Muffler Maintenance; Cutter Blade Adjustment - Shindaiwa HT230 Owner's/Operator's Manual

Muffler Maintenance
Seasonally (or whenever you experi-
ence hard starting or poor perfor-
mance):
WARNING!
Never operate this machine
with a damaged or missing
muffler or spark arrester! Operating
with missing or damaged exhaust com-
ponents is a fire hazard, and may also
damage your hearing.
■ Hard starting or a gradual loss
of performance can be caused
by carbon deposits lodged in the
muffler's spark arrester screen.
Remove the spark arrester screw
and remove the screen from the
muffler with the point of a small
pliers. Thoroughly clean the screen
with a stiff bristle brush. A dam-
aged or otherwise unserviceable
screen must be replaced. Reinstall
by gently tapping the screen into
place and retightening the screw.
Arrester Screen
■ If carbon accumulations in the
muffler or cylinder are severe or
if you do not notice an improve-
ment in performance after servic-
ing, return the trimmer to your
Shindaiwa dealer for inspection.

Cutter Blade Adjustment

Cutter performance of this unit
depends in great measure on cutter
blade clearance. Properly adjusted
blades will oscillate freely yet help
prevent binding of cut material
between blades. Adjust blades as
follows:
1. Loosen all blade locknuts at least
one full turn.
2. Tighten each blade shoulder bolt
firmly, and then loosen the shoul-
der bolts 1/4 to 1/2 turn.
3. Working from the gearcase end,
lock each bolt in place by firmly
tightening its locknut while pre-
venting the shoulder bolt from
turning.
When shoulder bolt adjustment is
correct, there should be a gap of
0.25–0.50 mm between the cutter
blades and the flat washers, and the
flat washer beneath each bolt head
should turn freely.
Guide Bar
Muffler
Cutter Blades
sharp! Always wear gloves when work-
ing around the cutter assembly!
CAUTION!
Operating the hedge trimmer with worn
or improperly adjusted cutters will re-
Arrester
duce cutter performance and may also
Screw
damage this unit.
Locknut
Washer
(should turn
Shoulder
freely)
Bolt
WARNING!
The cutter blades are very
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