At this time of year, we see many horse clippers come into our workshop that are in a terrible state. It really is worth looking after your clippers as this will ensure that they are in good working condition when you need to clip your horse. There is nothing more frustrating when you want to clip and you find that your clippers are not working as they should, so here are a useful few tips from the Masterclip workshop.
Just remember, if you look after your clippers, they will look after you and your horse and should last a lifetime.
Air filters
If your clippers have air filters, they need to be cleaned on a regular basis. If they are not kept clean, the inside of the clipper will get clogged up with hair and this will make the clipper run hot. This picture clearly shows that the air filters have not been regularly cleaned and this can cause long term damage to your clipper if hair has got into the body of the clipper.
Clipper Head
When you have finished clipping your horse, remove the blades and make sure you brush away any loose hairs inside the head of the clipper. If these are not removed, this will have an impact on the performance of the clipper.
Blades
Clipper blades need to be in good condition to perform properly.
We see many clippers arrive into our workshop with blades that are covered in hair, have broken teeth or are covered in rust spots.
Leaving your blades in such poor condition like this, will have an impact on the way your clippers perform. When you have finished clipping your horse, the blades should be brushed free of all horse hair and dirt, and wiped over with specialist clipper oil. If you are not going to be using your clippers for some time, it is best to remove the blades and store them in the box in greaseproof paper.
Missing parts
We have noticed that some of our customers accidentally lose parts of their clipper when they are changing the blades. Make sure that you change your clipper blades in an area where you can easily locate any parts that may fall out, like a drive nut. Changing blades in a stable is not a good idea!
Power cables
If your horse has trodden on the power cable of your clippers it may expose live wires. This could be dangerous so you should send your clippers into our workshop where the cable can be replaced.
Service and Repairs
It is a good idea to have your clippers professionally serviced every year. This will ensure that they are working well and be ready for when you need them at the start of each clipping season. The best time to send your clippers in for service is during the summer months. This is the least busy time in our workshop and you can then be guaranteed to have your clippers ready for the start of the clipping season.
Want do know what happens to your clippers when they are sent in for a service?
When you send in your clippers to be serviced, the whole clipper is stripped back and all components are checked.
Clipper body
Air filters and carbon brushes are replaced where necessary and the power cable is checked for any faults or exposed wires and thoroughly cleaned.
Compressed air is used to blow out any hairs that have got in to the clipper and the drive cog is greased.
Clipper head
The laminated springs are automatically replaced due to the workload they are put under moving the cutting blade from side to side.
The blades are removed and thoroughly cleaned before resetting on the clipper. The tension is then reset and the clipper is oiled.
For hygiene reasons, the clippers and then bench tested on synthetic fur to make sure they are clipping properly, then they are given one final clean and oil before sending back.