Don't Under-estimate Today's Electric Ice Auger
Why Consider Battery Power?Going green is also a reality in the ice fishing industry as the electric ice auger is gaining momentum for a variety of reasons.In addition to the obvious, no emissions, you don't have to start em up, they're quiet, there is no gas/oil mixture to worry about, no gas engine to maintain, no spark plug to foul, and you can convert a hand auger to battery power! About all you have to do is make sure the battery is charged before heading out. It is also a good idea to check the wiring connections once in awhile. These thing reasons alone should make you want to give some serious consideration to an electric ice auger, especially with the new 36 volt models available for the 2010/2011 ice season. Have a look at Icegator's 2 min. video clip below.
IceGator is a company that makes powerheads that will convert your auger to an electric ice auger. They also have numerous auger adapters available to work with these drives. New for the 2010/2011 ice season, they have introduced a 36 volt model called the IceGator Annihilator accepting an auger up to 10" diameter. Supposedly, it will drill over 40 holes through 28" thick ice on a single battery charge, impressive for a battery powered unit. The Annihilator operates the cutting head at 385 RPM. Standard unit comes with a 36 volt lithium-ion battery pack and 36 volt charger. Unit weighs in at 22 lbs. Of course you can still purchase the 24 volt Attacker II, but now it is also available with a lithium-ion battery pack that reduces the weight of the unit by 8 lbs. speeds up the operating speed from 350 RPM to 375 RPM and lasts up to 50% longer, per charge. The Attacker II accepts bits up to 8" diameter. The Competitor II is their old 12 volt unit for bits 8" and smaller, but now runs on either 12 or 24 volts. It runs at only 195 RPM. It does not contain its own battery pack, but has 12' cables to connect to an ATV, snowmobile, truck, battery or even a portable jump-start type battery pack. This seems to me like a fairly innovative solution. Keep in mind though, that these units do not come with an auger. You get only the drive and charger.
Jiffy has redesigned their electric/battery powered ice drill and have introduced the STX PRO II Lectric, Model 55 They've used a heavy duty electric motor. They added an onboard 12 volt, AGM battery. You can still use a vehicle battery, giving it more or less a dual power source. Unit has 2' leads with an 8 foot extension cable with aligator clamps (aka: jumper cables) The STX Pro II Lectric uses the HTT gearbox that allows up to 30% more holes between battery charges. And the drill is nothing short of the Stealth STX. It comes with a blade guard Available with either an 8" or 10" diameter auger Jiffy 1-2-3 Warranty: Engine - 1 yr, Gearbox - 2 yrs, STX Blades - 3 yrs. It's been my experience that Jiffy electric ice augers can be difficult to find. Now whether that's because they are just now catching on, or that they have so much momentum that they are hard to keep in stock, is anyone's guess. You can easily check Jiffy availability and price at Sportsman's Guide and Cabela's here. If the Jiffy Lectra models don't show up in the listed products, they're out of stock. Cabela's
Strikemaster has an electric ice auger that they call the Electra Lazer. It is a 12 volt unit weighing in at 26 lbs. The auger rotates at only 90 RPM, through a 40:1 gear ratio transmission. It uses their Tufflite Dupont Zytel handle and has a powdercoated finish. Two very nice features of this model are the external battery cables allowing for hookup to another battery (if the onboard battery pack runs out of juice), plus it includes a 12 volt , 1 Amp Car Charger, along with the standard 12 volt battery charger. Auger is armed with Dual Serrated Stainless Steel cutting blades, available in 5", 6", 7" and 8". Follow this link to check price and availability of Strikemaster's Electra Lazer ice auger at: Cabela's
The older electric ice auger model of Jiffy is the HIGH TORQUE STX PRO™ LECTRIC™ It is equipped with the Stealth STX auger, suitable for demanding ice anglers. The best transmission that Jiffy makes, their high-torque transmission the HTT, which is a single stage gear reduction with a gear ratio of 15 to 1. This gearbox allows you to drill up to 30% more holes on a single battery charge than their HST gearbox would allow. This unit does not have its own battery, but rather is equipped with jumper type cables allowing hookup to a truck, ATV, snowmobile or any other wet cell battery. Unit includes the E-Z CONNECT™ Connection Collar facilitating easy auger removal. Available with either a 6" or 8" Stealth STX auger. If you're not familiar with this auger, this page is well worth the time it takes to read it. The Jiffy Stealth STX auger. If you want to check price and availability for this Jiffy electric ice auger, please click on one of the Jiffy images above.
Jiffy Ice Auger terminology explained. Understanding the features of a Jiffy Legend ice auger. Eskimo Ice Augers Ice augers made by Strikemaster. Ice fishing auger Buyer's Guide
Buyer's Guide for Ice Fishing Flashers Buyer's Guide for Portable Ice Fishing Shelters Ice fishing basics Tips for More Success A candid discussion on Ice Fishing Safety Go from Electric Ice Auger to Ice Augers
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