do not even use handle that came with drill.
Works great this way.
Less weight to pull around and more important to me is takes up less room.

Wardcst wrote:

I run k drill 8 inch.
Do not have a plate.
I do not even use handle that came with drill.
Works great this way.
Less weight to pull around and more important to me is takes up less room.

You are more man than me. I could not image using my 6″ K-drill without the handle attached. Be careful. I know of several guys who have wrist injuries from the auger catching and the drill twisting in the wrist.

This will be my 3rd ice season with my 6″ K-drill. I have always ran mine with the side handle attached. After hearing of several people who have had the clamp ears break off on the Milwaukee drills, I did order the clam plate just in case it happens to me. My buddies Milwaukee had it happen to his drill last season. He had no choice but to attach his to the clam plate. It does add a little extra weight but not a lot. I’d say just run yours with the side handle ( I hope the dewalt has a better attachment point for the handle than the Milwaukee does )

We were running an 8″ lite flite with the Fuel 2804 this weekend. Ice was only 10″, so not a true test, but it was smooth and worked great. I’d personally forgo using the plate, less to go wrong IMO.

I ran plates on my older Fuel drills, but the side handle on the newest is more durable compared to those.

This will be year 3 for my K-Drill with drill. I tried the drill with no handle first and being I am a bit older with some bad shoulders I then put on the handle and it felt much better on my shoulder and just easier to use. Last year the family bought me the Clam plate and I really like. For whatever reason (might be just mental) but it just seems easier and for me safer to use. Not sure if you need it, but for me it was worth it.

In the last 2 years I used a Mora, K drill and pistol bit all 6 inch. This year I bought the Flite Lite love it I used it with the drill handle and the clam plate. Except for the Mora and Flite lite this year I twisted off the handle on 2 of my milwaukee drills the older design not this new design they have. I prefer the clam plate yes it weighs a little bit more but if memory serves me the Clam plate and 6 inch LIte Flite was about #15 if I can’t lift that I should stay home and weave baskets. It beats the old #30 jiffy power auger that’s for sure. To answer your question I would get the plate if you need it great still might like it more when the ice gets thicker, for 4-7 inches I do just use the drill.

The dewalts side arms don’t break the drill if they fail, more of a band around the drill casing, can try it without the clam plate and decide for yourself.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Wardcst wrote:</div>
I run k drill 8 inch.
Do not have a plate.
I do not even use handle that came with drill.
Works great this way.
Less weight to pull around and more important to me is takes up less room.

You are more man than me. I could not image using my 6″ K-drill without the handle attached. Be careful. I know of several guys who have wrist injuries from the auger catching and the drill twisting in the wrist.

I watched a guy snap his wrist last year when his k-drill got caught up! You don’t get man points for not being safe out there…

Clam claims there is less torsion on the chuck, but I also heard that it stresses the drill trigger. Side note: I had a gearset fail on my plate, and it took them 10 mos to warranty it.

You are more man than me. I could not image using my 6″ K-drill without the handle attached. Be careful. I know of several guys who have wrist injuries from the auger catching and the drill twisting in the wrist.

I just let the auger do the work I do not put downward force on it when drilling.
You do have to hang on tight and be ready.
But no wrist issues for me.
I do have the drill handle along in case I need it.

Love these debates on the plate. I use the Clam plate and Milwaukee fuel 2804. Have used it with Mora, Lazer, K-Drill and now the Lite Flight. I’m 70 with bad shoulders and wouldn’t be fishing without the plate. It added stability and keeps the drill out of the slop. I’ve seen what these high torque drills can do to your wrist. The extra 5 pounds is a easy trade off for the safety and ease of drilling.

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I was using a drill on the Kdrill without the handle gloved left hand got caught, dam near stretched and rip my thumb off .. use the handle

I use the milwaukee side handle with an 8″ Kdrill. If Milwaulee is listening, please make a QD mechanism for the side handle I like having it on but it does make the drill + auger awkward to store.

Clam Plate for safety sake. A friend of mine shoulders are so bad .He could not drill his own holes. Last year using my Ridgid/ Clam Plate with 7 inch Lazer. He managed to drill a few of his own holes.

He said it caused him pain but nothing he couldn’t handle. As opposed to any other auger setup the pain level makes it impossible.

Watching what he goes through. I don’t think anyone should be risking
breaking or straining anything. Coming from someone who thought he would never recommend a Clam product for anything.

I agree PapaPerch I’m not a Clam fan never will be but they sure got the Clam plate right And I’ll give credit were it’s due

For me the a big advantage is keeping the drill itself off the ice when setting it down. The clam plate handle holds your drill out of the slush and snow. I use the Dewalt 996 on a clam plate with a 7” Lazer auger and love it. Normally I’m running the 9 AH battery and Swiss cheese the lake no problem. Best set up in my opinion.

The disc on the Lite Flite is rigid enough to keep the drill off the ice as well.

The answer is easy. Most likely the drill you purchase will have a side handle. Give it a try, for a while if you don’t like it, get the Clam Plate.

Does the clam plate connect right to the Lite Flite? Any sort of adapter needed? Thanks!

holehopper wrote:

Does the clam plate connect right to the Lite Flite? Any sort of adapter needed? Thanks!

Using a clam plate for my lite flite. You need clam plate adapter for kdrill. Works great.

Used the milwaukee handle till it broke, now use the plate. I would never go back – you dont need any preexisting health concerns to destroy your wrist when it binds.

The clam plate is always a recommendation in my book. Hands down clams best product. Also not a clam fan but the plate is a top notch product. Like many, I started with the drill handle until it broke (previous model M18) then got the plate and never looked back. Eventually got the clam extension and my auger is now one of my favorite pieces of gear.