Horse and Dog Clipper Service and Repair

Horse and Dog Clipper Servicing

Clippers can be forgotten over the years. You clip your horse, give them a brush off and put them back in their case. It is only when you need to clip your horse again that you remember the problems you had last time. The strange noises that they were making, the fact that they were getting so hot that you could barely hold on to them, and that they kept cutting out every time you moved them around. Or worse still they just won't work.

At Oakside Saddlery I can strip your clippers down, give them a thorough clean, inspect for damage and electrical safety, and make any necessary repairs, before applying fresh lubricants, reassembling and returning to you.

Price for a standard service is just £25 plus postage. If the clippers need replacement parts I will contact you with the revised cost before proceeding. Just print and complete a Clipper Condition Report and post to me along with your Clippers, or alternatively complete the online clipper condition report form before sending me your clippers.

The address to send them to is;

Simon Harrison, Oakside Saddlery, 67 Windmill Rise, Minster-on-Sea, Kent, ME12 3QA

Please note that if your clippers are not mains powered, I will also need the power pack and charger to enable the clippers to be run up and tested. Please remember that Royal Mail will not take batteries. Evri do. And their drop off is just down the road - Bonus!

I can also service and repair the following;

• Dog grooming Clippers and Blowers, driers, and blasters.

• Hair Dressers clippers.

• Cattle and Sheep shearers.

• I have even repaired electric fencing units!

• And even worse - domestic vacuum cleaners!

Standard postage is via Royal Mail/Parcelforce and is £15. This is a tracked service and insured up to £250.

Standard service from £25

Safety Checks

When you use mains clippers it is important to know that you, your horse, or your dog won't get seriously hurt whilst clipping. A Portable Appliance Test (PAT) tests your clippers for electrical safety and compliance with regulations.

Although PAT testing is not a legal requirement it is good to know that your clippers are safe. And, if you clip horses or groom dogs for a business then your insurance company may require that PAT testing is carried out.

My other recommendation is that you treat yourself to an RCD socket adapter that you can plug in to your socket when you plug your clippers in. Most modern stables and house electrical installations already have one of these in their main consumer units but you can never be sure. Also many extension leads also have a built in RCD trip switch.

What this does is switch off (trip) the electrics in the event of a fault. Your horse treading on the cable with their steel shoes for instance! An RCD will trip the electrics really quickly. Less than a second in fact.

Blade Sharpening

Why not have your blades sharpened at the same time as having your clippers serviced. I use Swale Sharpening Services for all of my blade sharpening. At the moment they are £8.50 per set.

Common faults and remedies

• Overheating - Usually caused by an excessive build-up of horse hair within the clippers body but may be due to a motor fault or damaged fan.

• Intermittent running - Horse clippers cutting out when they are moved around is commonly caused by the inner wires in the cable breaking down causing a break in the cable.

• Motor running but the blades aren't moving - Usually the main cog has worn out. But could be other causes also.

• Excessive noise - Due to bearing failure in the motor or excessive hair blocking the components.

• Non-operation - A variety of reasons that could include; a damaged cable, faulty thermofuse, burnt-out circuit board, damaged internal wiring, motor fault, and many more.

Common PAT fails include;

• The wrong fuse being fitted.

• Cable not clamped into the plug correctly.

• Damaged cable showing the inner wires or taped up.

• The wrong cable or a non standard plug fitted.

Horse Clippers on First Inspection

Fairly typical of horse clippers. They are not very old and had been well looked after. The outside and filter was clean but they kept overheating. before dismantling a thorough inspection of the cable and casing is undertaken and the clippers are run up and tested (if they work that is!)

After removing the clipper blades, gearbox and top cover, the amount of horse hair inside the clippers becomes apparent. This will be the cause for the horse clippers overheating. The horse clippers keep the temperature down by a fan which draws air through the air filter, over the circuit board, through the motor and out over the clipper blades to keep them cool. The horse hair trapped within the clipper's casing will block this air flow, and cause the horse clippers to overheat.

Horse Clippers stripping, servicing and cleaning

I completely strip the horse clippers into their component parts, removing the motor, brushes and circuit board to enable all parts of the horse clippers to be accessed for cleaning. Plastic components are washed in soapy water, degreased, and thoroughly dried with an air gun.

The electrical components are blown clean and brushed with a soft bristle brush to remove all signs of horse hair. The clipper's motor commutator ring on the rotor is cleaned with a petrol soaked cloth removing all signs of carbon residue. All of the remaining parts are degreased and blown dry.

Horse Clippers Reassembly and testing

Once the horse clippers are completely clean, I thoroughly inspect for any signs of excessive wear or damage. Particular attention is paid to the motor bearings and to the length of the brushes, also to the fixed wiring and the circuit board. If anything needs repairing I will contact you with a revised price.

If all is OK, reassembly starts. All bearings are lubricated and the gearbox is re-greased if required (some gearboxes are of the dry type). The rotor is assembled back into the stator and the entire motor assembly is placed back into the casing along with the printed circuit board and the other ancillary components. The casing is reassembled and the motor is tested. Finally the gearbox and clipper blade assembly is refitted before final testing.

The clippers are then portable appliance tested and marked accordingly.