Chipper Blades Maintenance; Removing The Blades; Sharpening The Blades - Echo BEARCAT SC5540 Owner's Manual

BEFORE INSPECTING OR SERVICING ANY PART OF THIS MACHINE, SHUT OFF POWER SOURCE,

5.2 CHIPPER BLADES MAINTENANCE

The chipper blades will eventually become dull, making
chipping difficult and adding extra strain on the machine.
CHECK THE SHARPNESS OF THE BLADES EVERY
5-15 HOURS OF OPERATION AND SHARPEN AS
NEEDED.
Your blades need to be sharpened if:
● Machine vibrates severely when material is fed into
the chipper.
● Chips discharge unevenly or have stringy tails,
especially when chipping green branches.
Before you sharpen the chipping blades, check for
permanent damage. Replace the blade if:
● There are cracks, broken corners or nicks greater
than 1/8" (see below).
● The base of the cutting edge is worn or has been
re-sharpened so that it no longer extends past the
chipping slot (see below).
AND MAKE SURE ALL MOVING PARTS HAVE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP.
5 INCH CHIPPER/SHREDDER
WARNING

5.3 REMOVING THE BLADES

Chipping blades are sharp! Use caution when working
on machine to avoid injury.
1. Remove the discharge door by removing the retaining
bolt securing the discharge door/to the chipper body.
2. Remove the two 5/16" × 3/4" bolts and nuts securing
the discharge screen to the frame. Pull the bottom of
the discharge screen outward to rotate the screen off
the lip.
3. Remove the access cover on the side of the machine.
4. Rotate the rotor so the bolts holding the chipper blade
are accessible.
5. Remove the two bolts holding the blade to the rotor.
Repeat for remaining blades.

5.4 SHARPENING THE BLADES

The blades can be ground on a bench grinder or by a
professional.
1. Never sharpen or grind the mounting surfaces of
the blades. This will cause the edge to roll and the
blade will be damaged, resulting in poor chipping
performance.
2. Regrind the angled edge of the chopping blades to
45 degrees (Figure 5.1). Use the blade angle gauge
plate when sharpening the blades to achieve the
proper angle (see Figure 5.2).
Figure 5.1, Chipper Blade Surfaces
3. Be careful when grinding so that the blade does
not become overheated and change color. This will
remove the heat-treated properties.
4. Use short grinding times and cool with water or some
type of liquid coolant.
SERVICE & MAINTENANCE
WARNING
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