Auger Wanders Intermittantly

[calli4120]

I have a Strikemaster 10" power auger and I am having intermittant issues with it wandering in the hole and not cutting very well. The blades are realatively new and on visual inspection it doesnt appear to be out of alignment.

The last time out I was on a lake that had very little snow cover. When I tried cutting holes in areas with no snow and crystal clear ice I really had to fight for it to grab a hold and cut. The hole would always start nice, but once down a couple inches the blade would wander in the hole and stop cutting unless I put more force on it.

The same day if I tried to cut "dirty" ice that had snow pack on top or didnt freeze completely clear it would grab hold and cut through in seconds.

Is there something wrong with my auger? Do I need new blades? Is it normal from augers to not cut real well on crystal clear ice?

Thanks in advance,

Adam

[laker1]

My past experience is the blades are not sharp-number 1 reason or the angle of the blades is not right.

[hitthebricks]

I had the same problem but worse, I would get a 10" hole with my 8" auger when it would finally cut through. A new set of blades did the trick and now cuts through like it was new again.

HTB

[ozzie]

is the point missing? if not then it is the pitch of the auger. final thing would be back to the blades. it does not take much of a nick to cause trouble cutting the ice but with what you described it is either the pitch is off or the point is gone making it hard to start to cut the hole.

[Hoey]

I do not see why the ice makes a significant difference. There could be a correlation, but I am not seeing it with the information provided.

I have had the same problem with my augers and what I found was ice build-up on the bottom of the blade(s). Hard to believe.

When this happens, the natural tendency is to push down harder and/or wedge the auger flighting against the side of the hole to get more downward bite.

My recommendation is to pull the auger out of the hole and lay it down so you can inspect the blades. If ice, or snow is packed onto the blade(s), use the cover to gently chip or scrape it off.

For me, the auger would cut great, then all of a sudden, nothing.....

[laker1]

I have just seen slightly dull blades do this, and it makes the existing pitch or angle of the blades more critical than which sometimes you can adjust.

[Powerstroke]

ALl the correct answers are here. Start with making sure the blades are clean. Make sure the blades are sharp. If you "think" they are sharp, they probably arent and if that doesn't fix it, then either the point or the pitch of the blades is bad from being dropped or bounced on the ice.

Lots of guys don't think twice about bouncing their auger blades to knock snow and ice off, but you will bend the cutting edge or worse the auger frame, by doing this.

The auger should cut through any ice with little added weight, If you find yourself leaning on the auger to get it to cut then you need to sharpen or replace the blades. I would find a good shop that allows a blade exchange. I keep one set on my auger and a backup set in my kit in case I ding up the blades. They are easy to replace in the field if you keep the right tool with you. When I return from that trip I turn in the blades if they need sharpening.

[calli4120]

Thank you all for the great responses. I have been really busy with work and havent had time to inspect the blade or tip closer. I will definetly report back with what I find.

calli

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Also on cold days after you drill a hole quickly drill into dry ice a few feet away an inch or so deep. That way your blades don't freeze up.