Troy-Bilt FLEX Chipper Shredder Operator's Manual page 7

Disconnecting from the FLEX™ Power Base
1. The kickstand acts only as a locking device
for the attachment to the FLEX™ Power Base.
The only time the operator would need
to deploy the kickstand once connected
to an attachment would be in the case of
uncoupling the FLEX™ Power Base from the
attachment.
Shredding
WARNING: The operation of any
chipper shredder can result in foreign
objects being thrown into the eyes,
which can damage your eyes severely.
Always wear the safety glasses
provided with this unit or eye shields
before chipping or shredding and
while performing any adjustments or
repairs.
Yard waste such as leaves and pine needles can be
placed in the hopper for shredding. After material
has been processed by the shredder blade and flails,
it will be forced out of the chute deflector, and, if
attached, into a debris collection bag.
Observe the following guidelines when shredding
yard debris:
• Never attempt to shred material other than
normal yard debris (leaves, twigs, pine cones,
etc.).
• Avoid shredding fibrous plants such as
tomato vines until they are thoroughly dried
out. Fresh vines do not shred well and tend
to wrap themselves around the impeller and
flails.
• Place reasonable amounts of debris into the
hopper at a time. Do not overload the hopper.
• Allow the material in the hopper to be drawn
into the blades and shredded before adding
additional debris to the hopper. Failure to due
so may result in a clogged hopper, clogged
chute deflector or a stalled engine.
• Avoid placing twigs longer than 24 inches into
the hopper. Twigs longer than 24 inches may
result in a clogged hopper.
IMPORTANT: Never place branches with a
diameter greater than 1/2-inch in the hopper.
Doing so can result in serious damage to the
unit's shredder blade, flails or impeller.
Clearing the Hopper
Should the hopper become clogged with debris
during operation, proceed as follows:
1. Grasp the hopper with both hands and gently
agitate the chipper shredder to help loosen
debris, drawing it into the impeller.
If the clog does not clear, proceed as follows:
1. Stop engine, make certain the chipper
shredder has come to a complete stop, and
disconnect the FLEX™ Power Base from the
attachment.
2. Use your hands to remove any debris found
near the top of the hopper.
3. Use a branch (or other available device, i.e.
broomstick) to dislodge debris located toward
the base of the hopper.
4. Restart engine.
NOTE: If you're unable to pull the starter
rope as a result of accumulated debris near
the impeller, follow instructions under the
heading Cleaning the Reduction Chamber in
the "Maintenance & Adjustments" section of
this manual.
Chipping
Branches up to two inches in diameter can be fed
into the chipper chute. Observe the following
guidelines when chipping branches:
• Keep both hands firmly on the branch as you
feed it into the chipper chute.
• Never feed more than one branch into the
chipper chute at a time.
• Never feed anything other than branches (or
wood) into the chipper chute.
• Apply intermittent pressure (in short,
rotational pulses) while feeding larger
branches into the chipper chute, to avoid
bogging or stalling the engine.
• Ensure chipper chute is clear of branches (or
wood) before shutting the engine off.
IMPORTANT: Never feed branches with a
diameter greater than two (2) inches into the
chipper chute. Doing so can result in serious
damage to your unit's chipper blades, flails or
impeller.
NOTE: For best performance, always operate
the unit with sharp chipper blades. If a
noticeable loss in performance is encountered
while chipping branches, the chipper blades
should be replaced.
Emptying the Bag
1. Stop engine.
2. Squeeze the locking buckle to release the
bag's draw-strap before loosening it from the
chute deflector. See Figure 4-4.
Figure 4-4
3. Empty the bag and reattach to the chute
deflector opening. Refer to the "Assembly &
Setup" section of this manual.
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