Propane Powered Ice Auger

[Crappie Kid]

This is just cool - I dont care who you are:

http://www.jiffyonice.com/EComStore/product/new-pro-4-model-40,3664,46.htm

[eyecatcher01]

That is awesome! Wonder what it weighs? I was wanting to get a new auger but wanted a lite weight model....however that thing is to cool.

[Jimmy Jig]

When that small bottle gets about zero and half full not sure how it will run? I know with the small bottle and a heater you don't get much heat with it setting on ice.,

[thump55]

There's something about being the first guy out on the lake before the sun comes up on a cold morning and firing up the two stroke Jiffy and letting it beller.

This quiet thing will hinder a whole new generation from enjoying that moment. Just sad.

$500 for the 8" by the way.

[stumper1300]

They are anything but light. They are said to run 1 hr under a full load. Should be interesting,I doubt they would produce these if they hadnt done lots of testing to make sure there is not issues. They look to be very well built IMO compared to their two stroke models.

[NCESI]

Not ever having the opportunity to opperate one of these it is hard to say how they will work. Having some experience with propane powered internal combustion engines does give me some doubts as far as cold weather starting. I have witnessed issues with both generators and vehicle engines that were prooane powered and cold staring. Let say -10 deg or lower. So it will most likely work great in a fishhouse but may be an issue for thoes cold weather lake trout anglers like myself when in Canada fishing.

[Dacotah Eye]

Here is some information I found on another forum.


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I would like to address some of the questions that have been raised by people attending the Fish House Modification at Thorne Brothers and others that have questions by comments people have made.

Questions / Answers
The Pro 4 being propane there is:
-No Primer
-No Choke
-No Flooding
-No Smoke
-Quit operation
-Positive On Switch; to turn the unit off hold the switch to off position until the engine quits. Once you let go of the switch it goes back to the ON position. This feature will also be on Jiffy's 2-cycle units as well.
-4 Stoke engine which uses six ounces 0W40 Synthetic Oil in the crank case. Jiffy designed the engine with two splash paddles to insure proper lubrication.

Warm up time on the auger, I have confirmed with the engineers from Jiffy and 30 – 60 seconds all is needed. The way the engine is designed, being a 4 stroke and running on propane this is all the time that it is needed, if it makes you more comfortable run it longer to warm it up.

I did start the propane unit up right away to let it run, not to warm it up to see if I had propane in the tank and to show how quit the unit ran.

YES I did have to start the wheeler several times. The wheeler came from a trade show and all the gas had to be removed from the gas tank, there was barely any gas in the tank, this is why I did not let it warm up. No I do not like replacing equipment.

Jiffy does have a digital camera and dealers have been sent an art CD. If you go to Marine Generals website they have a picture posted, Jiffy's website should be updated around October 1st. Thanks for those that have posted pictures.

Since the unit runs on one pound cylinders the propane is much cleaner than what comes from bulk tanks, no need for a filter.

The propane unit will run a good hour under load; the ice thickness and drill size will determine the number of holes.

The performance of the propane auger has been tested -20 degrees with no issues. The unit uses a high pressure regulator unlike your heaters that use a low pressure regulator. Propane will not vaporize when it gets below -40 degrees, so if you are brave enough to endure those temperatures dress warm since your propane heater will not be working either . If you are experiencing any poor performance replace the bottle with a bottle that was stored in a warmer environment.

Ekruger01
I would like to thank you for helping set up the tent; I was looking for you later in the day so I could have personally thanked you and give you a token of my appreciation.

I hope this has answered the questions that have been asked, I will do my best to answer any questions that you might have.