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🎓 Bella Terra LLC — Equipment Training

🎓 Bark Blowing 1 tool ▼
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Western Star Bark Blowing SOP — Unit 114 Certified operating procedure — safety, controls, blowing, loading & diagnostics.
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Equipment Training

Western Star Bark Blowing
Standard Operating Procedure

Bella Terra LLC · Bark blowing operations
✔ Formatted to WA L&I safety & training standards
A

Pre-Operation & Safety

Required PPE — worn at all times
👓 Eye protection🎧 Hearing protection🧤 Gloves
⛔
CRITICAL — PTO SAFETY: DO NOT drive with PTOs engaged. Always disengage PTOs and turn the main power switch OFF before moving the vehicle.
⚠️
Two-person job: blowing requires one person on the hose end and one on the remote. Keep clear communication and a firm grip on the hose at all times.
B

Cab Controls

Each arrow in the photo marks a control used in the steps below. Learn what each one points to before starting.

Cab interior with control arrows
WesternStar cab — the arrows mark the controls used during operation.

Clutch

Floor, left of the driver (pedal)

Used to engage/release when switching PTOs on and off. Never rush the clutch sequence.

PTO Switches

Switch bank to your left

When using the PTOs, both switches to your left are turned ON (with the clutch in), and switched OFF before driving.

Main Power Switch

Right side, on the passenger seat frame — labeled “FUSE BOX / POWER SHUT OFF”

Turn ON for operation, OFF before transit.

Main power switch knob
Main power switch — turn to ON.

Cruise Control / RPM Screen

Dash gauge cluster

Set cruise to 1275 RPM for blowing (press Cruise → Set → Accel until the screen reads 1275).

Dash showing MAX RPM 1275
Dash screen confirming MAX RPM 1275.
C

Operating Procedures

1 · Blowing operation
  1. Turn PTOs ON: engage clutch → both left PTO switches ON → release clutch.
  2. Turn main power switch ON (passenger seat).
  3. Set cruise control to 1275 RPM (Cruise → Set → Accel).
  5. Reel out hose: release the carabiner chain latch, use the lower exterior toggle to feed out the length you need.
    Hose reel on rear of truck
    Hose reel — release the carabiner before feeding out.
    Exterior reel toggle switch
    Lower exterior toggle (circled) controls the reel.
  6. Connect and latch the hose securely to the truck.
    Hose connection point
    Connect and latch the hose here (circled).
  9. Control panel (passenger-side compartment): set FEEDER ON, REMOTE FAR, PUSHER UNLOAD.
    Control box open on passenger side
    Control panel — FEEDER ON / REMOTE FAR / PUSHER UNLOAD.
  11. ⚠️
    Heads-up before blowing: if the power is off to the control box, be ready to PAUSE the system from the remote if the feeder is on. You can tell by the feeder indicator at the rear of the truck. This makes sure the truck isn't pushing product before the air is pushing it — that's how you plug up your T‑injector.
  12. Ramp the blower up (verify on the panel gauge). It can go up to 3600–3800 RPM, but adjust it to what the job requires. Ready to blow.
  13. Person 1 holds the hose end; Person 2 hits Resume on the remote. Aim for a steady, flowing stream.
⚠️
Why PAUSE immediately: if the feeder runs before the blower, it plugs the tee injector. If flow stops after a few minutes, the machine may be cold — allow up to 5 minutes to catch up.
During the blow — roles & risks
Operator / hose puller: stay ready to hit PAUSE the instant product stops coming out of the hose end — that usually means a plug. Keep watching how the blow is going and stay ready to react. Pull hose for the installer so it never gets in their way or gets too heavy to move.
Installer: hold the end of the hose and spray the product out. Never point it at people, or at anyone's house or car. Talk to the operator the whole time — call for more or less product, more or less air, or a full stop.
⛔
CRITICAL — bridged material & the augers. If no product comes out, the hose isn't plugged, and the T-injector is clear, material may have bridged at the augers, and someone may need to climb into the truck box to dig it out. The truck must be OFF and the person going in must hold the controller. NEVER do this while the truck is running or moving — people have died in trucks like these with moving augers and material.
2 · Shutdown
  1. Hit PAUSE (stops feeder + pusher). Let air clear remaining material from the hose.
  2. Reel in hose — soft end first, hard end last.
  3. Return pusher to LOAD (front of truck) via the panel.
  4. Disengage PTOs: clutch in → PTOs OFF → clutch out.
  5. Turn main power switch OFF.
⛔
DO NOT DRIVE WITH PTOs ENGAGED. Confirm PTOs off and power switch off before moving.
⛔
NEVER drive away from the job with the pusher pushed back. Always return the pusher to LOAD (forward) first — driving with it pushed back can destroy the pusher cylinder.
3 · Loading & unloading material
⚠️
Before loading: make sure the pusher is fully forward toward the cab (LOAD mode).
Truck bed with pusher forward
Pusher fully forward (circled) before loading material.
  1. Unloading — PTOs ON, power ON.
  2. Unlatch rear gate: rearmost latch first, then the side latch.
  3. Open the gate fully.
  4. Panel to PUSHER UNLOAD, then Reset — pusher drives product out the rear.
  5. Shut gate, turn all off, turn off PTOs and power switch.
Rear gate latches
Rear gate latches — rearmost (red) first, then side (yellow).
Rear gate open
Gate opened fully for unloading.
⛔
Restricted operation: bypassing/blocking the gate sensor to clear remaining material must only be done by a trained, authorized operator comfortable with the machine.
D

Diagnostics & Troubleshooting

No material output / bridging

Check the rear sight screen for blockage over the feeder. If material is wet or pusher pressure too high, return pusher to LOAD and run the feeder a few minutes. If still nothing, clear the bridge.

Plugged injector tee

Turn feeder OFF, lower blower power, use the injector cleaning tool — reach in as far as possible to clear the plug. Restart the blower.

Reduce pusher pressure (stop it overrunning the feeder)

  1. Hold the middle button on the red gauge panel until LO appears.
  2. Press minus (−) to decrease the value by 10.
  3. Press the middle button until HI appears.
  4. Press minus (−) until it stops.

Safety check

15 questions — you must get all 15 right to finish. You can retry as many times as you need.

1. What PPE has to be worn at all times on this job?
Review the Pre-Operation PPE list.
2. Before you drive the truck anywhere, you must:
Review the PTO safety warning.
3. What is the correct way to turn the PTOs ON?
Review the Cab Controls + Blowing operation steps.
4. When you power up the remote you hold a finger over PAUSE and hit PAUSE the instant after Reset. Why?
Review the "Why PAUSE immediately" warning.
5. What should the cruise control be set to for blowing?
Review the Cab Controls — cruise / RPM setting.
6. At the passenger-side control panel, the settings for blowing are:
Review the control-panel step.
7. During the blow, the operator/hose puller should hit PAUSE the instant:
Review the operator role.
8. While spraying, the installer must never point the hose at:
Review the installer role.
9. So the hose can't shove the installer over, they should:
Stay grounded and braced.
10. No product comes out, the hose isn't plugged, and the T-injector is clear, so someone has to climb in and dig out bridged material. This is done ONLY when:
Review the bridged-material warning — people have died in moving augers.
11. Before you drive away from the job, you must:
Pusher fully forward (LOAD) toward the cab, and control panel + PTOs + cab power all OFF before leaving.
12. When you reel the hose back in, you bring in:
Review the Shutdown steps.
13. Why must you never drive away from a job with the pusher pushed back?
Review the pusher-cylinder warning.
14. If the injector tee plugs up, how do you clear it?
Review the Diagnostics — plugged injector tee.
15. Bypassing or blocking the gate sensor to clear leftover material may be done:
Review the restricted-operation warning.
Completing as: …