Rewiring Hedge trimmers.

Breaks and cuts in power cables are a common problem either we
accidentally cut through it or over time it gets worn and breaks occur.
Most of us will be "too busy" to fix it and a couple of connector blocks and tape is fine but I always find that its a little risky.

If it's an early morning start and the grass is covered in dew, the water can easily find the copper wires and give you as nasty shock when you touch it so I advise you to get it correctly fixed before you get an electric shock.

All appliances are different but I have found most hand held tools follow the same rule of thumb. I will be using a previous fix of my hedge trimmers you can see here to show you how to fix a broken cable.

As there is a break in the cable DO NOT PLUG IT IN AND IF IT IS UNPLUG IT!!!!!

Step 1 - Initial checks

As we know there is a break in the cable and have made sure its safe by unplugging it, all we need to do is inspect the length of the cable to see if we can shorten it or if we will have to replace the whole cable.

If you replace the whole cable the plugs on appliances like hedge trimmers are sealed so you can buy
replacement plugs more suitable for outside use. Ordinary ones are susceptible to ingress of moisture. Click here and it will take you to a sealed plug I replaced mine with.

Step 2 - Opening the case

As the hedge trimmer is plugged in and then and only then open the case.
Firstly I need to remove the case screws and screws for the guards. The blade guard will slide of easily the, handle guard was a case of going down and around the handle to remove it. Once the hand guard is removed you need to remove the front trigger. To remove the front trigger you have to lever one side out of the square slot on one side and the other will follow when pulled out.
Remove the case screws and carefully pull of the case.

Step 3 - Remove the handle case

Once this is done we then need to remove the handle case to get access to the electrical connection.

This is held together by 4 screws and once these are undone you have full access to the electrical connector blocks. Be warned that when the handle case is unscrewed and taken apart the switch will pop out as it's spring loaded so take care not to lose anything.

Step 4 - Rewiring

 Now we need to remove the existing cable by removing the cable clamp which is the white plastic part with the 2 screws located just as the wire enters the handle. Then undo the connector block to release the wires and the cable will come straight out.

Take of the rubber flexible sleeve and slide it on to the new power cable and now using the old cable as a guide strip the outer insulation down revealing the 2 wires at the same distance as the old and take of about 5mm of the insulation of both of these and insert it in the correct connector block and tighten the connector block screws making sure there is a tight firm connection.

Fasten the cable down with the cable clamp and make sure the rubber sleeve is positioned in the recess.

Replace the handle case making sure all switches and springs are correctly positioned and fasten it back down.

Fasten the main body case down ensuring not to trap any wires and that any springs are located properly.

Step 5 - Wiring the plug

If you copy this picture and make sure you remove as little of the insulation as possible to avoid excess bare wires inside the plug you cant go wrong.

And that marks a fully rewired hedge trimmer well done you've completed it like a pro!