Drill attachment for Ice Augers

[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Has anyone used or know anyone that has used one of the chordless drill attachments for ice auger blades ? At $15-$25 they seem like a good idea, But if they don't work, then that's $15-$20 too much.

I already have a drill, and an hand auger that would fit either one of these. So, if it can do a few holes in the ice per day, it would be easier on the budget than the $200-$500 that a gas one would cost.

These are the ones I am talking about:

[/size][/black][black][size 4]The Ice Master.[/size][/black]


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[black][size 4]The Nimrod adaptor:[/size][/black]


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[black][size 3]If you do know of someone personally, I would appreciate any comments you might share - so would other folks that are cash strapped or have a physical difficulty with hand augers.

Thank you in advance.
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[petty4life]

i think bearclaw has one
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[Kent]

Smittyts has one. He used it at Huntington and went through two batteries in drilling maybe 6 holes through less than 4 inches of ice. IMHO not worth the $15 to $20.
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[Kent]

It looks like Tony has a different opinion of the value of a drill attachment ice auger:

[url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17312"]Click here for the link:[/url]
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[smittyts]

I do have one. It is called an ice kicker. I got it for $20 on ebay. I have seen him drop his price to $15 lately. I haven't tried it in deep ice yet. I drilled about a dozen holes at Huntington on 4 inches. Still had juice in my second battery at the end of the day. At each spot I drilled 2 holes, one for the transducer and one for the rod.

Here is where the difference is in my opinion. I have a cheap Harbor freight 18 v drill. It only has 300 lb inches of tork. yOu have to look at tork and battery life. I am looking to get a Hitachi 18 v that has 550 lb in of tork, and supposedly a longer lasting battery (still doing research on that). You can find drills with up to 400 lb in. of tork for less. I think Dewalt has one. So does Ryobi, but Ryobi is designed for light house use. When you go up in tork, you go up in price (generally). I will have to get the Hitachi used or refurbished since these drills are quite expensive ($200+). Might as well get the gas one if I'm going to fork out that kind of dough.

Anyway, if you have a better quality drill and a spare battery, I think it works fine. The drill also has to have a lower speed setting to get the tork you need. The adapter worked perfectly. It was the drill and battery that I have my complaints about.

I also think it is worth it simply because it is much lighter than a gas auger, and therefor means less for me to haul. I am my own snowmobile, if you know what I mean. Now if you have a snowmobile, then weight isn't as much a factor.

I have even thought of getting a second spare battery. Still less than a gas auger depending on the brand of battery, and not much more weight. Some of the batteries, depending on the brand of drill, are $100 a pop. Too much for my wallet.

Anyway, bottom line, I think it is worth it if you have a good quality drill.
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[smittyts]

Just an update. Last Saturday I went ice fishing and tried a different drill with the attachment I have. I used my Dewalt. I brought two batteries. The Dewalt far outperformed the harbor freight drill. I drilled approximately 18 holes the whole day. I never used up the first battery. The ice was about 6" thick. I am very pleased with the performance of the adapter and feel the purchase was well worth it.
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[Majja]

What size is your Dwalt?
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[smittyts]

18 volt. Not sure on the tork, but I can check when I get home tonight. The drill was not the most expensive Dewalt. My guess is that it is around 300 lb inches of tork.
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[Kent]

I have to admit that I was impressed with it last Saturday, especially after I realized that the blades on my 8" hand auger were starting to get a little dull. For most places a 6" (even a 4") hole would be more than adequate; however, if one hooks the big one at Strawberry or some of the other large lakes it might get a little exciting trying to get the fish through the smaller hole.
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