dumptrucker
Well-Known Member
Thou shall clean out ditches where possible. Thou shall not fill ditches in. Thou shall cut out pot holes not skim and fill them.
-
Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!
The Ten Commandments List for a grader operator.
- Thread starter 140G
- Start date
runt
Member
I am about 3 weeks into learning to run a grader, and one of the journeyman teaching me has a good one: "as go your wheels, so goes your blade".
Fatgraderman
Senior Member
Thou shalt not leave large windrows of snow in rate payer's driveways or around parked vehicles.
Thou shalt not V-Plow parked vehicles barried in snow drifts.
And lastly-
Thou shall not go high speed down a road after livestock or manure haulers have gone forth woodstocking.
Now with these 17.5 and 20.5 radials, I just leave them straight up and down. I've ran them both ways, but it had more to do with reach when I ran them the "wrong way" or trying to get them in a certain place in a ditch bottom.
Thou shalt not V-Plow parked vehicles barried in snow drifts.
And lastly-
Thou shall not go high speed down a road after livestock or manure haulers have gone forth woodstocking.
Now with these 17.5 and 20.5 radials, I just leave them straight up and down. I've ran them both ways, but it had more to do with reach when I ran them the "wrong way" or trying to get them in a certain place in a ditch bottom.
DB2
Senior Member
Anybody else use the wheel lean or moldboard tilt to raise or lower the entire blade instead of manipulating the blade levers?
cuttin edge
Senior Member
I constantly use tilt. I bet it is shinier than the main lift controller. I don't use the lean for that because it will thrust the board left or right. Thou shalt never underestimate the value of a good roller man. Just because it's not asphalt, you can't just put anyone on it.
Queenslander
Senior Member
Amen......
Trying to learn everyday. Any help is greatly appreciated
Depends on County roads if your 3x or 4x or more. I always make my first cut with my toe floating out past my front tire making my windrow land just outside of my roadside tires and on my center cut I try to land my windrow where I have at least a tire width to straddle the windrow on my 3rd cut back to the center.
No flame felt. Rather than lean the direction you are trying to hold and causing the leading edge of the tire to hold, which is counter productive, lean the direction the drift is causing the front to drift. This puts the leading edge of the tire into the ground. Rather than creating a ramp which lifts the tire off the ground, it creates a 45 degree edge that digs in. Yeah,,,, stupid huh????
Just try it. I thought it was stupid too.
Depends on County roads if your 3x or 4x or more. I always make my first cut with my toe floating out past my front tire making my windrow land just outside of my roadside tires and on my center cut I try to land my windrow where I have at least a tire width to straddle the windrow on my 3rd cut back to the center.
correct me if im wrong
I don't understand why there is a window against the ditch, I'm assuming you're talking about reaching past your front tire on your first pass. Only time I leave a very small windrow on the side of the road is after I've grassed to reclaim a road. I'll leave for a week or so to die out then come back and start on the opposite side and roll my material to the dead grass so when I roll it back it has more material to scatter the dried grass out but even then I'm straddling my main windrow and just don't float my toe as much to pull it under and mix
I don't understand why there is a window against the ditch, I'm assuming you're talking about reaching past your front tire on your first pass. Only time I leave a very small windrow on the side of the road is after I've grassed to reclaim a road. I'll leave for a week or so to die out then come back and start on the opposite side and roll my material to the dead grass so when I roll it back it has more material to scatter the dried grass out but even then I'm straddling my main windrow and just don't float my toe as much to pull it under and mix
old-iron-habit
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4,233
- Location
- Moose Lake, MN
- Occupation
- Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
We don't have any forrest or township gravel roads that can not be covered in 2 passes even with my little 212. You have to squeeze over dang close to the ditch and often look for a wide spot to meet another truck. They get graded twice a year at the most and there is always a lot of new vegetation on the sides that gets collected. They give the specs on how they want it graded. The small windrow is normally left on one side and then the other side the next time. Got my butt chewed the one time I feathered it.
Last edited:
What County are you in Matt??
Our County is township governed. I maintain 50 miles in my Township. I run a 14ft moldboard. I only have a debris row this time of year when I'm trying to clean up the shoulders for Winter. I run my roads an average of 10 times a year.
Matt, you are about as far from me as possible and still be in Missouri. I'm in Harrison County. 
Are you the only County Operator??
My County is very large and has many hundreds of miles of roads. We have 20 Townships, averaging 40 miles of roads per Township.
Are you the only County Operator??
My County is very large and has many hundreds of miles of roads. We have 20 Townships, averaging 40 miles of roads per Township.
We have 7 operators, that maintain 646 miles of county road. I'm just started operating in July only have about 1000 hours in the seat. The gentleman that retired showed me my territory and trained me about 3 hours then I ran with 2 other operators for a week and they turn me loose. Trying to learn as much as I can (usually by mistakes)
Always trying to find something to read or watch after work but their isn't much out there that I've found
Always trying to find something to read or watch after work but their isn't much out there that I've found
JPV
Senior Member
Matt#20 you have come to the right place. I have run grader for 10 years now doing road maintenance both asphalt and gravel and learn something new from these guys just about every time I check in here. Grader is the hardest machine to learn but the most interesting and rewarding I have found.
It is my philosophy that when you think as an operator you have nothing new to learn you need to resign. I learn all the time. There are so many variables in regards to conditions here in the Midwest that each time out is a new adventure. Even individual roads have their own personality and require adjustments of style. Keeps me entertained, never bored.
A good blade operator needs to watch where he is driving his tires. You can't cut grade when your tires are running up on the windrow, or out over rough ground.
Also, don't push dirt over dirt. In other words, if you have a heavier cut than can be made in one pass, ease into it and pull dirt (or whatever other material) away from the rest of the dirt that needs moved, each pass taking what you can. Push your windrow out of the way before adding so much to it you can"t move it all.
Run with your moldboard upright as much as possible. This keeps the edge wear uniform, and when you hit a hard place you can roll the blade forward to sharpen the contact point to cut the hard spot. When the hard spot is handled, roll it back up to sharpen it for the next time.
Your blade has a higher capacity when rolled up, and because of the curve, it helps load the blade and give better traction. A blade rolled forward lifts the machine with the dirt in front of it, cutting traction and making it easier to spin out.
For the best advice possible, search the forum for posts from Randy Krieg, in addition to the pros that have already added to this thread.
Also, don't push dirt over dirt. In other words, if you have a heavier cut than can be made in one pass, ease into it and pull dirt (or whatever other material) away from the rest of the dirt that needs moved, each pass taking what you can. Push your windrow out of the way before adding so much to it you can"t move it all.
Run with your moldboard upright as much as possible. This keeps the edge wear uniform, and when you hit a hard place you can roll the blade forward to sharpen the contact point to cut the hard spot. When the hard spot is handled, roll it back up to sharpen it for the next time.
Your blade has a higher capacity when rolled up, and because of the curve, it helps load the blade and give better traction. A blade rolled forward lifts the machine with the dirt in front of it, cutting traction and making it easier to spin out.
For the best advice possible, search the forum for posts from Randy Krieg, in addition to the pros that have already added to this thread.