Echo Bear Cat 73554 - Manual (Page 30)

Page 27 Bearcat Chipper Shredder Operator’s Manual
SHARPENING CHIPPER BLADES
The chipper blades will eventually become dull, making chip-
ping difficult. It is recommended that the chipper blades are
sharpened every 5-15 hours of chipper operation. To remove
the chipping blades for sharpening, use the following proce-
dure:
1. Loosen and remove the 3/8” carriage bolt securing the
chipper top.
2. Open the chipper top cover exposing the chipper shred-
der compartment.
3. Rotate the rotor so that the bolts holding the chipper
blade are most accessible.
4. Remove the two hex head bolts holding the blade itself.
Repeat for the second blade.
Grind the angled edge of the chipping blade to 45 degrees
Grind the blades on a slow-speed wet grinder if possible, or
have them sharpened by a professional. If you use a bench
grinder, be careful when grinding so that the blade material
does not get too hot and change color–this will remove the
blade's special heat treated properties. Use short grinding
times and cool with water. Try to remove an equal amount
off each blade to maintain balance. Replace the chipping
blades and tighten bolts to 20 ft. lbs.
NOTE
Never sharpen or grind on the back side of the chipper blade.
This will cause the edge to roll and the chipping blade will
be damaged, causing poor chipping and feeding of material.
Small imperfections, nicks, burrs, etc. on the flat side of the
blade will not affect performance of the machine.
Chipping Blade Sharpening Tips
Poor chipping performance is usually a result of dull chip-
ping blades. If your chipper's performance has decreased,
check for the following symptoms:
• Severe vibration when feeding material into the chipper.
• Small diameter branches do not self-feed.
• Chips discharge unevenly or have stringy tails–especially
when chipping green branches.
Before you sharpen the chipping blades, check for perma-
nent damage. Replace the blade if:
• The blade is cracked (especially around the bolt holes)
or the edges are too deeply chipped to be ground smooth.
• The base of the cutting edge is worn or has been re-
sharpened so that it is too close to the rotor chipping slot.
45 0
WARNING
To prevent personal injury or property damage: Shut off
engine, disconnect spark plug wire, remove ignition key,
disconnect the PTO driveline from the source providing
power or disconnect the driveline from the chipper shred-
der and make sure that all moving parts have come to a
complete stop, before, servicing, adjusting or repairing.
The chipping blades are sharp! Use care when working
on machine to avoid injury.
Service & Maintenance
Fig. # 10 Blade Sharpening diagram
Do not exceed the recommended torque value of 20 ft.
lbs. when tightening the bolts for the chipper blades.
IMPORTANT