Are you the proud owner of Billy Goat’s new Hurricane X3000 walk-behind leaf blower? Here’s what you need to know to break in your machine and keep it performing at its best.
Maintenance Schedule
For engine maintenance, check the owner’s manual or read “Servicing the Vanguard V-Twin” on this site.
Break-In
After the first 10 hours: Check the hydraulic fluid level, parking brake, lug nuts, tire air pressure, and hydraulic pump drive belt.
After the first 75 hours: Change the hydraulic fluid.
Regular Maintenance
Every 40 hours: Check the hydraulic fluid, parking brake, lug nuts, air pressure, hydraulic pump drive, and belt.
Every 400 hours: Change the hydraulic fluid.
Annually: Change the hydraulic oil and filters.
Hydrostatic Drive
Each transmission has its own fluid reservoir, located at the back of the blower. The fluid should come to the bottom line on the tank when the transmission is cold. Hydro-Gear recommends 15W-50 Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil or an equivalent.
To change the filter and oil:
1. Park the machine on a flat surface and engage the parking brake. Let it cool completely.
2. Jack up the rear of the blower and support it on blocks.
3. Remove the rear tires. Switch on the bypass valves for both transaxles.
4. Place a jack under the skid plate. Remove the 6 bolts holding the plate on the machine, then lower the jack and plate.
Do the following to each transaxle:
5. Remove the filter guard: it’s held on by three screws. Remove any debris around the filter, and set a drain pan beneath it.
6. Remove the oil filter, then unscrew the drain plug on the bottom of the transmission case. Let the fluid drain out of the transmission.
7. Thread the new filter on by hand. Once it seats, spin it another ¾ turn to get a good seal. Install the filter guard, torquing each bolt to 65 in-lbs.
8. Remove the purge port, located on top of the transaxle next to the speed control lever. Add oil to the expansion tank until oil appears at the bottom of the purge port. It should take about 2 ½ quarts for each transaxle. Reinstall the purge port plug, torquing it to 180 in-lbs.
9. Fill the expansion tank until the fluid reaches the cold mark. Purge the transaxles.
Purging
Repeat until the transaxles run smoothly.
1. With the wheels off of the ground and the neutral bypass engaged, start the engine. Increase the engine speed to 1,800 RPM and disengage the parking brake.
2. Move the directional controls forward and reverse 5-6 times.
3. Release the bypass valves.
4. Move the directional controls forward and reverse 5-6 times.
5. Shut off the engine. Fill the expansion tank as needed.
Belt Drive Replacement
1. Park the blower on a level surface and remove the key. Give the engine time to cool down.
2. Remove the belt guard and two flange huts.
3. Use a ¾ inch wrench to push the idler pulley away from the belt. Slide the belt off of the pulleys.
4. Thread the new belt onto the pulleys. Push the idler pulley away to get the belt between the drive pulley and the right hydro pulley.
5. Install the belt guard and nuts.
Motion Control Adjustment
Forward Adjustment:
1. Park the blower and stop the engine.
2. Chock the wheels and release the parking brake.
3. Move the motion controls all the way forward. There should be a 1/16 inch gap between the control levers and the handlebar.
4. If a lever is out of adjustment, follow the control cable down the back of the machine to the adjuster. Loosen the top and bottom jam nuts on the adjuster. The top nut is left hand threaded.
5. Push the control lever forward. Spin the adjuster until the clearance between the lever and handlebar is correct. Tighten the jam nuts.
Neutral Adjustment:
1. Park the blower and stop the engine.
2. Raise the rear of the machine, and support it with blocks. The wheels should be off of the ground.
3. Make sure the levers are in the neutral position. Follow the control cable to the control arm. On the side, you’ll see an Allen head screw with a small-cap screw. This is the neutral adjustment.
4. Loosen the cap screw, then slightly loosen the adjustment screw.
5. Turn the screws to bring the arm back to the neutral position:
The left wheel rotates forward or right wheel rotates backward – Turn the screw clockwise.
The left wheel rotates backward or right wheel rotates forward – Turn the screw counterclockwise.
It only takes a small adjustment to bring the lever back to neutral center.
6. Tighten the cap screw. Make sure the control levers are in neutral.
7. Get on the blower, start the engine, and let it reach idle.
8. Release the parking brake. Move the controls forward and back, then let them return to neutral. If one of the wheels still moves, it needs to be readjusted.
Wheels and Tires
The tire pressure should be between 40-46 psi. Torque the wheel lug nuts to 75 ft-lbs.
Need Something for Your Billy Goat Equipment?
Billygoatparts.com is your source for everything you need for your Billy Goat. We’re not just an authorized dealer for Billy Goat: we’re also a dealer for their partners including Briggs & Stratton Vanguard and Hydro-Gear. That means we have replacement parts for everything on your leaf blower. We ship across the United States and Canada.
