Older GG6 and Backing Plate

[jarred767]

Okay, so I was out at a detail today for some regular customers and we were talking about stuff and they mentioned that they had an old buffer that they never use and wanted to give it me (Yeah, pretty sweet since I was thinkin of getting another one soon anyway)

However, it's a GG6 and I am completely unfamiliar with them. I did some research and found that I think it is an older model (although it has never been used and was still in a sealed box). This is what it looks like.



It's got a 6" inch backing plate which fits perfect on my 2.0 soft buff pads, but I am considering possibly adding the MF system to my repertoire and I know I need the 5" backing plate for these pads.

So, my questions for anyone who has used this machine.

1) As you can see, it has a little bit a different shape to it and there is no way simply attach a different backing plate (this backing plate has four screws in it that must be taken out to remove the plate instead of the traditional way most other machines hold the backing plate to the unit). Can this be modified to be able to use the Meguiars backing plates in any way, or am I stuck using Griots' backing plates?

2) If I have to use the Griots backing plates, is a 5" Griots plate okay to use with the MF pads, or should I stick with only using the MF pads with my G110v2? I'd like to be able to use this unit with the MF if possible as I feel like it's got a little more power and and might work a little better, but at the same time, should I then reduce the speed? What would the GG6 equivalent be of a 4 setting on a G110v2?

Thanks for any light that anyone can shed on this.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Older GG6 and Backing Plate

From your description and looking at the image, this is very similar to the Dewalt 443 DA buffer/sander. That tool, while shaped a bit differently in the body, has the same head to it, including both the discharge piece at the back and the fact that the backing plate attaches with 4 screws (torx in the case of the Dewalt) as opposed to the more common center stud. If Griot's has different sized backing plates for this tool, and as long as you can get a 5" unit with a microhook attachment system, you should be fine using it with our DAMF System. We'd really suggest not going with the 6" DAMF on this tool if for no other reason than the larger pads offer less cut on a DA - they were really developed for the Flex and other larger format forced rotation tools. The 5" microfiber pads are the ones really dialed in for traditional DA use.

You might want to consider using this with traditional foam pads and sticking with the G110v2 for the DAMF System.

[jarred767]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll contact them to see if they make a 5" backing plate for this model, and if not I'll just use my G110v2 for the DAMF system and this for when I use the 7" inch pads.

Assuming they do make a backing plate and the fact that motor on this is similar to the newer model, should I use this machine on the 4 setting like the G110v2, or does that change for the GG6? Thanks.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Older GG6 and Backing Plate

Check with Griot's on the actual speeds of this machine for the various settings. You want to run the DAMF at 4800opm for cutting and 3800opm for finishing. If they can tell you that, then you'll know exactly where to set the tool. If not, you'll have to experiment a bit, but settings 4 and 3 will still be good starting points.

[jarred767]

Re: Older GG6 and Backing Plate

Check with Griot's on the actual speeds of this machine for the various settings. You want to run the DAMF at 4800opm for cutting and 3800opm for finishing. If they can tell you that, then you'll know exactly where to set the tool. If not, you'll have to experiment a bit, but settings 4 and 3 will still be good starting points.

Thanks for the info, it is greatly appreciated. I did a little research online and found that it looks like roughly speed setting 3.5 on the GG6 for the cutting and 2.5 for the finishing. However, I found out that for this model they didn't make and smaller backing plates (only the 6") and they actually don't even make replacement backing plates any more since they've changed the model. With that said, they reminded me that its got a lifetime warranty, so when the backing plate eventually fails (which being used often will eventually happen as the hook and loop slowly breaks down) to just give them a call and they'll replace the unit with a completely new model (and then I can get a 5" Megs backing plate). So I guess that means my G110v2 will get to take a break on all jobs until I switch over to the DAMF system, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.

Thank Mike for all your help in helping me get this figured out.