harrybarry Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Chaps i have been given the job of looking after the traps at my local clay shoot, just after some tips on keeping them in tip top order, basic serving, cleaning ect. we have some manual bowmans and a couple of autos , any does and donts would be helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Manual traps are pretty bulletproof, just keep everything that needs to be well greased and everything else clean, inspect the rubbers regularly and turn/replace them when the ends get too rough, check screws and tension of the teal clips and every shoot for safety's sake make sure the spring is in good nick and the spring bolts aren't coming loose. Pretty much the same for the autos, but also keep an eye on the wiring as it tends to take some abuse and check the turret bolts aren't coming loose. An air line is useful to blast out all the clay dust from the inaccessible bits. If they start breaking clays a lot it is almost always a damaged/worn rubber or damaged/worn separator knives, unless there is a bit of broken clay gumming up the works somewhere. Some people WD40 or silicone spray the launch plates but I don't think it makes much difference. Don't neglect the batteries either, check water levels regularly and chuck them if the cases are damaged or they start gassing up badly when being charged. As for "donts", well it's pretty obvious so forgive me but DONT muck about with a trap unless you know it is decocked or it could kill you. And as a general rule, if they ain't broke don't try to fix them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrybarry Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Cheers for that mate, bit of an update just emailed promatic they do a free masterclass on saftey and maintenance so going to see if i can get on the course. Better to be safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Cheers for that mate, bit of an update just emailed promatic they do a free masterclass on saftey and maintenance so going to see if i can get on the course. Better to be safe than sorry. Sounds interesting, if you go could you report back with your thoughts? I'm always happy to learn especially if its free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libs Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 I worked pretty much exclusively with promatic autos and bowman manuals for a few years part time. As for the bowmans, take the spring off and take the arm away from the base by removing the split pins. Scrub, dry and grease the pin using something like axle grease. We used to use the green John Deer stuff. Obviously change the spring if its very obviously damaged, but I have personally had fairly newish (or new looking) ones break at the 'hook' and cause a stain in my underwear. So you can't really judge when they are going to go. The promatics are a different game all together. The only routine (yearly) maintenance you should carry out is removal of the turret, and greasing of the pin it rotates on, cleaning and re-greasing of all the moving/bearing parts under the base plate and inspection of contacts and seals. When re-seating the turret, ensure it spins fairly freely and is not too tight or you will go through batteries very quickly. Another failure point is the battery terminal connections which get corroded and need a clean with wire wool quite often, especially in the winter or when its wet. Any other questions contact me and I'll be happy to help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrybarry Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 I worked pretty much exclusively with promatic autos and bowman manuals for a few years part time. As for the bowmans, take the spring off and take the arm away from the base by removing the split pins. Scrub, dry and grease the pin using something like axle grease. We used to use the green John Deer stuff. Obviously change the spring if its very obviously damaged, but I have personally had fairly newish (or new looking) ones break at the 'hook' and cause a stain in my underwear. So you can't really judge when they are going to go. The promatics are a different game all together. The only routine (yearly) maintenance you should carry out is removal of the turret, and greasing of the pin it rotates on, cleaning and re-greasing of all the moving/bearing parts under the base plate and inspection of contacts and seals. When re-seating the turret, ensure it spins fairly freely and is not too tight or you will go through batteries very quickly. Another failure point is the battery terminal connections which get corroded and need a clean with wire wool quite often, especially in the winter or when its wet. Any other questions contact me and I'll be happy to help! Thanks very much for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrybarry Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sounds interesting, if you go could you report back with your thoughts? I'm always happy to learn especially if its free! Just checked on the promatic web site, Thursday 17th march westfield shooting ground is a free masterclass not sure how far this is for you, if interested you can bookin, the phone number is on the promatic web site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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