Jiffy Propane Auger problems?

So i bit the bullet this past weekend a broke down and bought a new Pro 4 Jiffy

Went out the following morning in -16 degree temps and it started up just fine on the 2nd pull and drilled it’s 1st hole like a champ…
Drilled the 2nd hole and it died on me after that.
Pulled and pulled before it wanted to sputter and had to keep the thumb on the throttle at all times to get 4 more holes drilled. Fought it a fought it to keep running. Owners manual said if the propane tank is too cold it won’t run well and you need to keep a warm tank on hand.

Also noticed while drilling the 3rd hole the drill would stop spinning but motor was still running. Read the manual and it sounds like a clutch issue when too much of a load put on it.

Anybody else have problems like this?

Kind of a bummer after dropping that kind of cash on a new auger and then deal with this the 1st morning out with it.

If you just got it, take it back and exchange it for a new one.

A friend of mine has a propane Jiffy and has trouble when its cold. I have an older one (4 or 5 years) that I never did get to drill like the JIffy’s of old as it stalls as you’ve described. I went back to my trusty old Strikemaster Mag 2000 and eventually graduated to a Lazer Pro last year.

I have never run the propane version, but I can talk about the clutch slipping issue. The new blade is too sharp and if you put any pressure on it it will hang up. When ever I have put new blades on my jiffy I have run into the same thing. For the first dozen holes or so I lift a little on it as it cuts until the blades dull just enough. As far as the running issues I would bring it back and try a new one. If the same issues persist I would swap it for a gas motor.

An ice auger that won’t run unless the propane is warm. Sounds like it not made for ice fishing.

own a Pro4 and I loved it up until a week and a half ago when I had the same problem with the clutch. It has been at a service center since and I’m waiting to get it back. I would fix it myself but I still had 2 days left on the two year warranty. It starts just fine in the cold and runs perfectly other than that. I have never had any issues as far as starting it and I store it outside in below zero temps. Jiffy has been very cooperative with this issue but I hope it doesn’t take forever to get fixed.

Is it a full lp tank on the auger? I’ve heard that in very cold temps that if the tank is below half full it may not have enough pressure to work. Jiffy also sells tank “cozies.” A neoprene sleave that is supposed to keep the tank warm, I’m not sure about those…

I’ve been looking at this same auger and will be interested in hearing how this turns out.

Good luck.

Dan

Jiffy’s customer service is pretty good. I had so many problems with my propane auger that Jiffy replaced it with a 4 stroke

Used my son’s in WI and it was cold, really cold. No issues with start, restart or drilling.

I would take it back and buy a strikemaster. My jiffy has been a POS since day one!!

Yep
Full tank
Going to buy a sleeve and see if that makes a difference

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I would take it back and buy a strikemaster. My jiffy has been a POS since day one!!

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Yep I hear ya
Problem is I bought it 5.5 hours away from home

Think of your can koozies, what do they do? Keep a cold drink cold. A propane bottle cools from drain, not from the temperature outside. So if you put the koozie on, its just going to keep the bottle cold and let it get even colder as you use it.

Its a gimmick, been disproved a few times on iceshanty.

But, one fella said he uses those stick-on toe warmers under his bottle sleeve to help heat it up during use. That might help you keep the bottle warm.

Easy way to tell if a cold bottle was at fault is to keep a warm one on you and when it happens again, switch them out.

Talked to another friend last night that bought one last weekend. He said it was fine when warm, but once it got cold out it would start but would not rev up / drill. The sales guys told him that if you using for a wheelhouse or a few holes close to the truck where you can keep the propane tank warm they are OK, but they aren’t meant for the guys who like to hole hop or fish outdoors in the extreme cold

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An ice auger that won’t run unless the propane is warm. Sounds like it not made for ice fishing.

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What he said!

I got my auger back and it is running just fine. Still never had any issues with the cold. Jiffys customer service was excellent throughout the entire warranty process.

Good to hear. Only problem I’ve had is the coupler that connects to the can is leaking, which might have happened because of the cold weather during this last spell (seal broke). Taking it somewhere today to have the part replaced.

This is the problem I have. Seem to go through fuel line parts faster than the actual tanks themselves. Looks like jiffy came out with a fuel line update kit for those of us on gen 1 or 2 augers, so I’ll take a look at that.

But on the actual topic, I feel like I’m the only one here who has no issues with these things in the cold. I store tanks at something of a warm temp when I’m off the ice so by the time my fuel supply is -20 my auger is warmer and it seems to handle it well.

Used my sons in northern Wisconsin, with no cold related issues. It worked great and cut ice just fine. His is gen 1.