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The way we see it, there’s two types of ice anglers. The first type, let’s call this group “Type A,” has perfected the highly desirable habit of performing seasonal maintenance on their equipment at the end of the last ice season instead of minutes before the start of a new one.
The second type of ice angler is, well, everyone else, and can often be found changing auger blades or doing an oil change in the back seat of their fishing buddy’s truck while driving out to the lake.
Now, we should point out that we’ve never actually met a “Type A” ice angler. We’ve been told they exist. But we can say the same about Bigfoot. That makes the rest of this article, filled with pre-season maintenance tips for your Strikemaster auger, rather timely for those of us that long to earn our way into the “Type A” group but haven’t quite got there yet.
With that said, here’s a few quick preseason maintenance tips that even someone with limited mechanical ability can pull off like a pro. Most can be accomplished in a matter of minutes with the most basic of tools.
The trick to maintaining a smooth running and reliable power auger can be boiled down to these 3 factors; good gas & oil mix, good spark and good blades.
Gas
Always use fresh, winter grade fuel. Winter grade fuel is formulated for the colder months of Minnesota. You can purchase it starting November 1st until April 1. We also recommend using premium fuel. Your engine will start and run better. If you forgot to stabilize any left over fuel in your auger over the summer, replace it with fresh fuel. Don’t try and run old gas through your auger.
Oil
Use good quality oil and we recommend using an oil ratio of 40:1 (3.2 oz / 1 gallon of gas). I know our fathers would throw in “a little extra” oil for good measure but the truth is engines have changed a lot and bumping up the oil to gas ratio won’t offer additional protection. What that extra oil will do is make your auger harder to start, be more likely to cause issues with the carburetor and leave unburned oil leaking out your muffler. Our advice for fool-proof gas to oil ratio accuracy is to buy oil in the small bottles that come pre-measured with 3.2 Oz. of oil that is to be added to 1 gallon of gas.
PS - You can use a 40:1 gas to oil mixture even if your engine states 24:1. The good news is you’ll use less oil and your auger will run better and cleaner after the switch to the leaner mixture.
Spark
If your auger is running rough or starting to back-fire, you likely need to change out the spark plug. Even if you’re not experiencing these issues now’s the time to take out the plug and check it over for deposit build-up around or on the electrode, cracks in the insulator or other signs of wear.
Blades
If you remember your auger cutting a bit slower at the end of last season, its time to replace the blades. The chance that they magically sharpen themselves over the summer are slim so why wait to do it until after you’re first trip out on the ice? And while you’re replacing the worn out blades you might want to consider picking up a spare “just in case” set as well. As in “just in case” your brother-in-law drills a hole in 1’ of water and hits rock on the bottom of the lake. Not that this has ever happened to us.
Starter Rope
99% of all recoil problems are the result of pulling the rope all the way to the end. When this happens the rope can fray and springs can fail. If you’re starting to notice significant fraying or if your starter rope recoil is slow to retract the rope or doesn’t do so completely, chances are your rope and or recoil needs to be replaced. The way to avoid this type of damage is simple: shorter pulls on the rope.
Air Filter
While they do last a long, long time on an auger they don’t last forever. Over time they can get dirty and clog, restricting airflow to your engine. When this happens your auger can bog down when drilling or lose power completely. If your air filter is oil or dirt soaked, its time for a replacement.
Well, there you have it. A quick and easy pre-season maintenance check list for your Strikemaster auger that is guaranteed to help you diagnose and even fix most issues. Should you encounter more serious issues, like your auger is currently in pieces in a box in the corner of a garage after your fishing buddy ran it over with his diesel pickup truck, check out www.strikemaster.com for a list of Strikemaster Certified Repair Centers near you. They can take care of any big issues that might need fixing and they’ll be happy to take care of basic maintenance as well if you find that’s just not your cup of tea.
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