Strikemaster problems

I am just curious if anyone has had issues with their strikemaster augers. I bought mine about 4 years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It is a strikemaster lazer mag and right out of the box it ran terrible and jammed at the bottom of every hole I drilled. I took it in that first year to Big Lake to get it repaired. The hole jamming was because the auger pitch was off. They replaced the auger and said they tunned up the motor also. I still am having issues with the thing. It doesn’t ever want to stay running and I am very irritated with the thing. It just seems that no one else ever complains about strikemaster. I am just looking to see if anyone has any ideas and if it would be worth getting it tuned up again at strikemaster. I also would like to say that I do everything that needs to be done at the end of the season. The fact is this auger has never ran good and I was thinking about just getting rid of the thing.

I had a transmission problem with mine 3 years ago when new, they took care of me.

Dont be afraid to give them a call ask for Mike Kretchmark, they will certainly take care of you, or even take a drive up and have it looked at.

StrikeMaster® Ice Augers
17217 198th Avenue • Big Lake, MN 55309
Phone: 763.263.8999 • Fax: 763.263.8986

Thank you for the update. On another note the rod is awesome! Thanks again.

First thing to do is check the gap on the plug, I run mine at .030 you may need to go as high as .035 I use a Champion CJ6Y also run fresh gas with Amsoil at 50:1 ( I run mine at 65:1 ) and about 3oz of seafoam per gallon, fill the tank and start it up and run it hard then let it idle for 10 min hitting the gas every few min to clean things out

Mine did exactly what yours does,dumped it on CL and got a solo pro 8″ and I love it.

did u open the vent on the gas tank??

Yeah…. I know what you’re talking about, mine cuts ice like it frickin’ hates it! So my buddy bought one, Mine is a year older, his I’m almost certain it the same year as yours. His did all the same things, he got a new auger from SM, and that fixed the auger issue, it runs ok now, takes forever to warm up. Fix the auger, and dump it IMHO.

J

I have had my Lazer Mag since 2003 and the idle thing has always been an issue. But I treat it as a non issue… What I mean is that I believe my 2 hsp motor thinks its a motocross bike. I rev it with the thumb bar. It has ran like this since day one..

this baby tears thru holes like nobody’s business…

Ah, so that’s what I’ve been hearing. I thought it some kid out on the ice with a motocross bike. Instead it was just some kid on the ice with a strikemaster.

I am brutal on my augers looking to guide another 75 days this winter. When we chase crappies we drill holes for 7 lifetimes compared to the average weekend warrior. I have had a few repairs needed as any piece of equipment would be expected to have based on my usage. The Customer service department and Mechanical expertise at Strikemaster is unequalled IMO. I’d give them a call and explain your issues. I expect they can work through what issue you might be having. If your like me (Not that mechanically inclined it might be a simple fix we just didn’t think of).

I have the Lazer Mag Express as a back up. A 3hp SOLO as my main auger, and look to add a Strikelite in a couple weeks. Pretty mean line up!!

I was at Strikemaster Last week and a guy had a auger that was 4 years old and had to bring it in every year for a $70 tune up. He said he did the seafoam thing and new gas every year. He was upset/mad at this point and service guys tried to help him short of telling him he had a lemon. I think they had a bad run of carbs that year. I have a Strikemaster that is going 8 years old and it runs and cuts like new, fact just put on its first new set of blades and did a carb kit, just because it was that old.

Just delt with the same problem with my auger. Here’s a good start. non-oxygenated (premium)gas, Amsoil (I run between 50:1 & 80:1), you can run a hotter plug cj8y (ok with strikemaster)and make sure the air filter is clean. Made a huge difference with mine. hope this helps

When I was guiding I beat the urine out of my Strikemaster drilling easy 100 – 300 holes a day, I tried to use a CJ8Y and found that it worked better to just use a CJ6Y and open the gap a little more, up to .035 if you have to go past that then go to the CJ8Y and start at .030 and work up from that,

When I got this auger it was for the same reason , the guy sold it to me for $50 because it didn’t stay running. I did what I told you to do and it has run perfect every time I needed it, I have drilled well over 5000 maybe closer to 10,000 holes with it and it is now my backup auger

I had the same issues when I bought mine new 4 years ago. Brought it to an authorized dealer who tuned it up, tightened the blades, changed the oil to synthetic, and it runs like a champ now and has for the last 3 years. I now run it leaner than the sticker and the manual say to do. This website continues to give great advice.

There’s a few other posts out there too. I won’t own another one, even the hand augers I’ve had issues with.
Father-in-law just gave me his 30 yr old Jiffy(he bought the propane one), gave it swome fresh gas and it started on the second pull…cut about 30 holes the first day out with this dinosaur(orginal blades even) with no problems. I’m sold!
-Rev

it’s funny how the older Jiffy and Strikemaster augers have the same 2hp Tecumseh motor but everyone thinks that one runs better than the other,

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it’s funny how the older Jiffy and Strikemaster augers have the same 2hp Tecumseh motor but everyone thinks that one runs better than the other,

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Don’t go confusing things with facts… lol

Ha Ha..lol
I had to steal some carb parts from my jiffy to get my strikemaster going last year after it took a 40mph crash out of a sled
both are up and running now

I had 2 blades break on a new 8″ mora

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Any product that is mass produced will have their share of issues. Fortunately, strikemaster has been great in my experience to work with.

My solo142 had the wrong fuel lines from the factory. One phone call and the new lines were at my door in 2 days. I’ve been punching hundreds of 10″ holes and no issues

I had issues with mine for the first year and haven’t had problems since. I brought mine to the Strikemaster facility in Minnetonka and they fixed it right away. Seems like once you get it dialed in they work better than anything else.

The idling could be a simple carb screw adjustment. I too use the amsoil sabre oil and always use ethanol free fuel with a bit of seafoam mixed in every tank.

renagade4x4 wrote:

I had 2 blades break on a new 8″ mora

How did that happen?!

Had one like that, run like crap, replace carb the auger the transmission the first year. Still ran like crap nothing seem to help that piece of crap motor. Now have an ion!! push the button!!!!!!!! Love it!

roger wrote:

Had one like that, run like crap, replace carb the auger the transmission the first year. Still ran like crap nothing seem to help that piece of crap motor. Now have an ion!! push the button!!!!!!!! Love it!

Last Sunday a guy near me had his ion melt. I don’t know wht was worse, the smoke from the ion or the smoke coming out of his ears.

So I wonder, how many guys go back to the manufacture until it’s cured?

My experience with different types of augers is listed below. Between myself and my main fishing partners, I’ve been lucky to try multiple brands and models. To me, the people who use their augers more often are less likely to have issues. A gas auger that sits is only going to have more issues.

Strikemaster 2 Stroke: A Strikemaster mag was the first power auger I owned. The thing never idled decent and would only run somewhat steady after about 20 holes of feathering the throttle. It also weighed a ton.

Strikemaster 4 Stroke: One of my fishing buddies really seems to love his. The power is obvious, and it idles very nicely. A tank of gas would cut more holes than I could ever count.

Jiffy Propane: One of my hometown buddy’s father purchased a Jiffy propane 2 years ago. It had major idling and starting issues right out of the box. He sent it in, and it has run well ever since. It feels like it has a substantial amount of torque compared to anything else I’ve ran, but it’s an absolute tank to carry.

Eskimo 2 Stroke: A couple of my fishing friends run the Eskimo Shark (larger) and the Stingray (smaller motor). These both start on the first or second pull every time and are cheaper than the Strikemaster gas augers. They are very underrated augers at their price.

8″ K Drill on a Milwaukee Fuel: This was the best ice fishing upgrade I have made in the past few years. The thickest ice I’ve run it in was 18″ without issue. I get about 400″ of ice per 5.0 AH battery. IF you are someone who has a need for a heavy duty drill year-round, it’s a no brainer.

I have a 2hp 8″ jiffy and a 2hp 8″ strikemaster. Both are from the same year, I think 06 or 07. Same motor. Both run similar but it seems like the strikemaster is geared at half the speed of the jiffy. Takes far longer to drill a bunch of holes. I bought the jiffy because it had metal handles and the on/off switch was mounted on the motor and not the handle. I acquired the strikemaster and haven’t really used it too much because it was so slow.

Take it to D Rock in New Brighton Tell them the issue. They will do a tune and it runs better than new. I use Tru Fuel 40:1 or 50:1 It is a premix fuel LOVE IT
Use to use Amsoil with Non Ox fuel and it was OK.

Now the other thing I do during the off season every time I get done mowing the lawn. I grab a beer and run the auger for a few minutes.
Bob

Never had a problem with with the solo on my chipper mag. Thing has spun like a top for a few hard seasons now.

I left it in the back of my truck, on its side, during the bitter cold for a week while I was on business very recently. I mean bitter cold. Still fired up on the second pull.

I do run the fuel a little spicy. Super high octane premixed fuel, with a deceased ratio to 50:1 from the recommended 40:1, a little splash of sea foam. I did break it in with a heavy mix 24:1 if I remember right.

Strikemaster was the first to use the Tecumseh 2HP(80s magnum)Jiffy came out with the White Lightning model.Jiffy used the 3HP AV520 power head for almost ever,until the Chinese motors came along..That one had running issues if carb jets were not set right.Adjustable high speed and idle.I had one that never was consistent,until one guy told me to adjust them at about 0F temp to use for drilling ice.The ones that you hear that start out bogging,then rev up are not set right.Most likely high speed jet is set too lean.RPMs should stay consistent,unless forcing drill or dull blades.

I have the same problem with my Lazer Mag. Although, my auger is probably about 7-8 years old. I bought new blades and it didn’t help. I have yet to find a solution. Anyway, I took it into DRock to have it serviced and to look at the pitch but that still didn’t really help. I’ve always used fresh gas and winterized it in the spring. Maybe I will have to try the things that Mr Walleye and others have mentioned and see where that goes. Just wish I was a little more “mechanically inclined” to figure out these things though.