I’m guessing this has been covered before but I was trying to hole hop today in the -1 air temps and my drill was getting so much ice build I couldn’t get through the 6” I was standing on.
Anybody had this issue and know a fix?
Don’t set it down in snow, all augers will ice up if you set them in snow
I just take mine into the shack with me if it’s super cold. I’ll sit outside down to about 10 degrees and it stays out with me hole hopping. I just make sure to toss it in my sled if I’m outside sitting to keep it off the snow.
Yeah point builds up with a cone of ice which shims the blade off the cutting surface. Need to keep it clean.
When you get done with a hole, run your drill in the water for a bit, then kick some snow away to get to the ice,drill down 3. 4 inches dry , this should keep it clean. Leave stand.
Great tips above. Mostly summarizing here.
Keep dry snow and ice away from your wet drill.
Keep the area around the hole clear of dry snow and ice particles. As you finish, plunging some extra water out to make everything wet around the hole helps.
Keep your drill spinning in the water, especially after the last hole in a series.
Spin and shake the drill dry.
Drill into solid ice to clean the head now and again.
If necessary, melt ice buildup using heat.
Bring a spare drill and/or human with second drill.
Or just walk over to someone with a STRIKEMASTER and beg them to drill a few for you.
Don’t set it down in snow, all augers will ice up if you set them in snow
I used my kdrill rig for the first time last weekend and would agree with this, let all the slush spin off in the hole and don’t set it down in the snow. Mine did freeze up a little due to snow but was able to burn it off by trying to drill another hole for a minute or two and then it started cutting again.
Or just walk over to someone with a STRIKEMASTER and beg them to drill a few for you.
They all freeze up at -20. Mine did too. It’s just that cold.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>c_w wrote:</div>
Or just walk over to someone with a STRIKEMASTER and beg them to drill a few for you.They all freeze up at -20. Mine did too. It’s just that cold.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>c_w wrote:</div>
Or just walk over to someone with a STRIKEMASTER and beg them to drill a few for you.They all freeze up at -20. Mine did too. It’s just that cold.
Yep, they (Jiffy, Strikemaster, Eskimo, etc.) all freeze up, just try to keep the auger blades out of the snow after drilling.
Mark
I like the strikemaster synthetic. The flighting can flex and will shed any ice above the blades. The cutting head is also less likely to get deformed like the steel variety and you can punch it harder to get the blades to bite as needed without worrying about misalignment. Best sub 7″ option imo.
Spray it with Pam, I like the Olive Oil ????
WOT for a second or two after you’re done drilling. That spins all the water off you’re blades and flighting. Usually only need to do it after the last hole but if it’s super cold then after every hole.
My dads K-drill does that and his strike master mag 2000when they have slush on them, the reason the k-drill freezes up easier is because the head(blade) is a different design than most gas augers.
Spin the auger dry after each hole. It will still build-up, but it helps.
I leave a hole with a frozen cone of shavings open and just set the auger into the hole for several minutes. The warmer water will melt the ice buildup after time.
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