Thread: Hitach "Z" Series Random Orbital Sander

Hi Rob,
If you have a vac forget the dust bag. I use an attachment i got with my vac on my sander, plus some wire twitched round to hold it on good.....With the dust being sucked away the paper will last longer as it doesn't get clogged by the dust. Depends on your use as to what to do for disk mounting, hook and loop means you can change back and forth more easily but it does have a certain softness about it that PSA disks don't. I used to just get disks from bunnings, but there is an online place here The Sandpaper Man that looks pretty good. The main thing with random orbitals is the main bearing, i have been through 3 in 12 years!

Hi Rob,

Take it to a garden/mower/tool specialist shop, you'd be surprised what they have or can get. But as stated above you'll may end up paying alot for it. Many of these shops do warranty work and may have spares or old tools to cannibalize from.

Ben.

I have a Hitachi FSV13Y and it's a good tool. Sold to me as a trade quality tool and as it's been with me for 15+ years that may be right. The pad that goes on is velcro. Unfortunately if you push too hard on one side while sanding you damage the hooky bits so you will need to buy a new pad. I did see some on eBay at one stage but buying locally from the local power tool repair place was around the same price - not cheap but should last for some time if used carefully. Michael

As you're from Tas you could try Steve dawkins in Charles St. Launceston (Power Tool Connection??). Not only can he fix just about anything, but he has a garage full (quite literally) of dead tools to cannabalise. The other local Hitachi "fix-it" man is now gone, not that he was ever much good anyway.

Thank you Gentlemen for your thoughts and responses to my questions. Ewan, I tried the sandpaper man, he could help with paper, and conversion to velcro kits, but not the pad itself unfortunately.
I will try the local appliance repair centre Ben, but not sure if any other repair joints near me would be likely to touch power tools, but will ask around. Thanks Michael for the info on the likely quality of the sander, I really had no idea but thought it most likely was a handyman quality tool, and so was reluctant to spend much on it, as I could buy a new tool of that quality for the price of a few screws as spare parts for this one! At least if it is trade quality, it's worth taking a bit of a chance, up to $50 say, to try to resurrect it. It must predate Hitachis present "toy transformer styling" which I find offputting, ( but not so much that it stopped me buying several of their tools), which all work well for me.
As for you Ratbag, you'll have to let me know your name, because I find it awkward calling someone who has just helped me out, a ratbag! Thanks for that tip about Steve Dawkins, I think I may have worked at the same place he did about 30 years ago. Well as I recall that was the name of an auto electrician, who worked at the mine I worked at all those years ago. I never knew where he had come from, or where he went after he left, but it sounds like it may be him in Launceston. I will certainly contact him to see what he might have, as I will be passing by later in the coming week. Where are you living, I'm at Somerset myself? Nice to hear from some locals on the forum, tho having said that we are all locals on the net, no matter where we are in the world. Anyway thanks again men for your advice, but keep it coming particularly if you see some reasonably priced spares somewhere, and I'll let you all know how I go with it, Cheers,
Rob.