Powered drill apparatus

A portable power drill unit having an operational axis defined by a chuck means at one end and a substantially cylindrical or frusto-conical twist throttle handle at the other end, a motor located intermediate said chuck means and twist throttle handle, and a second handle located above said motor and extending transversely to said operational axis.

A portable drill unit having an internal combustion engine, a pair of handles able to be held by an operator, a gearbox including forward and reverse gears, a chuck means, and a forward/reverse selection mechanism connected with said gearbox, said forward/reverse selection mechanism being actuated by a forward force, or a withdrawing force, respectively being applied to said drill unit by an operator holding said handles, wherein a first one of said handles comprises a substantially cylindrical or frusto-conical handle to the rear of said drill unit and substantially aligned with said chuck means, and a second one of said handles is located above said gearbox and extends transversely to said first handle.

A method of de-accelerating a portable power drill unit in the event of an auger or drill bit rotated by said drill unit jamming in use, said method comprising the steps of:

• rotating the auger or drill bit in a first direction,
• providing a twist throttle handle having an axis substantially coincident with, or parallel to, the axis of rotation of said auger or drill bit, and
• arranging for rotation of said twist throttle handle in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger or drill bit, to increase the speed of said drill unit, and vice versa.

A gear train for a drill unit having a substantially aligned driven shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft having a chuck means, said gear train being interposed between said shafts and including an intermediate shaft substantially perpendicular to said aligned shafts, a first pinion gear driving said intermediate shaft, and a second pinion gear rotated by said intermediate shaft and meshed with two counter rotating crown gear wheels, each said counter rotating gear wheel including a clutch means connected with said output shaft, and spring means interposed between said chuck means and said counter rotating gear wheels to selectively engage either one of said clutch means to permit corresponding selective rotation of said output shaft in either direction.