Auger case or Snap guard for my Solo

OK guys help me out with choosing one or the other. I’m thinking a full auger case would be nice but it might also be a pita having to put it in and take it out. The Snap cover looks like it should work well but costs more than a full case! I think it is over priced for a piece of plastic but what isn’t today. It would be really nice if Strikemaster would use this cover on their augers!!!! HINT HINT.

By the way Glenns Outdoors is a great place to buy stuff, good prices and free shipping, and for us WI guys no tax!!!

http://www.coldsnapcover.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=page/page_cd=info/info.htm

http://www.glensoutdoors.com/Glen-s-Elite-Outdoor-Series-Auger-Bag-p/geoab.htm

I just bought an old 1975 Arctic Cat Pantera for ice fishing and I think I’m going to add an auger mount to the front of the sled which would make me lean toward the snap cover. Anyone have suggestions for a good auger mount for the front of a sled. I was thinking about using the ATV TEK-FLEX grip and modifying it to fit the sled bumper.

Is there any concern about having the motor of the auger only supported by a single point on the upper end of the shaft?

http://atv-tek.com/flexgrip_single.html

Link to Special Pricing on StrikMaster Auger Bags<<

I picked up one of these a few years back and had the same concerns you have, but no more!
They slide in and out I would say easier than strapping on the plastic covers. If you have to do any walking they are awesome!

Less than $50.00!

PS that’s the summer storage bag as well.

My Strikelite looks like new!

That bag looks nice. Do you put an auger blade guard on with the bag?

I look to add auger mounts on (2) of our guide sleds here over the next month. Most auger mounting applications don’t enable a guy to utilize an auger shield unfortunately. For guys transporting augers in portable fishhouses the Otter auger shields is hands down the right decision. It protects not only your auger, but the rest of your gear during trasnport. The auger has always been the item I’ve been most concerned with during transportion. Sometimes I like to explore without a portable in tow. For guys on the move easy access to the auger is a key component in overall efficiency. Having your auger in one piece….Priceless

My auger rack will be over the front hood in a horizontal mount. This can present an issue for guys sledding in tight spots, but at least you have a good eye on the system if you transport while transporting through the woods or on portages.

The vertical mount off a box in the back of the sled is just too high for me and makes the sled a bit too high centered.

Not a lot of help on which case for you, but believe your mounting system will ultimately answer your question for you.

Here is something I’m considering which you may also find some value in; Right now as I am in the design processs of my customized Auger mount; I am considering several small adds that can be utilized for Rods/buckets/flashers……..and so on. I believe I will have a small basket that runs between the auger mount posts. I will hope to have my flasher and small minnow container (Cooler) fit tight in that basket along with say a scoop. The basket will be able to be removed of course for full opening of the hood of my sled if need be. I also look to add a small basket off the back of the sled that will hold a couple items.

Chris,

I would love to see your design when finished. You say that Most auger mounting applications don’t enable a guy to utilize an auger shield unfortunately, why is that? Will the blade not sit down in the mount properly?

Is there any concern with the motor end of the auger only being supported on the shaft?

Something like this except on the front? I would like to mount the motor end of the auger using the composite handle so it has 2 resting points and supports the motor better. Do you think the handle will hold up to that without breaking?

Here is what I used on my old sled to support the power head. Worked fine, not sure how it would work with a cover over the head though?? The handle sits between the tabs weilded off the square tube.

Make sure to keep your headlight in mind when you start mounting up front. It is easy to forget when you are in the garage making your mounts, etc.

http://www.johnsonscargosystems.com/snowmobile-cargo-system.html

Nice but expensive. I think this might be the way I’m going to go. It might not fit in my trailer with the auger on the carrier but that’s ok. Looks very sturdy since it can connect all the way across the bumper.

Husky,

I like that idea for the powerhead, full support across the handle. Some great ideas here!!!

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That bag looks nice. Do you put an auger blade guard on with the bag?

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No Sir, it’s build into the bottom of the bag. There’s a poly piece that’s inside the shaft area to keep the bags “form”.

Placing the auger in the bag and zipping it up has got to be almost the same time as it takes to put on the plastic cap.

Here’s my auger rack a friend made for me. It cradles the Solo powerhead and auger perfectly. It went through trial and error last season with a lot of abuse, and one modification was made this year at the welds to strengthen it up. It’s fully removable and adjustable in height with 2 pins. You can lower it far down, or high to put 5 gallon bucket underneath. It doesn’t affect center of gravity on a heavy machine like my T660. It also quick attachs to my ATV within a few seconds.

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Chris,

I would love to see your design when finished. You say that Most auger mounting applications don’t enable a guy to utilize an auger shield unfortunately, why is that? Will the blade not sit down in the mount properly?

Is there any concern with the motor end of the auger only being supported on the shaft?

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What I am referring to by the Auger Shield is the fully full molded sleeve your Auger slides into. Most auger brackets on the blade end don’t accomodate the oval shield that I’ve seen.

Supporting the head in 2 or 3 positions will be important to me. Supporting the auger by just one side of the handle is asking for trouble in my mind. I would want the head side of our auger to be supported at the shaft and the secured with both side handles locked down into position.

I will definately take close photo’s of my set up when it is done. Surely each angler can design a system to best fit their needs, but could be a starting point for others.

Start first by listing your NEEDS on your trip assuming you might not always tow a portable.

For Me it is Auger,bait, Rods and a flasher. They will all I assure you be tightly and safely secured. I plan to uitilize the Otter Rod case and build a system that allows this protective case to fit nicely within the system. I also think the simple covered 5 gallon pails are something that should be incorporated. Cheap, protective and waterproof.

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Here’s my auger rack a friend made for me. It cradles the Solo powerhead and auger perfectly. It went through trial and error last season with a lot of abuse, and one modification was made this year at the welds to strengthen it up. It’s fully removable and adjustable in height with 2 pins. You can lower it far down, or high to put 5 gallon bucket underneath. It doesn’t affect center of gravity on a heavy machine like my T660. It also quick attachs to my ATV within a few seconds.

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Very Nice Chuck!!

I think I found what I’m going to use to mount the power head to the frame that I will make. I think this will hold it securely.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=746697&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&itemGUID=463542afac10705519378d8d516e5080&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products&destination=/checkout/basket.jsp

Ah the world of auger racks lol, I have built them both ways for my machines front and back mount. I like the front mounts equil to the back mounts. some of my back mounts have a little less bling on them like the one at the top of the page. I wouldent like one to be over kill wide for trailering anywhere. Id go with just an auger rack and call it good IMO less is best on rear mounts less stress on the tunnel off weighting them. The one from Johnson’s Id like to hear some more on I dont know anyone who has used them. Here is a picfrom my old sled It costed me 23 dollars to build tubeing, box & stainless bolts. The only thing I would have done different would have been to build it with a little more head support for the auger.

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Supporting the auger by just one side of the handle is asking for trouble in my mind.

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I’ve run mnine that way for about 4 years now without any hint of an issue…..Pack ice on Superior & The Apostles, Mille Lacs, Waubay, Okoboji and portages in Northeren Wisconsin and Minnesota, so it’s been through some rough territory. If you run a 4-stroke auger, it’s the ONLY way to carry the auger.

-Munchy

Hi Rod,

I’m interested in why you can’t split the support between the shaft of the auger and the handle. This seems as though it would help minimize overall wear and tear on the handles of your auger??

I presume your are referencing the inability to lay a 4 stroke auger sideways on both handles due to the oil reservoir being positioned incorrectly during transportation. Still a Shaft + Handle hold seems as thought it would greatly reduce the strain on the handle versus the system in reference where it is only supported on the handle.

On the contrary of your experience I have had handle issues, and though not something that can be attributed to transporting via Auger Rack; It is something I’ve considering during the design phase of my personal equipment racks.

I think I’m going to bite the bullet and buy the Stearns Mad Dog ice auger holder. I might add an additional support near the area that the power head connects to the auger just for additional support. I can mount the MD holder to a homemade frame that will attach to the front bumper of my sled. I think I will add a rear rack that will hold two 5 gal. buckets and my flasher.

http://www.amazon.com/Stearns-Mad-Dog-Auger-Holder/dp/B000H2SL8O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319815770&sr=8-3

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Hi Rod,

I’m interested in why you can’t split the support between the shaft of the auger and the handle. This seems as though it would help minimize overall wear and tear on the handles of your auger??

I presume your are referencing the inability to lay a 4 stroke auger sideways on both handles due to the oil reservoir being positioned incorrectly during transportation. Still a Shaft + Handle hold seems as thought it would greatly reduce the strain on the handle versus the system in reference where it is only supported on the handle.

On the contrary of your experience I have had handle issues, and though not something that can be attributed to transporting via Auger Rack; It is something I’ve considering during the design phase of my personal equipment racks.

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Oh, you could add some support for the shaft if you wanted to, but based on my experience it isn’t needed. In my current configuration there isn’t even really any room to support the shaft between the auger and the hood of my sled, save the 1 support at the far end of the shaft. I don’t know of any other “store bought” auger systems that do both…..they either do one (Digger/StrikeMaster mount) or the other (Mad Dog and similar mounts).

There’s quite a difference between the force a handle mount rack exerts on an auger handle, and the force encountered in the most common types of handle breaks. Your usual breakage results from a sudden stop at the end of a short period of acceleration…such as dropping the auger on its handle or sliding it out of the truck and the handle catching on something. F=M*A, right? The forces encountered in a handle-mount rack are more of a twisting, rotational or torque. Since the handle is secured in the bracket itself, there really is no acceleration followed by a sudden stop. Even in jack-rabbit starts and stops, the linear acceleration/deceleration of the sled is translated into torsional movements of the auger head. These torsional forces are no greater than the torque placed on the handles through the high-torque act of drilling holes through the ice….which is kinda what they’re designed to do. It would take 1 HECK of a stop to create a torsional force equal to the linear accel/decel required to break a handle. If that type of accel/decel were to occur, trust me, a broken auger handle would be the least of your worries.

-Munchy

Good information Rod

All of our trips are via snowmobile. 60 mile round trips aren’t uncommon. Rough terrain is always experienced somewhere along the ride. Gear must be secured or simply will be broken. Still your words are well received, and torque placed on the handle of an auger during the drilling process should be much more extreme than the cushioned ride on one of our guide sleds.

My first sled we’re rigging is a 2-up Polaris Edge. It has a bit more plastic molding lining the aluminum in areas making the mounting process a bit more difficult. We’re trying to define the best areas to fit this auger rack.

Beyond that I hope to have a seperate rack on top of the back built in storage box this Edge has from Polaris. Again the Plastic molding is making it a bit more difficult to access mounting points. I guess that’s what you deal with when you transform a trail riding sled into a utility sled.

Here’s a little better pic. Ideas are MORE than welcome. Just not sure I can make the store bought set up work?

Here is what I made using the Moose auger carrier

Here is link to the tube.

https://www.denniskirk.com/moose/quick-release-ice-augur-holder.p514782.prd