Troubleshooting
- GRINDING WHEEL IS NOT TURNING
Most likely, the mesh of the gears under the grinding wheel have jammed. The clutch prevents the shaft from turning the gears when you start the unit. Simply apply pliers to the top of the grinding wheel and forcibly turn the wheel clockwise or counter clockwise to un-jam the gears. Then press the trigger on the motor to begin operation.
- SEIZED COLLAR ROTATIONAL SYSTEM
If the instrument head cannot be rotated to an up or down position, then most likely tooth debris has become cemented in the gap created when the shaft is extended (pull out position) to rotate the shaft. To loosen, spray inside of the gap with WD-40 or Brake cleaner, then lubricate with 3 in 1 oil. Forcibly loosen and resume using in both upper and lower position. This gap should be oiled bi-monthly to prevent build-up of debris.
- ANGLE HEAD HEATS UP EXCESSIVELY
The right angle housing contains gears and bearings that generate heat at high RPM’s. Continuous use of the PowerFloat at maximum RPM’s is not recommended. To prevent overheating and injury to the horses’ soft tissue, the operator can periodically cool the housing by unplugging the electrical cord and inverting the grinding head and pouring cold water on it with an injection syringe or a dose syringe. Resume use after cooling. Cool only by pouring or dripping water on inverted right angle. A wet towel application to the right angle may also be used.
DO NOT IMMERSE RIGHT ANGLE INTO WATER
ALWAYS UNPLUG POWERFLOAT BEFORE COOLING THE RIGHT ANGLE HOUSIN
- UNABLE TO GREASE ANGLE HEAD
Inability to grease probably means the grease fitting ball in the grease port has seized. Contact the PowerFloat Office to obtain a new fitting (grease port) with instructions for replacement.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DISLODGE GREASE NIPPLE
- UNABLE TO REMOVE GRINDING WHEEL
If left over an extended period of time, the threads on the grinding wheel shaft that thread into the right angle may become cemented with tooth debris, thus making removal difficult. Obtain graphite (i.e. Liquid Wrench) from a local hardware store and lubricate underneath the wheel, enough to penetrate the threads. Let sit for 10 minutes and then re-attempt to loosen wheel by turning in a counter clockwise direction using a pair of vise-grip pliers. Repeat procedure until successful. Apply grease to the threads on the new grinding wheel before replacement.
- MOTOR LOSING POWER
In some older models, the motor brushes may be worn. Contact PowerFloat to arrange repair evaluation of the motor brushes.
- GRINDING WHEEL LOOSENS AND UNWINDS DURING OPERATION
If this occurs, the forward/reverse button on the DeWalt cordless has disengaged and is in the reverse position. The button on the right hand side of the gun should be pushed in flush to the housing and secured for normal operation. (The reverse switch on the plug-in model has been permanently removed).
- CHARGING THE BATTERY PACK
Each PowerFloat Cordless kit includes two (2) DC batteries and one (1) battery charger* (examples pictured in Fig. 1).
- Plug the battery charger into an appropriate electrical outlet, including wall outlets or car chargers (sold separately).
- Insert the battery into the charger until the battery snaps into the charger. The bars at the back of the battery, when depressed, will light up showing a full charge at 3 bars. The time needed to charge one battery is approximately one hour.
- Once the battery is fully charged, remove it from the charger and insert it into the PowerFloat for continued operation.
Charging should take place only in ambient temperatures of between 0° Celsius (32° F) and 38° Celsius (100° F). Charging in ambient temperature below freezing or above 38° Celsius can result in permanent damage to the battery or decrease the life of the battery. It is important not to run the battery down to zero power before recharging. Dewalt batteries can be recharged at any time during use without having any effect on the charging memory of the battery. Keep batteries away from any flame. If exposed to high temperatures batteries can explode and cause injury.
*Car battery chargers can be purchased from DeWalt outlets. Rapid (15 minute) chargers can also be purchased. In order to do large numbers of horses it is usually necessary to carry 3 batteries and 2 chargers. This amount of reserve will ensure that there is enough battery power to work all day without delays due to charging.
- USING A POWERLITE WITH A NON-MAGNETIC SPECULUM
Some full mouth speculums are made of stainless steel which does not have any ferrous component. If no iron is present in the incisor plates the magnet will not attach to the incisor plate. In this case one of the galvanized strips of metal supplied with the PowerLite can be trimmed to fit and applied to the undersurface of the upper incisor plate of the speculum.
- First clean the metal surface of the speculum thoroughly and allow it to dry.
- Next mark and fit the metal strip to the underside of the upper incisor plate.
- Remove the adhesive strip covering of the plate and press that side of the plate onto the incisor plate. Use clamps to keep the plate tightly adhered to the incisor plate in a warm environment for at least 2 hours. Under usual conditions the plate will stay tightly adhered for up to a year before replacement is necessary.
Additional plates can be obtained from PowerFloat Inc.
