What Drill Setting For Ice Auger
Your drilling performance on ice depends on various factors. We understand your drilling techniques and skills play a key role. But one of the crucial aspects is using the right drilling mode. Do you know what drill setting for the ice auger should be used?
An ice auger has three settings: “Drill”, “Screw”, and “Hammer” Mode. But the “Drill” function is the only one suitable for ice drilling. This function has the lowest speed but offers the optimal torque to drill ice and create holes perfectly.
Various Types Of Drill Setting For Ice Augers
Have you ever checked what settings are available for an ice auger?
It can be confusing if you have not used any ice auger in the past.
An ice auger comes with mainly three settings. But you can’t use all options for settings.
Let’s learn all these modes and how they work.
| Setting Name | Ideal Usage |
|---|---|
| “Drill” Mode | Drilling through ice |
| “Screw” Mode | Loosening and tightening screws |
| “Hammer” Mode | Drilling through bricks or concretes |
Drill Mode
This mode is the best for drilling ice.
In this function, the optimal torque will be automatically adjusted.
You don’t have to adjust the torque.
Your ice auger will get enough rotating force to drill thicker ice perfectly.
Screw Mode
This mode is the best for loosening and tightening or driving in screws.
It is merely used for fishing purposes.
Make sure to use a fair bit when using this function.
However, many other tools work better than this one.
Hammer Mode
This mode is ideally suitable for drilling through bricks or concretes.
It is mainly designed for creating holes in hard surfaces.
But this function is not necessary for any frozen body of water.
Which Is The Best Drill Setting For Ice Augers?
The lowest setting of the ice augers is best for drilling ice.
Some anglers misunderstood this concept. A few new users think the higher settings will offer better drilling performance and drill rapidly.
But they are wrong! Unfortunately, it does the opposite. The lower the speed, the higher the torque.
When you drill ice, only use the “Drill” Mode. No other modes.
If you move to a higher speed, it decreases the torque. With lower torque, your ice augers will struggle to rotate smoothly in the ice.
At higher speeds, your ice augers will face more resistance and fail to drill ice effectively.
What Drilling Settings Should You Use For Handheld Ice Augers?
Handheld or manual ice drills don’t have any drilling settings.
The more force you input, the quicker it drills. Here, your arm strength works as torque.
They are manually operated. You need to use your physical forces to operate the machine.
Drilling thicker ice will be more tiresome.
You will have to spend more time creating large diameter holes unless your arm is as strong as “Dwayne The Rock Johnson.”
However, sharper blades will ease your drilling job and allow you to create holes quickly.
Which Factors Affect Ice Drilling Performance?
Using the “Drill” mode is not enough for a smooth drilling performance on the ice.
Several factors will affect your ice drilling work.
The following are the most important points that will determine how good or bad your ice auger performance will be.
01. Motor Power
Most experts recommend using a brushless motor.
An ice auger with a brushed motor will likely wear out quickly due to the mechanical friction between the brushes and the commutator.
Your ice auger may stop drilling after several months of heavy usage.
On the contrary, an ice auger with a brushless motor ensures higher efficiency and performance.
They are less susceptible to mechanical wear. Besides, they have higher torque to weight ratio.
This allows you to operate the machine efficiently for a long time.
02. Drill Chuck
Have you noticed that the drill bit of your ice auger has a chuck?
It is mainly a spindle-mounted mechanism that keeps the drilling bit in a centered position.
Most experts recommended using a 1/2-inch drill chuck.
The main advantage of this particular size drill chuck is that it helps the device to apply additional torque on the bit.
This comes in handy on the slippery ice surface.
03. Battery Power
Electric ice drills rely on batteries. Your ice drilling device should have a minimum of 5 AMP power.
You can run the ice drill for 10 to 15 hours easily.
Higher amperage-rated batteries are more necessary if you use larger ice augers.
Some options have 2 to 3-amperage batteries. But they are not powerful enough to operate the machine conveniently.
When the battery loses its half charge, its drilling performance will not be smooth.
04. Enough Torque
Your ice auger drill must have at least 750 in/lbs of torque.
For better penetration on thicker ice, higher torque supports your operation and creates holes more effortlessly.
The main advantage of higher torque is drilling more quickly.
Hence, you don’t need to spend half a day drilling ice. It will take only a few seconds to complete each hole.
An under-powered ice auger will overwork your drill. It will put a lot of stress on the drilling device and cause quick wear out.
05. Auger Bits
Another important aspect is choosing the right auger bits.
Ice drills don’t just create holes. They also remove the shaved ice substances from the hole and throw them out of the hole.
Auger bits generally work slowly with not-so-high pressure.
Most experts recommend using 600 RPM-rated auger bits. They work well with most ice drilling tools to shave ice rapidly and create perfect holes.
Why Can You Only Use The “Drill” Mode For Ice Augers?
An ice auger device is generally used for drilling ice. Each mode of the drilling device is specially designed for handling particular materials.
The hardness of ice and stones or rocks is not the same. Using either mode exchangeably will cause underperform or over-perform.
You are operating the device in the mode it is not intended for.
You might wonder why an ice auger has the “Hammer” mode if you can’t use it.
The “Hammer” function can be only used for drilling hard objects.
The frozen water may have some rocks or stones. Turn on the “Hammer” mode and run it for 2 or 3 seconds, and then again use “Drill” mode.
The machine is designed in a way that you can’t operate the device in the “Hammer” mode always.
It will otherwise degrade its quality over time and cause heavy damage.
What Happens If You Use “Hammer” Mode In Ice Augers Regularly?
Using “Hammer” mode in your ice auger continuously will strain the motor excessively.
The battery will drain quickly. If you use the function regularly, the battery will degrade over time.
It will not hold up charge for a long time. You may need to replace the battery or always carry another one.
Besides, it will make the auger blades dull or damaged. Blunt blades will slow down your drilling job.
You will have to spend more time creating holes.
This may significantly affect your fishing performance when digging more holes and catching more fish.
Summing Up
An ice auger’s performance is often determined by the penetration rate and how quickly it creates holes. This drilling device has the special “Drill” mode to run the machine smoothly. It won’t struggle too much, even for creating larger holes.
Before using the ice auger drill, make sure you have a rough idea regarding the size and depth of the hole. This will help you to determine how much time it will take to dig all holes. Now, you know what setting for the ice auger you should use and when to use each of these settings.
