Bluebird 968160040 Maintenance and service guide

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Table of Contents
Safety Information……………………… 3
Safety symbols………………………….. 4
Assembly………………………………... 6
Pre-operation / Starting…………………. 7
Operation……………………………….. 8
Maintenance……………………………. 9
Storage…………………………………… 12
Troubleshooting………………………….. 13
Parts drawings……………………………..15
Parts list by number………………………..19
Notes……………………………………….20

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Safety Information
Attention; this machine can be dangerous! All operators should ful-
ly read all instructions and use extreme care and awareness when
operating the Unit. Failure to follow the instructions or modify the
equipment can result in personal injury.
Thank you for pur chasing the BlueBir d chipper. It will allow you to clean
up yards of branches and twigs up to 4 inches. Please become familiar with the
unit before operating.
Enter your model number and serial number for future reference.
Model number__________Serial number__________
If you have any problems or concerns about this unit please call your dealer or
contact us at [email protected]
Mandatory Operating preparation:
 Read this safety and operation manual to understand proper safety procedures and
operation.
 Do not allow anyone to operate this unit without training
 Do not allow children to operate the chipper or feed anything into the unit.
 Do not put any part of your body in the chute area or near any moving part including
clothing
 Never attempt any clearing of the machine while it is operating or coasting to a stop.
 All work should be done with the engine off, cooled down and the spark plug dis-
connected and moved away from the spark plug to prevent unwanted accidental start
up.
 Do not operate this equipment under the influence of any type of medication or al-
cohol which might impair reflexes or judgment.
 Never try to retrieve anything from the feed hopper after inserting .
 Keep all observers especially children and pets away from unit including the dis-
charge area.
 Wear safety glasses ,hard hat, ear protection, gloves, hard toe shoes and avoid loose
fitting protective clothing.
 Check for all safety decals and instructions that should be legible

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Danger: this machine must be operated in a safe manner ac-
cording to the directions in the manual. Failure to observe the
instructions or modify or use the machine when repair is needed
could result in serious injury or death. As with any power
equipment caution should be observed!
Read the safety and operating manual: read and under-
stand this manual before operating this equipment.
Eye and hearing protection must be worn when operat-
ing this equipment.
Warning : Rotating blades !
Do not insert body parts into the chutes or openings
inlet hopper.
Safety symbols used on equipment

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Disconnect spark plug and read manual before servic-
ing the equipment
Warning: Do not get in the path of discharge de-
bris, it could cause injury.
Warning : Rotating blades!
Do not insert body parts into the chutes or open-
ings including inlet hopper.
Observe safety decals and their instructions.
Caution : Blades can cause serious injury!
Safety symbols used on equipment continued:

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Assembly
The unit is full assembled. The crate is held down by four clips, two on each end. Lift off the
shipping crate and remove straps holding down the unit to the pallet.
The tamping rod is located in the intake chute and is wrapped to prevent damage. After read-
ing the operators manual secure in the owners manual tube for on-sight reference.
Safety switch is shown to kill engine at anytime the unit is running.
Operator’s manual tube
Operator manual tube
Tamping rod
Safety switch

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Pre-operation
 Never fuel the unit or run the unit in an enclosed space. Residual gas fumes could be ignit-
ed by a water heater or furnace in a garage. Gas fumes are very flammable and you
should change clothes if some is spilled on you.
 Clean up any spills and do not dispose of gas soaked rags in the trash, they may spontane-
ously combust.
 Never smoke while fueling the unit. Make sure the fuel cap is secure on both the machine
and the gas can after fueling.
 Use fresh gasoline and keep lid on gas can when not refueling.
 Store fuel away form heat or flame.
 Use a fuel stabilizer to insure gas will remain volatile.
 Make sure the unit is on a stable level surface.
 Check all bolts and guards to make sure they are tight and in proper working order.
Starting information
 Check to make sure the discharge and inlet are empty.
 Fill fuel tank before starting and also check the oil level.
 Start engine based on engine manual directions.
 Allow unit to reach full speed and then insert material no larger than 4 inches. Forcing larg-
er than specified material could harm you or damage the equipment.
 Do not touch muffler during operation.
 Not every situation can be covered in a manual, use good judgement and never push equip-
ment beyond its capability.

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 This machine is designed to chipping small branches. Any other use is not intended.
 The customer is responsible for third parties and any damage to their property.
 When feeding in branches, make sure there are no nails or screws on the wood going
into the chipper.
 Do not overload the machine, never attempt to alter engine governor to increase speed.
 When the discharge pile grows larger move the chipper or the debris so as not to affect
the discharge flow. When moving the unit always shut off the unit and allow to stop.
 Never modify a guard and keep them in good working order.
 Never look into the intake or discharge chutes when the unit is running, debris could
kick-back at operator.
 Keep the air intake on the engine clean of debris.
 Never remove the air cleaner while the engine is operating.
 Never leave the unit running unsupervised.
 The unit should only be used with ample lighting (daylight preferred).
Operation

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Maintenance
When performing any maintenance on this unit, spark
plug wire must be disconnected and placed away from
spark plug to prevent accidental starting!
Servicing the blade:
 Turn off engine and remove spark plug wire.
After removing make sure the plug wire is not laying near the spark plug!
 Remove the nuts from the intake (or discharge) chute and rotate the chute out of
the way.
 Rotate the drum until the blade is visible like the above photo. You can rotate the
drum by pulling the starter cord but can be rotated by hand (wearing gloves) more
precisely. Remove the three bolts holding the blade and remove. Rotate the blade,
using the other cutting surface or replace the blade. Torque bolts to 37 ft/lbs.
Use blue Loctite on clean threads.

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Maintenance
Belt replacement and Adjustment:
 Remove the 4 bolts from the shroud ( two on each side)
 Loosen (4) engine plate hold down bolts (not the engine bolts ).
 Loosen tensioning bolts and move engine plate to remove belt.
 Tighten to tension belt to about 1/4 inch deflection.
1/4 inch
*It may be easier to remove engine plate bolts and tip engine to replce belt.

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 Clean air pre-filter after 15-25 hrs of use or at least once a season.
The pre-filter is easy to clean and the inside filter should last 100 hours.
Check more often if you are in dusty conditions.
Maintenance
There are two release
catches, one on each
side
Pre-filter
 Honda engines have a different filter, consult your engine manual for directions on
cleaning.
Bearing Lubrication:
 The bearings should be lubricated every 25 hours of operation.
Use a high temperature synthetic grease such as Mobilith SHC 220.

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 Some pieces of power equipment are not used frequently. This can cause
problems due to the fact fuel has a limited shelf life.
 It is very hard to remove all fuel from a carburetor so it is recommended to add
fuel stabilizer to the fuel and fill up the fuel tank.
 Run the unit for two minutes to get stabilized fuel get into all parts of the carburetor
and then shut off the engine. By having the fuel tank full it reduces air space which
helps with prolonging the life of the fuel.
 Even when using stabilized fuel if the unit is not run for over 6 months the sta-
bilized fuel should be discarded (please dispose of correctly according to local
codes) and refilled with fresh fuel.
 Using old fuel can leave deposits in the engine and cause starting issues.
 Make sure unit is clean before storage. The unit can be washed out with the en-
gine running but make sure it dries completely before storing.
 Change oil as prescribed in the engine manual that comes with the unit.
Storage

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Clearing a clogged intake chute:
Remove the nuts and rotate either chute to access the blade area. Try clearing in-
take chute first.
When performing any maintenance on this unit, spark
plug wire must be disconnected and located away
from spark plug to prevent accidental starting! Wear
gloves when working in blade area!
Troubleshooting

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Troubleshooting
 Try to stop to refuel before running out of gas. If you run out of gas while
running the unit , you may have to unclog chute before restarting. Make sure
chute is clear before shutting down unit.
 If output chute clogs, the procedure is similar to the clearing input
chute.
 Remember to turn off engine before removing chute
 If the starter is hard to pull make sure the blade is not jammed. If you
pull a starter cord with the blade jammed you will break the rope.

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1. Tamper……………..…………………….577120807
2. Debris guard …………………………….577120740
3. Handles…………………………………..577120430
4. Input extension……………………..........577120429
5. Stop switch………………………………577121106
6. Input chute ……………………….…. …577120753
7. Holder for manual……………………….577121105
8. Bearing………………………………..…577120736
9. Wheel plate and nuts…………………….577120752
10. Cross brace kit…………………………..577120783
11. Wheel hub……………………………….577120806
12. Angle…………………………………….577120742
13. Cutting block and bolts………………….577120422
14. Blank
15. Stand…………………………………….577120768
16. Tow bar………………………………….577120933
17. Engine plate……………………………..577120809
18. Output chute…………………………….577120763
19. Deflector………………………………...577120764
20. Bearing and cap/ bolts…………………..577120735
21. Lift handle………………………………577120770
22. Blade set………………………………...577120426
23. Cutting drum……………………………577120738
24. Blank
25.Tire with hub…………………………….577120749
26. Belt guard……………………………….577120792
27. Belt……………………………………...577120433
28. Pulley and bushing……………………...577120796
29. Back plate……………………………….577120791
30. Lower pulley…………………………….577120435
PARTS DESCRIPTION

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Manual # 160 120939 RM
BlueBird Turf Products
68 S Squirrel Rd
Auburn Hills MI 48326
Notes:
9/3/17