ThunderBay Y43 Earth Auger Power Head

*UPDATE* 17 / Oct / 2017 - I've changed my rating from a one star, to a 5 star review. I think it's IMPORTANT to leave the problems I experienced in, to caution others to the pitfalls I experienced, to hopefully aid others when attempting the troubleshooting procedures I did. But equally IMPORTANT & FAIR, to highlight the EXEMPLARY lengths this company went through, to regain my satisfaction as a customer! I feel obligated to bring attention to THUNDER BAY, and point out the RARE customer relationship culture they obviously nurture there. I sincerely hope this will help give potential buyers the confidence they should have in this company.... It's my fault for not contacting them when I had the problems, but I didn't begin to use the power head until a year after purchase, when I was settled in after moving my 3 bedroom home 600 miles to a mountain parcel of 5 acres. Thunder Bay has a TWO YEAR WARRANTY, and I forgot about it. After my belated review, and email to them, They sent me a brand new power head, and paid the return shipping for mine. They agreed to fully refund the money I paid for the 8" bit which I wasn't able to use, and included a spare carburetor too! You can count on them to be there for you AFTER the sale! * T H A N K * Y O U * T H U N D E R * B A Y * I haven't run the new head yet, because I'm almost done fencing now (7 posts left) I may just sell it. But the model year is 3 years newer, and I'm confident this one has the bugs exterminated....==================================================================================================THE NGK IS A CROSS REFERENCE FOR THE ORIGINAL Torch L8RTC SPARK PLUG - THE FOLLOWING ARE CROSS REFERENCED FOR THAT NGK PLUG;Replacement spark plugs for NGK BPMR8Y:Brand ModelAutolite2974AutoliteXST2974BriskPR15YCChampion852ChampionRCJ6YKawasaki920702115KawasakiE920702115Tanaka018-04093-20==================================================================================================Now; My original assessment from a month ago, minus a few exotic French words, lol!....I put up with it because it did make holes.... But in the middle of a 4 post layout, it quit this morning! NOW, I'm going to put my two cents worth in - At best; It's a disposable head worth 50 - 75 holes. Since the day I got it, it never ran on more than about 85% choke! That took most of the power and torque away. But I gave up on the 8" bit (wasted $100.00) and struggled with the 4" bit to accomplish 4" x 4" & 4" x 6" posts for my yard. Now, this morning, it quit running all together! I checked the plug, sanded it, it ran a few minutes. Went online to buy a plug; It has to be cross referenced to get a plug locally! I ran the champion 5 or 10 minutes; It dies again! I go to take the fuel line and grommet out to check the filter, and it broke up on top and fell into the tank.

it does the job. easy to use and easy to start. It is a little to lite for my taste but if you have multiple hole to dig, it will get the job done.

When i bought it it had power for only half a day.. then it turned into a gutless peice of junk. And cant really run it at all.. it will not run how it should.. sure it can start but as soon as you try to dig a hole it does nothing!

For a one man Auger with a 8" bit, it has done everything I have asked it to do. I live at 7000' in Colorado with a lot of rock. It has the power to run through some big shale rock pieces and dug 25 holes first day. With huge chunks of river rock ( 4" ) it doesnt have the power to break apart, had to hand dig a bit but if you have alot of that, a 1 man auger should not even be a option anyways. Nice machine for normal use for sure.

I have put in 19 of the 100 poles that I need to do for my privacy fence. I am a 5'5" female and can handle this machine on my own and so far have on my own. I purchased a 12" and 18" extension and am able to handle the 12" extension​ on my own. Have not tried the 18" one yet. I am really enjoying the ease of startup and use with this machine. Very Very pleased.

Buyer beware. The product is what you should expect at this price point- plain and simple.The recoil broke soon after first use causing me to wait a week for replacement parts. Parts were sent usps to save money so their savings in choosing a slower method of delivery caused me more time lost.Customer service seems reasonable and they sent me two recoils for my troubles so I added another star but just make sure you call the number and not email them as the email goes to China. If you get this you will need themOverall. Personally I would not recommend the product but that’s me. If you need something for light occasional work then consider the cost of the product and the flexibility of having it when you need it vs your time driving to a rental place to rent an auger

This is a very usable auger. The power head isn't too heavy and it seems to have a decent amount of torque. The engine starts easy. If you're used to tugging on the starter rope a couple dozen times to get a weedeater or a chainsaw started, you'll be pleasantly surprised.There are a couple of things to be aware of. The manual says there is a two hour wear-in on the clutch. It didn't seem that long to me, but definitely be ready for it to slip during that time, especially if you hit some small rocks. Once it gets worn in, it powers right through golf ball sized rocks. Also, if you are digging in packed clay or other hard soil, do yourself a favor and cut some serrations in the cutting blade. The blade is held on with two bolts. I cut three 1/4" notches spaced about an inch apart with my bench grinder. You want to cut them at about a 45 degree angle to the blade.Unfortunately, I didn't see this on Amazon before I bought it at Lowes., but I definitely recommend it.

Huge time saver and much better then renting. Good price and it runs great - no issues