New Product Spotlight: Ice Troller Auger Carrier

Ice fishing has certainly transformed in the last thirty years and one would be suffice to say that it has really evolved in the last five to ten.  With advancements in modern electronics, clothing, tackle, and various other fishing gear we are able to fish longer, more comfortably, and cover more water then ever before.

One such advancement would be the advent of using transportation while on the ice.  For many anglers, especially those in the southern fringe of the ice belt, that mode of transportation is either an ATV, UTV, or snowmobile since the ice isn't always safe enough for truck or car traffic.  For some anglers, those aforementioned vehicles have almost become like bass boats due to all of the gear they store.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as that will be a topic for another day!

In this entry i will be discussing the Ice Troller Auger Carrier which is made by Digger Anchor of Sauk Centre, MN.  This is the same company which has brought you the Freshwater Digger Anchor, the Digger Ice Angel, and various other fishing related gear.

The problem with designing an auger rack is that you have many companies making augers these days and each company will generally make numerous models as part of their product line.  Not every auger's engine, gear case, and flighting are in the same location so designing a rack can be a nightmare.  The boys at Digger Anchor were able to design an auger carrier which will work with most of the major auger manufacturers and can be mounted to an atv and a snowmobile.

I was first introduced to this auger mount while i was up at StrikeMaster a few weeks ago picking up my new Strike Lite II four stroke auger.  I was impressed with the construction of the auger mount and it's ease of use.  The auger mount is made of powder coated aluminum so it has a real nice, durable finish and is very light weight.  New for this year is each location where the auger contacts the mount is now plastic instead of metal so it won't be as inclined to damage your auger.  If you're concerned about the durability of the auger carrier, sleep easy because they come with a lifetime warranty.

The auger is secured to the rack via a clamp which you can see in the photo above.  The nice thing about this feature is that all you need to go from driving to cutting holes is releasing the clamp, taking off the blade cover, and pulling the starter rope; it's that simple!

For the guys who run four stroke augers, you know that the position of the power head is very important.  If the auger is in the wrong position, some of the oil will leak out and cause you a lot of problems with the auger.  Digger Anchor is putting a bungee cord in each box which can be used to secure the auger in the correct position.  That option does work if you have your rack on a flat surface.  Unfortunately, the front rack on my Arctic Cat ATV is slanted slightly downward which made the power head of the auger spin despite the bungee cord holding it.

To resolve this problem Digger anchor is supplying an aluminum L bracket for the auger mount if you request it.  What this bracket does is support the weight of the gear case and power head and it stops the spinning of the auger while in transit.  It made a huge improvement once i installed this bracket and corrected the spinning issue.  I test the mount out while going over some rough terrain and small jumps and it held up flawlessly.  Digger also included some self adhesive Velcro patches which i attached to the top of the L bracket to keep it from marring the gear case.

For the Polaris owners out there, they haven't forgotten about you either.  Digger Anchor has made a bracket for your stock composite rack called the Wrench-N-Ride expansion plug system.  This system replaces the Polaris Loc-N-Ride system and allows you to attach the auger carrier to your composite rack.

While the design isn't completely perfect yet, it is dang near!  What i would like to see in the future is a cradle for the power head which would further support the weight of the power head and gear case and also completely remove the potential of the auger spinning.  I don't think it would be that difficult to design and I'm sure that someone will come up with that design eventually.  Until then, i see this as one of the better auger rack options out there for a four stroke auger and i look forward to testing it more this winter.  I will be certain to give a report once i get some "miles" on this rack and see how it has held up.

(Completed Project)