Dawson MULCH MATE DS1000 User manual

DS1000 Hinge Mount Installation Instructions
If you are reading this you are about to not only
transform your truck but your entire business!!!
NOW LET’S GET STARTED!!!
(2 people required)
Safety First - Always be sure to wear your personal protection gear
at all times
● Safety Glasses
● Ear Protection
● Protective gear (pants, shoes, Etc.)
● Respirator gear
Tools Needed
● 2x Claw Hammers (16oz)
● 1x Rubber Mallet / dead blow hammer (64oz+)
● Electric drill (cordless or corded) (½” or bigger chuck)
● ½" Torque Wrench
● ½” Drive Electric Impact Gun – High Torque (cordless or corded)
● T25 ¼” Hex Drive – T45 ⅜” Drive Torx Bits
● ½", ¾”, 11/16” Wrenches
● ⅜” & ½” deep socket with ⅜” drive, 11/16” short socket with ⅜” drive,
¾” deep socket with ½” drive, 6” (⅜” drive) socket extension, ⅜” drive ratchet.
● ⅛”, 5/32”, & ¼" Allen Head Hex Key
● 4.5” Electric Angle Grinder with Metal Cutting Blade
● Box cutter and/or scissors
● Crowbar
● Wire cutters
● Needle-Nose Pliers
It is highly recommended for anyone operating the machine to watch the
online training video and take the certification exam
1https://mulchmateusa.com/video-training

● Sharpie and or paint pen (No Black Ink)
● ½”, 5/16”, 3/16” & ⅛” drill bit
● Center Punch
● Standard Paint Stirring Sticks (these are used to check gaps)
● Touch up paint (matching truck bed)
Table of Contents Page
Step 1 (unboxing) 3
Step 2 (unboxing cont.) 3
Step 3 (installing the dual pivot hinge) 3
Step 4 (marking drill hole) 8
Step 5 (drilling truck bracket holes) 11
Step 6 (installing the Mulch Mate to your truck) 12
Step 7 (mounting the truck brackets) 13
Step 8 (installing safety chain) 19
Step 9 (installing hinge stop bolts) 20
Step 10 (installing the ladder) 27
Step 11 (installing the batteries) 28
Step 12 (installing the tarp) 31
Step 13 (connecting the backup camera system) 31
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IMPORTANT!!!
Warranty may be void if ALL steps in these instructions are not
completed
Steps 8-13 must be completed. Installing safety chain, hinge stop bolts,
centering bolts, ladder, etc
Step 1 (unboxing)
Uncrate your Mulch Mate on a flat, safe, level surface (concrete or asphalt
surface is preferred). Now it's time to remove the crating from the main pallet. You will
need to keep this pallet for later use so DO NOT damage it. As you remove the side
panels and 2”x4” structure, be sure to remove all sharp objects like nails, wood
splinters, etc and discard them.
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Step 2 (unboxing cont.)
Once the Mulch Mate is uncrated, it is time to remove the
install package/box inside the Mulch Mate along with the dual
pivot hinge that is located inside the cabinet of the Mulch Mate.
Once these items are removed, open the long cardboard box. It
will have the serial number on the outside of the box along with
the transponder number to your wireless remote that is in a
sealed bag inside the box. Remove the eyebolt(s) that the boxes
were strapped to and replace it with a 5/16-18 x ⅝” long carriage
bolt and flange nut just like the bolts to the left and right of it.
Step 3 (installing the dual pivot hinge)
At this point, it is time to install all the hardware needed to install the dual pivot
hinge onto your Mulch Mate. Start by installing the four sleeve bushings using a soft
rubber mallet (fig 1).
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These are intended to be tight, so be careful and install them straight and flush.
Now your hinge is ready to be installed. Grab the longer of the two shafts in the install
kit and one of the safety pins from the hardware bag. This pin is what holds the shaft in
place once it is installed. With two people, lift the hinge into place with the large logo
facing away from the Mulch Mate (fig 2).
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The hinge should line up vertically in between the two horizontal mounting plates
on the Mulch Mate, once you have the holes lined up you will slide the shaft from the
top down into the hinge, making sure the hole in the shaft is at the top. Now install the
safety pin in the hole at the top of the shaft. The pin should go through the hole in the
shaft AND the hole in the plate next to the shaft (fig 3).
NOTE never hit the shafts with a metal hammer or object. If you need to force the shafts
into place ONLY use a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer.
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Next mount the Truck Side Hinge Mount Bracket to the drivers side rear post of
your truck bed. If the back of your truck is flat then mount the bracket so the locating tab
sits against the back post of the truck. If something sticks out off the back of the truck
that will interfere with the Mulch Mate, then mount the bracket so that the locating tab is
spaced off the rear post the same amount as that furthest point. The top of the lower
locating tab should also sit flush to ¼” above the floor of the bed.
**to know what will interfere with the mulch mate, lift the mulch mate up to
the back of the truck to check**
It is also recommended to space the top of the Truck Side Hinge Mount Bracket
¼” or more off of the side of the truck using ½” washers. This will lift the Mulch Mate up
to counteract the drop of the Mulch Mate due to being mounted all on one side of the
truck. The Mulch Mate will drop more or less depending on the rigidity of the mounting
post of your truck (ie. steel vs aluminum, size of post, reinforcement added, cross bar
support added). Modifications can and are sometimes required to be added before
mounting. Please contact us for help if needed.
To start drilling the holes to mount the Mulch Mate, we recommend using a
center punch to mark each hole that you are about to drill. This will align the drill bit
when you start to drill. Start with a 1/8” or 3/16” drill bit and drill pilot holes, then step up
your bit sizes until you reach a ½” hole diameter. Once you have all holes drilled out,
touch up any bare metal areas with paint to keep them from rusting (steel truck bodies
only). Secure in place using the provided ½" x 4.5” carriage bolts. These bolts need to
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be inserted so that the nut is installed on the inside of the truck bed. Install as many
bolts as possible.
Tighten the nuts to a torque reading of 60 ft. Lbs. Be sure not to over tighten
these bolts and damage your bed or the threads on these bolts.
Step 4
With the Mulch Mate still on the pallet it was shipped on, lift the Mulch Mate with
a skid loader or forklift (lift capacity of 4000 lbs and operating capacity of over 1750 lbs).
Make sure your forks are latched properly and they are as far apart as possible to
spread the load out. Lift the Mulch Mate up with the hinge installed and mount it to the
truck. It is easier to have the hinge slightly open when bringing the Mulch Mate to the
truck, then closing it into place to install the hinge pin through the truck side hinge
mount bracket and hinge.
With the Mulch Mate mounted to the drivers side rear post of the truck, slowly
lower the Mulch Mate down off the forklift just enough to put the weight of the machine
onto the truck (make sure the machine doesn't swing open on its own). Check to see
how much the machine has dropped on the passenger side of the truck. You want the
Mulch Mate to be as level as possible to the floor of the truck. Add or remove
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washers/spacers at the top of the Truck Side Hinge Mount Bracket added earlier to level
the machine to the floor of the truck. OR add reinforcements or a support bar to the rear
post that the Mulch Mate is mounted to.
If the wall needs to be reinforced, The easiest way is to add a metal bar
connecting the drivers side and passenger side walls across the top (Fig 13.). Make
sure the dimension between the two walls is the same at the top and the bottom (Fig
13.). When installing the bar you will need to prop up the Mulch Mate to take weight off
the truck wall to allow it to flex back. This is not always enough and more reinforcement
may be necessary.
Once the Mulch Mate is level to the truck, mount the passenger side latch plates
to the truck. (The Mulch Mate is currently hung on the truck and no longer held by the
forklift).
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At least four bolts per latch plate are recommended. Mark the holes (8 total).
These plates MUST be square and level to the body of the truck, parallel to each other,
and they must be pressed upwards against the latch tubes on the Mulch Mate. With the
hole locations marked, remove the plates and drill the holes up to ½” into the truck. Bolt
the plates to the truck so that the head of the bolts are on the outside of the truck bed.
These latch plates use the same ½" x 4.5” carriage bolts and flange locking nuts.
Tighten to the same 60 ft lbs torque spec as before. Once these plates are on the truck
you can start assembling the pivoting latches (fig 9).
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Start at the top connection/latch, installing the clevis pin and washers in the
proper order and orientation as seen in fig 9 (top right). Complete the same process on
the lower latch. There are adjustment holes built into the latch connector that will allow
you to make some minor adjustments. Make sure this assembly is as tight as possible.
Add as many washers as you can while still being able to insert the locking pin into the
clevis pin.
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For this step you will need the Mulch Mate to be out of the way, so swing it open
slightly and secure it in place. Start with installing the 7/16” x 1.25” carriage bolt,
(x3)7/16” washer, and latch assembly. Making sure to check the correct orientation and
order of each part when installing (fig 10). Make sure the upper and lower latches are
parallel to each other. If there are not, then adjust the lower latch pin to a different hole
in the latch connector. Now install the 7/16” lock nut, this lock nut torque is more of what
feels right, you will need to tighten it up enough for it to be tight but not so much that the
latch binds up. Typically we would tighten it all the way up and then loosen the nut up a
quarter turn on average. Now you can install the 5” spring to assist the latch to allow it
auto close (fig 11). This also has an adjustable feature. Hook the spring to the lower
hooks on the latch connector for more spring assist.
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You can now swing the machine closed and latch it.
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Step 8 (installing safety chain)
Swing the Mulch Mate fully around so that it parallel to the side of the truck (fig
15). Hook carabiner with chain to triangle cutout at the top left of the chute opening (fig
16). Locate a spot on the truck bed where the chain can be bolted. Make sure to leave
some slack in the chain so that the carabiner can be disconnected. Mark bolt location
and drill a ½” hole. Insert ½-13x4.5” bolt through one chain link and into the newly
drilled hole. Secure with a nut.
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Step 9 (installing hinge stop bolts)
Swing the Mulch Mate fully around so that it parallel to the side of the truck (fig
15) and attach the safety chain to the Mulch Mate. While installing the stop bolts **make
sure the Mulch Mate stays fully swung around and that the safety chain is NOT under
tension**. A second person would be helpful to keep the Mulch Mate from moving.
Using the provided wood template marked “1”.
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Insert template 1 in the top left location on the hinge as shown in fig 17.
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Align the edge of the template with the metal plate as shown with the dotted line
in fig #. Drill a pilot hole through the small hole in the template. This will accurately
locate where the hinge stop bolts need to go. Remove template. Drill increasingly larger
holes until the hole is ½”.
Repeat steps for Top Right location using same template marked “1”
For the bottom left location, same steps are followed while using template marked “2”
Insert the flanged bolts, making sure one of the flat sides on the head of the hex
bolt is parallel to the metal plate as shown with the dotted line. Secure with the provided
hex nuts. Make sure they are tight.
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Installing Mulch Mate Centering Bolts
With the machine still in the open position, you will see 2 tapped holes on the
inside plate of the hinge (see image on next page). Thread one provided ½”-13 flange
nut onto one ½”-13 x 4.5in carriage bolt so that the flange of the nut is facing away from
the head of the carriage bolt.
Thread the carriage bolt and nut assembly into the upper threaded hole on the
hinge. For the lower hole thread the ½”-13 socket head screw from the inside face of
the hinge outwards and then add the ½”-13 thin hex nut. Now close the Mulch Mate and
adjust the bolts so that they just touch the metal panels across from them and so that
the Mulch Mate is fully closed and centered on your truck. These will keep the machine
from shifting side to side when on the road. Now tighten down the flange nuts against
the hinge plate to act as jam/lock nuts.
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