BOSCH 550, 55-225 GTR Professional Drywall Sander Instruction Manual

: June 3, 2024
: Bosch

Table of Contents

BOSCH 550, 55-225 GTR Professional Drywall Sander
Instruction
Safety Instructions
Product Description and Specifications
Technical Data
Assembly
Operation
- Starting Operation
Maintenance and Service
- Maintenance and Cleaning
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

BOSCH 550, 55-225 GTR Professional Drywall Sander

BOSCH-550-55-225-GTR-Professional-Drywall-Sander-product-
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Instruction

Safety Instructions

General Power Tool Safety Warnings
WARNING Read all safety warnings, instructions, illustrations and specifications provided with this power tool. Failure to follow all in- structions listed below may result in electric shock, fire and/or serious injury.
Save all warnings and instructions for future reference.
The term “power tool” in the warnings refers to your mains-operated (corded) power tool or battery-operated (cord-less) power tool.
Work area safety

Keep work area clean and well lit. Cluttered or dark areas invite accidents.
Do not operate power tools in explosive atmospheres, such as in the presence of flammable liquids, gases or dust. Power tools create sparks which may ignite the dust or fumes.
Keep children and bystanders away while operating a power tool. Distractions can cause you to lose control.

Electrical safety

Power tool plugs must match the outlet. Never modify the plug in any way. Do not use any adapter plugs with earthed (grounded) power tools. Unmodified plugs and matching outlets will reduce risk of electric shock.
Avoid body contact with earthed or grounded sur-faces, such as pipes, radiators, ranges and refrigerators. There is an increased risk of electric shock if your body is earthed or grounded.
Do not expose power tools to rain or wet conditions. Water entering a power tool will increase the risk of electric shock.
Do not abuse the cord. Never use the cord for carrying, pulling or unplugging the power tool. Keep cord away from heat, oil, sharp edges or moving parts. Damaged or entangled cords increase the risk of electric shock.
When operating a power tool outdoors, use an extension cord suitable for outdoor use. Use of a cord suit-able for outdoor use reduces the risk of electric shock.
If operating a power tool in a damp location is un-avoidable, use a residual current device (RCD) protected supply. Use of an RCD reduces the risk of electric shock.

Personal safety

Stay alert, watch what you are doing and use common sense when operating a power tool. Do not use a power tool while you are tired or under the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication. A moment of inattention while operating power tools may result in serious per-sonal injury.
Use personal protective equipment. Always wear eye protection. Protective equipment such as a dust mask, non-skid safety shoes, hard hat or hearing protection used for appropriate conditions will reduce personal in-juries.
Prevent unintentional starting. Ensure the switch is in the off-position before connecting to power source and/or battery pack, picking up or carrying the tool. Carrying power tools with your finger on the switch or energising power tools that have the switch on invites acci-dents.
Remove any adjusting key or wrench before turning the power tool on. A wrench or a key left attached to a rotating part of the power tool may result in personal in-jury.
Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and balance at all times. This enables better control of the power tool in unexpected situations.
Dress properly. Do not wear loose clothing or jewellery. Keep your hair and clothing away from moving parts. Loose clothes, jewellery or long hair can be caught in moving parts.
If devices are provided for the connection of dust ex-traction and collection facilities, ensure these are connected and properly used. Use of dust collection can re-duce dust-related hazards.
Do not let familiarity gained from frequent use of tools allow you to become complacent and ignore tool safety principles. A careless action can cause severe in-jury within a fraction of a second.

Power tool use and care

Do not force the power tool. Use the correct power tool for your application. The correct power tool will do the job better and safer at the rate for which it was de-signed.
Do not use the power tool if the switch does not turn it on and off. Any power tool that cannot be controlled with the switch is dangerous and must be repaired.
Disconnect the plug from the power source and/or re-move the battery pack, if detachable, from the power tool before making any adjustments, changing accessories, or storing power tools. Such preventive safety measures reduce the risk of starting the power tool accidentally.
Store idle power tools out of the reach of children and do not allow persons unfamiliar with the power tool or these instructions to operate the power tool. Power tools are dangerous in the hands of untrained users.
Maintain power tools and accessories. Check for misalignment or binding of moving parts, breakage of parts and any other condition that may affect the power tool’s operation. If damaged, have the power tool repaired before use. Many accidents are caused by poorly maintained power tools.
Keep cutting tools sharp and clean. Properly main-tained cutting tools with sharp cutting edges are less likely to bind and are easier to control.
Use the power tool, accessories and tool bits etc. in accordance with these instructions, taking into ac-count the working conditions and the work to be per-formed. Use of the power tool for operations different from those intended could result in a hazardous situation.
Keep handles and grasping surfaces dry, clean and free from oil and grease. Slippery handles and grasping surfaces do not allow for safe handling and control of the tool in unexpected situations.

Service

Have your power tool serviced by a qualified repair person using only identical replacement parts. This will ensure that the safety of the power tool is maintained.

Safety Warnings for Sander

Only use the power tool for dry sanding. Water entering a power tool will increase the risk of electric shock.
Warning: Danger of fire! Avoid overheating the work-piece and the sander. Always empty the dust con-tainer before taking a break from work. Sanding dust in the dust bag, microfilter, paper bag (or in the filter bag or vacuum cleaner filter) can spontaneously ignite under un-favourable conditions. This risk is increased if the sanding dust is mixed with paint or polyurethane residue or with other chemical substances and if the workpiece is hot as a result of prolonged work.
Always wait until the power tool has come to a com-plete stop before placing it down.
Secure the workpiece. A workpiece clamped with clamping devices or in a vice is held more secure than by hand.
Hold the power tool firmly with both hands and make sure you have a stable footing. The power tool can be more securely guided with both hands.
Connect the power tool to a mains supply that is properly connected to earth. The socket and extension cable must have a fully functioning protective conductor.

Products sold in GB only:
Your product is fitted with an BS 1363/A approved electric plug with internal fuse (ASTA approved to BS 1362).
If the plug is not suitable for your socket outlets, it should be cut off and an appropriate plug fitted in its place by an au-thorised customer service agent. The replacement plug should have the same fuse rating as the original plug.
The severed plug must be disposed of to avoid a possible shock hazard and should never be inserted into a mains socket elsewhere.

Product Description and Specifications

Read all the safety and general instructions. Failure to observe the safety and general instructions may result in electric shock, fire and/or serious injury.
Please observe the illustrations at the beginning of this operating manual.
Intended Use
The power tool is intended for dry sanding dry wall that has had filler applied, ceilings and walls in indoor and outdoor areas, and for removing coats of paint, adhesive residues and loose plaster.
Product Features
The numbering of the product features refers to the diagram of the power tool on the graphics page.

Suction power thumbwheel
Speed preselection thumbwheel
On/off switch
Handle (insulated gripping surface)
Extraction hosea)
Extraction outlet
Handle section
Safety hook
Clamping lever
Extension tube
Sanding head
Brush segment locking mechanism
Suction power adjusting lever
Sanding sheeta)
Intermediate pad
Screw for sanding pad
Sanding pad
Brush segment
Connection hose
Sanding pad holder
Eccentric screw
Hose/cable clipa)
Hose clamp
Inner housing
Hose mount
- Accessories shown or described are not included with the product as standard. You can find the complete selection of accessories in our accessories range.

Technical Data

Standard scope of delivery
The specifications apply to a rated voltage [U] of 230 V. These spe- cifications may vary at different voltages and in country-specific mod-els.

Assembly

Pull the plug out of the socket before carrying out any work on the power tool.

Changing the Sanding Sheet (see figure A)
To remove the sanding sheet (14), lift it from the side and pull it off the intermediate pad (15).
Remove dirt and dust from the intermediate pad (15), e.g. with a paintbrush, before attaching a new sanding sheet.
The surface of the intermediate pad (15) is fitted with a hook-and-loop fastening, allowing sanding sheets with a hook-and-loop backing to be secured quickly and easily.
Press the sanding sheet (14) firmly onto the underside of the intermediate pad (15).
To ensure optimum dust extraction, make sure that the punched holes in the sanding sheet (14) are aligned with the punched holes in the intermediate pad (15) and the drilled holes in the sanding pad (17).
Note: An intermediate pad (15) is not required when working with the medium-hard sanding pad; the sanding sheet (14) is attached directly to the sanding pad (17). In all other cases, the change is performed as described here.

Selection of the Sanding Plate

Standard scope of delivery
Changing the Intermediate Pad (see figure A)
An intermediate pad (15) must always be used when work-ing with the soft sanding pad (part of standard items in-cluded).
To remove the intermediate pad (15), lift it from the side and pull it off the sanding pad (17).
Remove dirt and dust from the sanding pad (17), e.g. with a paintbrush, before attaching a new intermediate pad.
The surface of the sanding pad (17) is fitted with a hook-and-loop fastening, allowing intermediate pads to be se-cured quickly and easily.
Press the intermediate pad (15) firmly against the underside of the sanding pad (17).
To ensure optimum dust extraction, make sure that the punched holes in the intermediate pad (15) are aligned with the drilled holes in the sanding pad (17).
Changing the Sanding Pad (see figure B)
Note: Replace damaged sanding pads (17) immediately.
Pull off the sanding sheet (14) and the intermediate
pad (15). Unscrew the screw (16) completely and remove the sanding pad (17). Attach the new sanding pad (17) and retighten the screw.
Note: When attaching the sanding pad, make sure that the teeth of the catch mate with the recesses in the sanding pad.
Note: Damaged sanding pads must only be replaced by an after-sales service centre authorised to work with Bosch power tools.
Inserting/Removing the Extension Tube (see figures C–D)
Only use the extension tubes (10) if necessary. The effort required for the sanding is significantly lower when working without extension tubes.
Note: A maximum of two extension tubes may be inserted.
Undoing the Connection between Sanding Head/Handle Section/Extension Tube (see figure C):
- Open the clamping lever (9).
- Open the safety hook (8).
- Pull the previously connected parts apart.

Fastening the Connection between Sanding Head/Handle Section/Extension Tube (see figure D):

Slide the sanding head (11), handle section (7) and/or extension tubes (10) into each other depending on the required connection.
Close the safety hook (8).
Push the clamping lever (9) until it is at a right angle to the sanding head (11), handle section (7) or extension tube (10).
Firmly tighten the eccentric screw (21).
Close the clamping lever (9).
Always check that all the connection elements are secured with the safety hooks (8) and clamping levers (9) and are firmly attached.

Dust/chip extraction
Dust from materials can be harmful to health. Touching or breathing in this dust can trigger allergic reactions and/or cause respiratory illnesses in the user or in people in the near vicinity.
Certain dusts are classified as carcinogenic.

Use a dust extraction system that is suitable for the material wherever possible.
Provide good ventilation at the workplace.
Always wear a P2 filter class breathing mask

External dust extraction
Attach the dust extraction hose (5) to the extraction outlet (6) on the handle section (7).
Connect the dust extraction hose (5) to an extractor (ac-cessory).
The dust extractor must be suitable for the material being worked.
When extracting dry dust that is especially detrimental to health or carcinogenic, use a special dust extractor.
For large surfaces, use the GAS 35 L/M AFC or GAS 55 L/M AFC dust extractor since these models guarantee the con-tinuous suction power required.

Application Overview.
When working on vertical surfaces, hold the power tool with the dust extraction hose facing downwards.
Installing/Removing the Hose/Cable Clip (see figure E)
Place the hose/cable clip (22) over the extraction hose (5). Insert the power cable into the cable groove of the hose/cable clip.
To remove the hose/cable clip (22), pull it off the extraction hose (5) and remove the power cable from the hose/cable clip.

Operation

Starting Operation

Pay attention to the mains voltage. The voltage of the power source must match the voltage specified on the rating plate of the power tool. Power tools marked with 230 V can also be operated with 220 V.
Products that are only sold in AUS and NZ: Use a residual current device (RCD) with a nominal residual current of 30 mA or less.

Preselecting the Speed
You can preselect the required speed using the speed preselection thumbwheel (2), even during operation. The higher numbers indicate a high speed, while the smaller ones represent a low speed.
The Constant Electronic keeps the speed at no load and un-der load virtually consistent, guaranteeing uniform perform-ance.
The electronic soft start limits the torque when the power tool is switched on and increases the service life of the mo-tor.
Switching On/Off

Make sure that you are able to press the On/Off switch without releasing the handle.

To switch on the power tool, slide the on/off switch (3) for-ward so that “I” appears on the switch.
To switch off the power tool, slide the on/off switch (3) backwards so that “0” appears on the switch.

Working Advice

Pull the plug out of the socket before carrying out any work on the power tool.
Always wait until the power tool has come to a complete stop before placing it down.
Do not put the power tool down on its side. This could permanently warp the sanding pad.
This power tool is not suitable for bench-mounted use. It must not be clamped into a vice or fastened to a work-bench, for example.

Sanding Surfaces
Switch the power tool on, place the entire sanding surface against the surface of the workpiece and apply moderate pressure as you move the sander over the workpiece.
The material removal rate and sanding result are primarily determined by the choice of sanding sheet, the preselected speed setting and the contact pressure.
Only immaculate sanding sheets achieve good sanding per-formance and make the power tool last longer.
Be sure to apply consistent contact pressure in order to in-crease the lifetime of the sanding sheets.
Excessively increasing the contact pressure will not lead to increased sanding performance, rather it will cause more severe wear of the power tool and of the sanding sheet. Do not use a sanding sheet for other materials after it has been used to work on metal.
Use only original Bosch-sanding accessories.
Sanding Close to Edges (see figures F–G)
Thanks to the removable brush segment, you can reduce the lateral distance between the wall/ceiling and the sanding pad.

Press and hold the locking mechanism (12) for the brush segment (18).
Swivel the brush segment (18) forwards and remove it.
To insert, hook the brush segment (18) onto the opposite side of the locking mechanism (12), and swivel it to-wards the sanding head (11) until it clicks into place.

Adjusting the Internal/External Airflow
Depending on the vacuum pressure, the perceived tool weight can be reduced.
You can switch between different air flow operating modes depending on the intended use. Turn the suction power adjusting lever (13) to one of the 3 positions.

Adjusting suction power
You can adjust the suction power to achieve your preferred balance between sanding speed and suction power. This regulation is only possible when the internal airflow is activ-ated (position ③ in the table above).
Adjust the suction power with the thumbwheel (1):

1−5: Low to high suction power, suitable for sanding ceilings
6: Highest suction power, suitable for sanding walls Start with a low suction power (position 1) and increase slowly, until there is a noticeable contact pressure.
High suction power allows low-fatigue sanding of ceilings and walls. An excessively high suction power can cause the power tool to vibrate, which can make handling more difficult.

Maintenance and Service

Maintenance and Cleaning

Pull the plug out of the socket before carrying out any work on the power tool.
To ensure safe and efficient operation, always keep the power tool and the ventilation slots clean.

In order to avoid safety hazards, if the power supply cord needs to be replaced, this must be done by Bosch or by an after-sales service centre that is authorized to repair Bosch power tools.

Changing the Connection Hose (see figure H)
To remove the connection hose (19), loosen the screw on the hose clamp (23) with a screwdriver and lift the hose clamp (23) off with the connection hose (19). Remove the hose clamp (23). Pull out the inner housing (24) of the hose mount (25) at the other end of the connection hose (19). Hold the inner housing (24) in place and unscrew the connection hose (19).
To insert a new connection hose (19), hold the inner housing (24) in place and screw in the new connection hose (19) all the way. Fit the hose clamp (23) on the other side of the connection hose (19). Position the screw head so that you can tighten the hose clamp (23) effortlessly on the sanding head (11) with a screwdriver with a torque of around 2 Nm.

After-Sales Service and Application Service
Our after-sales service responds to your questions concern-ing maintenance and repair of your product as well as spare parts. You can find explosion drawings and information on spare parts at: www.bosch-pt.com
The Bosch product use advice team will be happy to help you with any questions about our products and their accessor-ies.
In all correspondence and spare parts orders, please always include the 10‑digit article number given on the nameplate of the product.
Malaysia
Robert Bosch Sdn. Bhd.(220975-V) PT/SMY
No. 8A, Jalan 13/6
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel.: (03) 79663194
Toll-Free: 1800 880188
Fax: (03) 79583838
E-Mail: kiathoe.chong@my.bosch.com
www.bosch-pt.com.my
You can find further service addresses at:
www.bosch-pt.com/serviceaddresses
Disposal
The power tool, accessories and packaging should be re-cycled in an environmentally friendly manner.