Question:
My 5 foot hydraulic drive broom
used to work great, but at the end of the snow season it would only turn
so slowly that I couldn’t move anything with it. What should I be checking?
Answer:
Your problem could be hydraulic, or
mechanical in nature. Normally for a single motor driven broom, 12- 16 gpm
@ 2,000 psi is required to drive the motor. This will give you broom core
rotation at approx. 170-190 rpm. Is the broom slow only when lowered and
working, or all the time regardless of load? If speed drops significantly
when the broom is put to work, possibly the motor, pump, or both could have
excess internal clearance. Internal leakage at higher pressures will result
in slower broom rotation. Or, the relief valve may be set too low. Again,
higher working pressure would vent oil flow back to tank, and result in slow
broom rotation. If the broom is slow at all times, check that the pump is
driven at proper speed. Are the bearings at the broom core ends lubed and
freely turning? The core should turn freely by hand if the drive motor is
removed.
Question:
My striper gives me skip patterns
on the left carriage, but not on the right. I replaced the timer once, but
I still have the same intermittent problem. Help!!
Answer:
Are your right side guns operating
properly in solid line mode? If not, check the wires to the solenoids and to
ground, the air supply and pressure to the solenoids, and the guns
themselves for free and proper operation. In an M-B timer, the solid line
signal does not come through the timer at all, so the problem must be
outside the timer.
If solid operation is okay,
then check for a paint/bead output signal in the right hand control box. On
an M-B, these are wires 9 and 10 respectively. Check for 12 volts to the
console wire terminal strip, all the way to cable, connector & switches.
You are looking for an open in the 9 or 10 wires. No opens there? Then
check the right hand box mark/preset switch for 12 volts on wire 25 with the
switch in the mark position. This signal tells the timer to start a new
cycle. A faulty mark/preset switch will affect all guns on the troubled
side, while a faulty gun switch will affect only the one gun.
On an MS-91, the same trouble
shooting formulas apply, except that wire numbers will vary from the basic
M-B system. Additionally, the MS-91 system is set up with constant 12V
power to the solenoids. In solid mode, the individual gun switches complete
the path back to the timer’s internal ground. In skip, that same ground is
switched internally by the timer to create the skip.
Question:
I have a pressure pot paint
striper and have been ratcheting my paint tank pressure up trying to get
a good line. Now I’m only getting a splatter. Should I use 40, 50, or 60
psi?
Answer:
1. Atomizing air pressure must be at
least 10 psi higher than your paint tank pressure. Depending upon your air
compressor capacity & style/design of the air nozzle in the paint gun, 10 -
30 psi higher is sometimes better.
2. Jet tubes/spray shields should
be installed at the paint spray outlet area. They assist in reducing
overspray to the right & left of the painted line. These devices should be
cleaned regularly --i.e., once every 3-4 hours of continued use.
3. Your final paint tank pressure
will actually be determined by several factors:
a. Required mil thickness of the
line;
b. Speed of the machine while
spraying;
c. Paint viscosity;
d. Paint gun design
In any case, the point to remember
is that atomizing air pressure must be at least 10 psi higher than paint
tank pressure
Question:
Why does my brush on my mower wear unevenly or become cone shaped?
Answer:
Proper setup and leveling of your MB Companies broom will increase the life of the brush and produces more efficient movement of material. Visually inspect the adjustments on the broom before each operating session and measure the adjustments once every 10 hours.
If mounting to a mower, set the down limit location so that the horizontal mounting shaft is as close to 14” as it can be. Because of the constrained spaces on some mowers it maybe necessary that the shaft is higher or lower.
Adjust the swing arms so that they are level by adjusting the bolts in or out on the back of the swing frame. Adjust both bolts evenly to maintain an even load on the mounting frame and the arms. Check to see that the arms are level by placing a small torpedo level down the length of one of the arms.
Adjust the broom head so that it is level by adjusting the bolt on the top of the swing frame. Adjust the bolt out to lower the left side, and adjust it in to raise the left side. Check for level on the broom head by placing a level down the length of the hood.
