PROMATIC Super Hawk Clay Target Launcher User Manual

Operating Instructions
Super Hawk – Clay target launcher

Super Hawk Clay Target Launcher

WARNING
Clay target launchers can be dangerous and must be treated with great care at all times to avoid accidents.
Never place any bodily part into the path of any mechanical piece whilst the machine is in motion or likely to be so.
You must treat a clay target launcher with the same caution that you would treat a loaded gun. Assume at all times that a clay target launcher is armed and loaded and treat it accordingly
This document must be read in full before attempting to operate the machine

Preface:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this manual is complete, accurate and up-to-date. Promatic International assumes no
responsibility for errors beyond its control.
Conventions used within this manual:
Trap: Your SuperHawk – Clay target launcher—commonly known as a clay trap and may be referred to in this manual as “The trap” or “The machine”
Warnings & Cautions:

Warning: This section contains instructions which, if ignored or carried out incorrectly, may result in risk of personal injury.
Caution: This section contains instructions which, if ignored or carried out incorrectly, may result in malfunction or damage to the equipment
Note: This section contains additional information which the user may find useful, but is not essential to the operation of the product.
12v DC Power Source:
This product is designed to be powered from a 12v DC battery. We recommend 85Ah (approx.)
leisure batteries. Promatic part no. E30V/LB85
IT SHOULD NOT BE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO MAINS AC POWER

EYE PROTECTION MUST BE WORN WHEN WORKING ON OR AROUND A CLAY TARGET LAUNCHER AS SMALL SHARP PIECES OF CLAY MAY BE EJECTED DURING NORMAL USE.

Specifications:

Super Hawk

Type:| Single column|
---|---|---
Capacity:| 65 Birds|
Length:| 960mm| 37 3/4”
Width:| 870mm| 34 1/4”
Height:| 1105mm| 43 1/2”

Understanding your new trap:

Unpacking the trap

Unpacking

Remove the Trap from the packaging base-board by removing the two coach bolts, nuts and washers – discard these parts.
Caution (Cable ties) – There are two short nylon cable ties through the top plate (located under the small spring behind the clay hopper) These act as locating fingers to help position the clay correctly on the casting plate and are an essential part o f the trap. They are NOT packaging, please DO NOT CUT them off!

Initial setup
Fit Clay hopper to top plate by loosening the wing nuts (there is no need to remove the wing nuts or the black plastic caps) Place the hopper slightly forward of its intended position over the drop hole and slide back into position, tighten the 3 wing -nuts. The mainspring is supplied disconnected and the throwing arm will have been set in a safe position. Cut the cable tie holding the main spring and throwing arm in place and loosen off both the nuts holding the threaded end of the spring, temporarily remove the outer nut & washer. Rotate the throwing arm (counter clockwise) until it is pointing straight out in front of the machine, this places the spring attachment point at its rearmost position.
Fit the main spring hook around the Spring roller and replace the outer (spring adjustment) washer & nut, this nut can now be tightened to begin to pull tension in the spring, whilst doing so ensure that the inner (spring locking) nut is sufficiently far down the thread to allow the spring to be properly tensioned. Refer to the section on spring tensioning for important information regarding maximum spring setting.

BEFORE CONNECTING THE BATTERY FOR THE FIRST TIME:
Read the relevant sections of this manual to familiarise yourself with the procedure for properly disarming the trap (this can be found within this manual) and fully understand when the trap is safe and when it is not.
Connecting the battery:
Ensure you are behind the machine, the ARM/DISARM switch is in the OFF position and it is otherwise safe to proceed. Connect the red cable to the Red (+) terminal and
the black cable to the Black (-) Terminal. Ensure the terminal fasteners are tight (also where appropriate that the battery is securely strapped to its tray.)
Never approach the machine from the front or sides, Do not assume the trap is safe even without electrical power it may still be armed.

Positioning the machine

1. Clay Target Launchers must be situated on firm level ground in a position that will allow unrestricted access to rear of machine.
2. There must be no obstructions to the path of the throwing arm.
3. Ensure that the power supply can be easily disconnected and cables cannot be- come tangled in any part of the mechanism.

Loading Clays
Once you have a working trap it becomes a dangerous machine, heed the warning above and always stand to the rear of the machine when loading clays, with the machine dis-armed, place a stack of clays in the hopper so that the lower clay rests on the arms of the iris (two metal plates closing off the gap within the drop hole) once armed the trap is fired by the action of the spring loaded arm moving over-centre and this could be accidentally set off without pressing the fire button, or even without electrical power connected for example by knocking the trap.

Firing the machine

1. Turn the ON/OFF or switch (if fitted) to the ON or position and set the ARM/DISARM switch to the ARM/LOAD position. The machine will move automatically and arm itself ready to launch a loaded clay.
2. Press the FIRE button on the command cable to throw a clay.
3. The machine will fire every time the FIRE button is pressed and will automatically rearm itself, until disarmed and switched off or disconnected.

Disarming the machine

1. To disarm the machine push the ARM/DISARM switch upwards to the DISARM position and immediately release (long enough for the trap to fire, but not giving the machine a chance to rearm).
2. Turn the ON/OFF or switch (if fitted) to the OFF or position and disconnect the battery.

Hints & Tips

Beware of “Dry Firing”

Where possible try to avoid dry-firing the trap, i.e. firing the arm mechanism with no clay present on the casting plate (for example after clearing a jam). If the trap were to fired in this manner with clays somehow remaining in the hopper, they will likely be cracked as the machine recoils from the shock of the spring acting on an empty arm, to do so would cause problems later when the remaining clays are thrown.
Avoid using “Pick-up clays”
Do not use pick-ups i.e. clays that have been previously thrown, these may have invisible hairline cracks which will cause problems when the plunger mechanism exerts pressure on the clay. Cracked clays are highly likely to break at this point causing a jam-up and/or misfire which may also damage the remainder of clays in the stack.

ALWAYS disarm the machine before any loading, adjustment or maintenance.
ALWAYS load clays from rear and ONLY if the machine is disarmed and safe.
NEVER approach the machine from the front or sides. ALWAYS from the rear.
NEVER allow children or untrained persons to approach or touch the machine.
NEVER move an armed/loaded machine. ALWAYS disarm and disconnect battery.
REMOVE the main throwing spring before transport in a vehicle.
BE AWARE of the fall zone of both broken and unbroken clays and that a change in wind direction will affect this.

Never approach the machine from the front or sides, Do not assume the trap is safe even without electrical power it may still be armed.

Disarm Procedure – Warning: Stand at rear of machine only
To disarm the machine press the red test fire button at the rear of the machine and immediately push the ARM/DISARM toggle switch upwards towards the DISARM position before the machine re-arms. Hold the toggle switch upwards until the throwing arm is pointing to the front of the machine and release the toggle switch.
Removal of, or tensioning of the spring can be carried out only in the disarmed condition.
The trap is now Disarmed with the arm clear of the casting plate and is safe to be adjusted, checked or cleaned etc.. as the spring will only be tensioned and moved to the armed position once power is applied and the ARM/DISARM switch operated.
It would not be practical to transport the trap in the disarmed state, as the arm would be vulnerable to damage, therefore for safe transportation of the trap (i.e. in a vehicle) :

1. Perform the procedure above until the throwing arm is pointing to the front of the machine.
2.  Disconnect the battery/power source from the machine.
3. Release the spring tension and completely remove the spring from the machine.
4. USING THE PALM OF THE HAND ONLY, push the arm around counter clockwise into the body of the machine (it will be felt to click over the sprung rollers (which operate the plunger) as it is moved into position.

Ensure the machine is stable on firm level ground before use. Bolt the machine to a solid base or the Optional Trolley Base.
WARNING BEFORE ADJUSTMENT (Arm timing)
Part of this procedure requires you to work very close to the trap – before proceeding be sure you understand and have practised the procedure for properly disarming the trap (this can be found earlier in this manual) and fully understand when the trap is safe and when it is not.
Adjustment: Throwing arm timing
Disarm the machine (fire it) and then by flicking the arm/disarm switch reverse until the desired position is achieved, with the spring crank block inline with the mainspring and its mount as per the diagram below.
Disconnect the battery at this point. Loosen the arm clamp block and rotate the arm so the front edge of the tapered section of the yellow friction strip lines up with the outer edge of the countersunk bolt through the casting plate. Re-tighten the arm clamp block firmly. Your trap is now correctly timed.

ALWAYS disarm the machine before carrying out loading, adjustment or maintenance.

Adjustment: Elevation
Setting Elevation angle
Loosen wing-nut on rear of elevation rail as shown, tilt trap to desired angle and retighten the wing-nut.

Be aware that with a full machine which is already partially tilted (aimed fairly low), when the wing nut is undone the machine may jolt rearward. Support the weight of the machine from the rear part of the frame when adjusting the elevation angle.

Adjustment: Plunger Mechanism
As the arm rotates, the plunger presses gently on the outer rim of the remaining clay stack to hold it as the bottom clay is released from the iris plates. With the trap at rest and the clays pushed towards the two rear hopper rods there should be a visible gap between the second clay up in the stack and the red polyurethane plunger tip.
The plunger gap should be between 1 and 2mm(around 1/16″) and can be adjusted if requiredusing two 10mm spanners/wrenches. Holding the half nut (located against the back of the brass plunger) adjust the rear locking nut clockwise to increase the gap or anti-clockwise to decrease it.

ALWAYS disarm the machine before carrying out loading, adjustment or maintenance.

Adjustment: Spring Tension

Spring adjustment is always easier if the spring attachment point is at its rearmost position, this relieves the spring of a large proportion of it’s tension making adjustment much easier as well as reducing wear on the spring adjustment mechanism.
To achieve this, first disarm the trap (see page 8) so that the throwing arm projects forward from the front of the machine. At this point disconnect the battery.

To increase the spring tension, move the Lock nut towards the coil spring and then tighten the Adjustment nut behind it.
To reduce the spring tension, move the Adjustment nut away from the spring coil and tighten the lock nut behind it.
Important: leave 30mm (1 3/16”) thread length between inside nut and spring coil. Increasing spring tension up to full length of thread will seriously detriment the  performance of the machine and will cause spring damage or failure.

Optional ABT/DTL units

An optional DTL base and Wobble box are available for the Super Hawk model (both units required for conversion to ABT trap) the DTL base is incorporated into a convenient trolley with rear ground spike and battery tray. When fitted to the optional DTL trolley the traps original base is removed. Full details of the fitting procedure can be found in the separate manual which is provided with the DTL trolley and wobble box kit.

Electrical Troubleshooting :

1. Machine does not arm (i.e. come to the loaded position).
   (a) Check the battery is charged and that connections are tight.
   (b) Check the toggle switch is in the down (arm/load) position.
   (c) Check the Throwing arm is clear of the Roller switch under the Casting plate. If not, then press toggle up to the dis-arm position until the arm is clear, then back  down to the arm/load position. When the toggle switch is in the dis-arm position, the motor reverses the arm.

2. Machine still does not arm.
   (a) Check all connections are tight. Check for broken wires and damaged connections.
   (b) If there are no broken connections (battery connected, all switches on) press the toggle up to the dis-arm position. If the motor does not turn then check the fuse in
   the wiring loom, this is located inside the mainframe of the machine and can be accessed by removing the plate that holds the toggle switch and test fire button on the rear of the machine.

3. Machine runs in ‘DISARM’ position, but not in ‘ON’ position.
   If the arm is clear of the roller switch then this switch is faulty. Move wheel on the end of the roller switch from side to side and check to see if it returns to the central position, also check the two wires inside the switch are both connected.

4. Machine cocks, but will not fire from command cable.
   (a) Either the connections, cable or command push button are faulty. Disconnect the Duraplug or Hirsch- mann connector on the command cable and short the 2 outer sockets (Duraplug) or connect pins 2 & 3 in a Hirschmann socket (do not put anything into any other socket – one pin carries continuous +12v for radio use and is un-fused.) If the trap still does not fire then there may be a problem within the wiring loom which will require further investigation.
   (b) If the trap does fire then reconnect the command cable, remove the cover on the push button box and short across the two spade connectors. If the trap fires – then the push button is faulty. If the trap does not fire – then there is a broken wire in the command cable or a bad connection in the connector.

5. Trap fires by itself!
   (a) Disconnect the command cable and switch the trap back on. If the trap re- arms normally – then the command cable is damaged or shorted out. Alternatively, the push button switch is stuck in or faulty.
   (b) If the trap continues to fire – then check the arm to crank timing relationship as described on page 9 of this manual. If this relationship is correct then, after having put the trap into the disarmed/safe position, move the roller limit switch out along the slotted bracket to its maximum. If the machine now re- arms normally – then move the limit switch back to within 5mm of its original position. If the trap now fires by itself again then move the switch to 10mm of its original position and so on until the trap arms normally under all conditions.
   (c) If the machine still fires by itself then the Roller switch is faulty and must be replaced.

ALWAYS disarm the machine before carrying out loading, adjustment or maintenance.

Mechanical Troubleshooting :

1. Machine will not throw clays.
   It is usually obvious what is wrong with a machine which does not throw clays at all. It is more likely that the following situation arises;

2. Machine throws clay but:
   (a) The clay flicks up in the air.
   The arm is probably bent down or the casting plate bent up, squeezing the clay between them. The arm or plate should be replaced or straightened.
   (b) The clay goes no distance (even though the main spring is wound up tight.)
   The arm may be bent upwards causing clay to go under it at its tip. This will also cause clays to break. The solution is to straighten the arm.
   (c) The clays are inconsistent in direction.
   The clay is being jammed under the arm towards the end. This is usually caused either by the arm being bent down, then the tip bent up or more likely clays varying in thickness.
   The solution if the arm is bent is to straighten it. If it is the clay thickness that is the problem then adjust the arm to accommodate the thickest one you can find.

3. The Machine breaks clays!
   A point to consider here is that if you have other traps, which have suddenly started to break clays, it’s probably the clays which are at fault. Particularly soft clays can be accommodated due to the ‘soft fall’ plate fitted to the machine; but sometimes the clay will be unable to absorb the actual throwing forces consistently. The maximum acceptable level of no birds is 5%, but should in practice be less.

A simple process should be followed which differentiates between the loading of the clay prior to throwing and the throwing of that same clay.
Check loading cycle first:

(a) Check that the clays in the hopper are intact, not chipped or cracked. If in doubt, remove suspect clays and use ones known to be intact.
(b) Place two clays at the bottom of the hopper. Check that the tip of the brass plunger (the red rubber tip) is about 1 – 2mm away from the top clay. If the gap is any larger, you may experience problems with the machine feeding two or more clays at a time. If there is no gap and the clay cannot fall past the plunger, then this will cause problems as well.
To adjust the plunger, refer to the relevant section of this manual.
If necessary set the gap, ideally to 1mm. Once this is set, fill the hopper with clays. The machine can now be cycled to check that each clay arrives on the casting plate intact. If this is the case then the fault lies in the throwing cycle.

Check throwing cycle next:
(a) Check arm for straightness, for chunks missing from the rubber/plastic friction strip or any other physical damage to the arm. A new friction strip can be fitted to an old arm if necessary. If the arm cannot be straightened then it should be replaced.
(b) Check for damage to the casting plate especially the front edge of the plate in case it has been dented, bent or burred. Check for flatness, ensure that no screw heads protrude and that there are no other obstructions to the clay path.
(c) Check the height of the arm over the plate across its whole surface to ensure that the clay fits under the friction strip with about 1 mm clearance. Any more than 3 mm clearance will cause the arm to break the clay by riding over it.
(d) Check that the bolt holding the arm to its clamp block is tight.
(e) Check the arm-crank timing relationship. If this relationship is incorrect the trap will definitely break clays when throwing. The timing can be adjusted to the diagram found in this manual.

As each of the above elements are checked, something incorrect should be discovered. If the machine still breaks clays, then there is one final check.
Slacken the main spring to its minimum extension, i.e. with the throwing arm in the forward position the coils are just open. Operate the trap a few times in this mode, which puts hardly any stress into the clay because of the slack mainspring. If the clays still break then it is very likely that the actual clays are sub standard and a new batch should be obtained.

Spare Parts
For parts not listed please call Promatic or you local dealer / service agent or visit www.promatic.co.uk

Notes:

Barclay Phelps CE Marking Consultants, 29/8 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar 646, Europe
CERTIFICATE & DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY FOR CE MARKING
Company contact details: Promatic International Ltd. Station Works, Hooton Road, Hooton, S Wirral, CH66 7NF, United Kingdom Tel: +44(0)151 327 2220 Fax: +44(0)151 327 7075 e mail: info@promatic.co.uk
Promatic International Ltd. declares that their: Clay Target Launchers listed as the following models Elite, Hawk, Superhawk, Harrier, Harrier ABT/Wobble, Eagle, Eagle Battue, Falcon, Hobby /Merlin, Ranger 8. Osprey/All American Ranger, Ranger Battue, Ranger ABT/Wobble, Spoiler 400TT, Spoiler 400TT ABT/Wobble, Super Spoiler Battue. Super Spoiler. Super Spoiler Downhill Thrower. Super Spoiler ABT/Wobble, Rabbit, Squirrel, Ranger Chondell. Chondell. Hunter Wobble, Huntsman. Huntsman XP, Fieldsman, Club Skeet, Pro Skeet, Int Skeet, Olympic Trap, Club 275 DTUATA. International DTUATA Pro ABT/Wobble, Auto Trap DTUATA/ABT/Wobble, International Doubles DTUATANVobble and Spoiler Doubles DTUATANVobble
are classified within the following EU Directives: Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2004/108/EC and further conform with the following EU Harmonized Standards: EN 12100-1:2003+A1:2009 EN 12100-2:2003+A1:2009 EN 61000-6-3:2007 EN 61000-6-1:2007
Dated: 19 April 2011 Position of signatory: Group Technical Director Name of Signatory: Graham Stephen Fair

Promatic International Ltd.
Hooton Road
Hooton
South Wirral
CH66 7PA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 151 327 2220
E-mail info@promatic.co.uk
Website: www.promatic.co.uk
Promatic Inc.
801, Mid America Drive,
Plattsburg.
MO 64477
USA
Toll Free: 888.767.2529
Fax: 816.539.0257
E-mail: sales@promatic.biz
Website: www.promatic.biz
Version 2.1 — November 2021

References

• Promatic Trap Machines | World's Best Traps | Clay Target Thrower
• Promatic Traps– Promatic International Ltd

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