Grader Blade Techniques and Tips for Operators

The motor grader is a piece of equipment that is used widely at construction sites. From the motor grader blade to any other part, everything needs to be operated precisely by the operators to get the best results. In fact, motor grader operators always have to adapt several techniques to get the best out of the equipment.

Even if you are a professional operator, manager, or a new operator, here in this blog we will share some useful tips and techniques that will come in handy. So, let’s get started.

Top tips and techniques for motor grader operators

In order to get great efficiency, achieve durability, here are some useful tips and techniques for the operators of motor graders.

Avoid wear and tear

Due to harsh and rocky terrains, your motor grader may face wear and tear. To avoid this, the operator needs to carefully and safely handle the equipment to prevent any unnecessary damage to the equipment. When using it, it should be kept in mind that only a required amount of downward pressure should be exerted and applied by the operator as if excessive pressure is exerted on a dry hard surface, it can cause wear in rapid cutting edge and the equipment will also consume more fuel and horsepower which ultimately reduces productivity.

Correct moldboard positioning

You need to make sure the moldboard is correctly positioned. It is important and the operators need to straighten up as when rolling the blade of the grader forward to make the edge blunt.

Keep the blade sharp

To keep the motor grader blade sharp, operators should ensure the blade is kept just forward of the cutting edge. This is done so that the blade only cuts forward when it is necessary.

Change the right angle

You or any other operator should alter the blade angle periodically. In case you choose to keep the moldboard forward, it might result in wear at the front of the cutting edge.

The right angle holds great importance and you have to consider the angle as per the material like for free-flowing and light material, moldboard angles around 10-30 degrees and when processing wet and sticky material or mixing or ditching large windows, the angles used on moldboard should be higher, around 30-50 degrees.

Beware of gutters and curbs

In the case when grading is done along with curbs and gutters, the operators need to pay extra attention because if any type of error occurs, it may result in the machine running against the curb and the edge chipped. Also, in such cases, the moldboard may be highly affected.

Moreover, when ripping or sacrificing across a slope, the operators should keep the moldboard parallel along the front axle, lowered to the ground and centred to the frame in order to provide protection against them rolling over.

Lower the teeth

Every time when using the ripper, the operators need to make sure that the teeth are lowered into the ground with the grader. In case the rear wheels lose traction, the operator of the equipment should raise the ripper first until the wheels of the mower machines regain traction. This needs to be done when the Abbey machine is being used on hard surfaces. Also, the number of teeth should be reduced.

The teeth under the pavement should be lowered to break the old pavement and also the ripper should be raised when lowering teeth. For more information about clutch testing, rotary hoes for sale and spreaders, visit our website now.

Mixer Wagon Maintenance

Farmgard NZ has been buying, rebuilding, selling, and maintaining mixer wagons for a number of years. Here is a quick guide on how to maintain your farm equipment based on what we have seen in the field. The following notes are organized by vertical mixer wagons, reel feed wagons, and auger discharges. 

Vertical Mixer Owner Notes

• It takes at least a 450 cubic foot mixer to grind up a 5 x 6 bale of hay
• It takes around 8 minutes to process a bale of alfalfa – longer for grass hay, cornstalks are similar to alfalfa
• A single screw vertical mixer will unload faster than a twin screw because you have to wait for the feed to get from the back of the mixer to the front

VERTICAL MIXER MAINTENANCE:

Plow blade

• The plow blade is the piece of metal on the back of the screw. On the new
   Pentas it is bolted on and it is welded on in most other wagons
• Make sure the plow blade is not wore and is a ¼ “ from the side wall
• Even though the plow blade looks like a small piece of metal (it is not along
   for the ride so to speak) it is a very important piece of the puzzle for fast
   and proper mixing action

Mixer Knives

• Check to make sure your knives are not dull if you are cutting a lot of hay or
   roughage (especially dairy)
• If you are not worried about your knives and do not do a lot of cutting, check to
   make sure your bolt heads are not worn to the point where your knives
   will fall off. This can cause major damage. 
• How far your knives can go before you replace them depends on your application. So, if you are confused give Farmgard a call. 

Discharge

• Make sure you have proper chain tension on the conveyor chain (3?of slack)
   and the hyd. motor drive chain (normal roller chain tight)

Planetaries

• Make sure you have no leaks
• Make sure the oil level is at the proper intervals
• If you haven’t changed your oil in 2000 hours you should change it
• 2 speed oil every 1000 hrs.

Reel Mixer Owner Notes

• Red frame knights are older than yellow frame knights
• A 2 spider reel is newer than a 3 spiral reel
• A 2 spider reel takes a high roughage ration better than a 3 spider reel

REEL MIXER MAINTENANCE:

• Take a look in your wagon and make sure your reel bars are not thin (especially where the bolt and the reel spring is). We have seen reel bars get so thin, break off, and then get stuck and cause auger damage.
• Check your gearbox for proper chain tension and there aren’t any tensioner springs broken. This is a common problem when we trade wagons in.
• Make sure your bearings (set screws) are nice and tight on the augers and shafts.

Auger Discharge Owner Notes

• Make sure your drive chains are tight
• Make sure your augers are not worn
• Make sure your auger bushings are not worn badly
• Make sure your orbit motor is not leaking

For More Details Visit Our Website Please: https://www.farmgard.co.nz/