Just bought a Cub Cadet BB230 blower? This is everything you need to know to get your new piece of equipment ready to use from assembly to fueling to getting the accessories needed to get the most out of your new blower.
Do You Have All the Parts?
Before assembling your new blower, make sure everything you need was included in the box:
– Blower with attached shoulder harness
– Flex tube
– Upper blower tube with throttle control: this is loosely attached to the blower via the throttle cable.
– Lower blower tube
– Nozzle
– Two hose clamps
– Zip tie
– Bottle of two stroke oil
Equipment and Tools Needed
To assemble the BB230, you will need two tools: a cross head (Phillips) #2 screwdriver and a T20 Torx screwdriver. However, there are a few other things you’ll need to get to use this piece of equipment safely and reliably:
Eye protection – Cub Cadet recommends wearing a set of safety glasses that meet ANSI Z87.1-1989 standards while using this blower to prevent injuries from flying debris.
Hearing protection – The noise from the engine and impeller is often well above 85 decibels, which means prolonged exposure can cause hearing damage.
A gas can – This is necessary because fuel and oil should be mixed first, then added to the blower’s fuel tank. Smaller is better since this engine is sensitive to fuel freshness.
There’s one other thing you may want to get if you hate pull starting engines. The BB230 has a slot on the back of the engine that is compatible with a stand-alone electric starter and Cub Cadet’s Power Start drill bit. These accessories turn over the motor directly, eliminating the need for recoil starting. Keep in mind that the drill bit needs to be turned using a drill that is at least 14.4 volts and can spin at 1,000 RPM; if you don’t already have a drill that powerful, get the electric starter.
Assembling the Blower
1. Place a hose clamp over one end of the flex tube, then slide the end with the clamp over the elbow tube on the blower. Tighten the clamp screw using the Phillips head screwdriver.
2. Place a hose clamp over the other end of the flex tube, then slide this end over the top of the upper blower tube. Tighten the clamp screw.
3. Slide the lower blower tube over the end of the upper blower tube. Twist the lower tube clockwise until it locks into place.
4. Insert the nozzle over the end of the lower blower tube. Turn the nozzle clockwise until it locks into place. Use a zip tie to attach the throttle cable to the elbow tube.
5. Loosen the two screws on the throttle control using the Torx screwdriver. Move the control to a position that is comfortable to grip, then re-tighten the screws.
Fuel
The engine in the BB230 is designed to use a 50:1 ratio of gasoline to oil. That’s 2.6 oz (77 ml) of oil per gallon (3.8 liters) of gasoline: a bottle of oil this size is included with this blower, and Cub Cadet also sells these bottles through dealers. If factory two stroke oil isn’t available, the company recommends mixing a gallon of fuel with a high quality 2-stroke oil paired with 0.8 oz (23 ml) of fuel stabilizer such as STA-BIL.
Fuel should be mixed with oil and stabilizers inside a gasoline container, not directly in the blower’s gas tank.
Modern gasoline collects moisture quickly, and the engine in this blower is particularly sensitive to water. For this reason, Cub Cadet recommends using fuel that is no more than 30 days old. Fuels blended with ethanol, methanol and MTBE will all work in the blower’s engine, but ethanol content should not exceed 10% (E10.)
Where to Buy Cub Cadet Parts
It doesn’t matter if you need to give your blower an overhaul or you just lost one of the clamps while putting it together, www.cubparts.com can supply you with the parts you need to keep your BB230 up and running.