What method do you use for cleaning carpets?

[JonB]

I am ordering the PC 7424 from Coastal Tool and the accessory kit from CMA. I noticed that the PC from Coastal tool is listed as coming with a counter weight which supports a 5" backing pad. However the CMA kit is a 6" backing pad. Is it necessary to switch the counterweight to prevent vibration?? Or is the 6" kit from CMA light enough to countinue with the 5" counterweight?



This is what it says on the Coastal Tool site about the counter weights:



"The counterweight is a half-moon shaped piece of metal attached to the shaft of the tool. This smooths out the random orbit action by providing a counter balance to the elliptical orbit of the rotating backing pad. If you change the pad size you must also change the counterweight or suffer unnecessary vibration and possible damage to the tool.

There are two different counter-weights which are clearly marked to indicate use with either the 5" or 6" backing pad. Therefore if you decide to outfit the 7335 5" Sander with a 6" backing pad for sanding or polishing you must switch to the counterweight for 6" backing pads. The same goes for the 7336 6" Sander. If you decide to outfit it for 5" sanding or polishing you must switch to the counterweight for 5" backing pads

The only exception is when using the 54745 6" Foam Polishing Pad. Due to its light weight and the small-diameter backing pad used (included with pad), it can be used with either the 5" pad or 6" pad counterweight. Porter-Cable outfits the 7424 6" Polisher with the 5" pad counterweight."



I didn`t realize this would be so complex!!



H

[edgewise]

I spoke with a Coastal rep on the phone last week, he said I would need the counter weights for the 6". So I ordered them too.

[JonB]

Thanks Rip...



For the extra 2 bucks I ordered the 6" wieght also. Is it difficult to change?? Also, where did you get your info on using the different pads etc for car detailing? Griot`s Garage sends a direction book with theirs, but the extra $$$`s they charge over Coastal isn`t worth it!



H

[edgewise]

Agree with the Griots price on book. I actually spoke to 2 Griots reps at their building, 6 miles from me. They spent one hour on Friday explaining how to use the PC, even though I didn`t buy it from them (199 compared to 115 at Coastal). The weights are easy to change, and I believe the PC comes with a manual.



There are more folks here that can explain the pads better than I, I`m using the foam pad for applying polish only, and removing it by hand. Waxing will still be done by hand in my case. I`m only using the PC to remove the very small swirls that exist.



Incidently, the Car care tips at this website will explain the pads too.

[JonB]

Just curious....what are you using for the swirls? I have Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, 3M SMR and 3M Fine Cut but just ordered Finesse IT II for an in-between strength. I am also going to use the PC to polish winshield with Zaino glass polish. It works pretty good by hand, but it requires some effort!

If I have spare time, I might even do my toenails with it.....



H

[edgewise]

I`m going to try Griots Machine Polish #3. I was told by their technicians to use the least abrasive first on this new finish. They also recommended adding alittle Show wax in it as well..until I get the desired results. So far, after using Griots products, I`m very pleased. Going to give Zaino a try when I run out of Griots products.

[z4zen]

I actually got my porter cable recently from toolmart down in San Diego for a couple bucks more than Coastal (but I got it the next day)....



Didn`t purchase any counter weights... just rec`d my kit from CMA with extra pads.



Should I be worried about not having a counter weight to use with the CMA kit???? Anybody using a PC without them???

[Aut0]

I`m using the pc jus like I got it from coastal, and still have the 5inch weight on it, and am using it wth the cma kit with no problems...Iremember there was a good debate going on about this awhile ago, I`d pull something up, for ya but i`m too lazy, you should be able to find something on it using search though..

[JonB]

Ok... I did some research. It appears that the 5" counterweight is to be used with the 5" backing plate that comes with the PC from Coastal. If you buy the CMA Kit which has the 6" backing plate, you should change it to the 6" counterweight which is $1.95 from Coastal. You need a Torx screwdrive to change it. The importance of using the correct counterweight lies with the ability to reduce vibration which will eventually wear the bearings in the PC. I`m not sure if you can really feel the difference, but apparently they make the weight`s different for the different backing plates, so there must be something to it.

There is an interesting video on www.meguiars.com in the clinics section. They use the "Meguiars Dual Action Orbital" which looks pretty much exactly like the PC.

H

[JasonC8301]

Meguiars DA polisher is a re-badged PC.



I use CMA`s kit and it came with a 5 inch backing plate with 6 inch pads. I am just too lazy to go up and check my supply.



The manual says to service the machine after 100 hours. I am not sure how to measure this. I have not kept a usage record. I will now.



Jasom

[JonB]

The CMA kit comes with 2 white pads. If you have to use a different pad for each product, this is probably not enough.

1 Paintwork Cleansing lotion White

2 AIO white

3 SMR white or yellow

4 Finesse It II white or yellow



I suppose you can use the yellow pad for the additional cutting power....



H

[Aut0]

I spoke with the guy at coastal, and they have them in stock at 1.97( or 1.67 i forgot=p)but the kicker is $6 in shipping for anyorder under $300 Anyway if a few people want them I could order about 6 and ship them out for $3 if anyones interested, I could do paypal if that makes it easier

[slacktr]

I had just the same question awhile ago and sent an email to CMA about it. Here is the repy from Terry Freiberg, CMA

<strong class=`bbc`>"Get the six inch backing plate. It offers more grip and will keep padsfrom coming off the plate. It also allows you to use the six inch bonnetswhich makes removing residues quicker.

There is no need to change the counter weight when going to
the six inch backing plate. Our regional Porter Cable Distributor sells the 7424 with eight inch pads and has never had any problems or complaints.

Terry Freiberg
Classic Motoring Acc"[/b]

[JonB]

From my understanding, it is the backing plate that determines which counterweight to use. The PC from Coastal comes with a 5" backing plate and a 5" counterweight ( the pad looks to be about 6"). They say that the pad size is relatively meaningless because the weight difference betweein 5" or 6" pads is negligible. But if you are using the 6" backing plate that comes with the CMA kit, it makes sense to change the counterweight to 6" model. I don`t know which counterweight is shipped on the PC`s coming from CMA. They may have modified it to the 6" counterweight already. I don`t know and I`m not going to call CMA since I already ordered it from Coastal. So if you have one from CMA you might want to check with them or just open it up and look....



Where I got confused is the way Coastal interchanges the terms; backing plate and "backing pad". I think that their 6" pad comes with a 5" backing plate, witch is why it ships with the 5" counterweight. Or maybe I am completely wrong



H

[z4zen]

fiveohhhh,



if you get enough people, I`d be interested in one of the counter weights for $3 or something.