THE MAINTENANCE OF SCARIFIER

STARTING

Most of our dealers will have the machine prepared for your immediate use in the garden. If this is not the case, the machine is sold with an operation manual. You will find a chapter on the assembly and the starting. Please follow it rigorously to start in the best conditions.

IMPORTANT: once the machine is assembled, proceed to the oiling of the engine: oil type and quantity are specified in the manual. After these steps, you can fill the fuel tank and start the machine.

SIMPLE ACTIONS TO ENSURE THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MACHINE

A regular and systematic maintenance after each use of your scarifier will not take much time and will ensure comfort and security for the next use. For more complex interventions, such as engine or knives maintenance, do not hesitate to contact a professional.

Cleaning: For better security conditions, wait for the exhaust pipe to cool, close the fuel valve then disconnect the spark plug. On the electric model, unplug the power outlet. Clean the cover. Wear heavy gloves, and use a wood or a plastic tool. Remove all the dirt sticking to the cutting cover then flush it with water if needed. Do not use high pressure washer. In order to have easier access to this area of the machine, you can have it tilted backward with the handles on the floor or inclined on the side, with the exhaust pipe down and the carburetor/air filter up. Pay attention to the cleaning of the wheels and wheel axles. Remove the dust from the rest of the machine with a brush.

KNIVES ADJUSTEMENT AND MAINTENANCE

The working height of the knives must be checked before each use of the scarifier. The knives must penetrate into the soil to around 3mm. There is a specific setting wheel for this depth on the machine. Initiate the rotor grounding handle then turn the setting wheel to adjust the depth. One revolution of the setting wheel modifies the depth of 1 mm. Check the knives, when they are worn, have it replaced by a professional.

AIR FILTER MAINTENANCE (HEAT ENGINE)

A dirty air filter can cause a difficult starting, a loss of power, a bad functioning and an accelerated wear of the engine. The cleanliness of the air filter must always be guaranteed. Inspect the air filter condition after each use, clean it if needed or at least every 25 hours. Change the filtering element every 200 hours or if it shows some weaknesses.

Several types of air filters exist according to the engine:

Foam air filter: Remove the element and clean it with gasoline. Dry it in the sun. Saturate with engine oil, then press firmly to spread evenly the oil and remove the excess. Put it back into its place, respecting the fitting orientation.

Dual-element air filter: Remove the foam filter from the paper filter. Check both elements and replace them if they are damaged. To clean the paper filter, tap the filter on a hard surface many times to eliminate the dirt or blow compressed air (2Bars max) from the inside. Do not use a brush for this operation. To clean the foam element: see previous chapter. Clean the casing of the air filter. Put the filter and the cover back in place.

Oil bath filter: Remove the cover, remove and clean the foam filter (see previous chapter). Remove the tank and empty it in a suitable container. Clean the tank with liquid detergent and water then dry it. Replace all elements and add fresh engine oil SAE 10W30 in the tank of the filter. Filling level is indicated on the tank. Oil draining must be done every 25 hours or once a year. The air filter must be cleaned regularly, even more if the environment is dusty. For more explanations, see engine instruction manual or contact your dealer.

ENGINE OIL

Level checking: it is important to check the engine oil level before each use. To do so, place the machine on even ground. The engine support must be horizontal. The oil cap is located on the front of the engine, it is also the level gauge. Unscrew the cap, take it out and wipe the gauge. The checking is done by putting the cap at its place without screwing. Read on the gauge the oil level, which must be between the low and high level, inside the hatched area. The level must always be correct. If not, add SAE 10W30 oil for 4-stroke engine.

Draining: the first draining must be done after 10 hours or 1 year, whichever comes first. Then we recommend every 50 hours or 3 years, whichever comes first. For this operation, you must make an appointment at your dealer’s or in a workshop specialized in mechanical garden [...]tools.

STORAGE

Your machine can be unused for a long time between 2 utilizations.

• In this case, proceed to a complete cleaning of the machine, inspect the blades and the rotor, and replace them if needed.
• Empty the fuel tank. Let the engine run until it runs out of fuel to drain the whole fuel system. In order to avoid any problem at starting due to the soiling of the carburetor by a deteriorated fuel, you can use a ready for use fuel, available in shops: this alkylated fuel contains less harmful products and avoids the scrubbing of the carburetor.
• If your model has a collection bag, make sure you have emptied it, and flush it with water on the inside and the outside. Dry it in the sun. Check that the tissue is not damaged.
• Check that every nuts and screws are well tightened.
• The machine must be stored in a dry and ventilated area.