grader blade dimensions

[David414 289]

 I have seen several postings of factory and home made mid mount grader blades. One dimension that I could not find is the distance measured for the curve of the blade. If you placed a straight edge from top of the blade to the bottom, what is the greatest distance from the straight edge to the inside center of the curve? If I have this measurement, I can probably figure the width of the steel necessary to bend into the curve blade.  If the curved blade height is say 7.25" high, how wide of a piece of steel do you need to bend it to fit the curve of your blade? For example, start with a 10" wide piece and bend to 7.25" high? Or if someone can actually measure the curved height of the blade that would be very helpful.

Thanks for your help.

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

A flexible tape measure over the curve would show the exact dimension.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

10 minutes ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

A flexible tape measure over the curve would show the exact dimension.

I think he's asking if one of us would do that for him.   I could tomorrow...

[Handy Don 12,237]

By the way, the height of the blade isn't that critical. I've seen them 5" to 8" high so precision isn't critical!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

33 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

I think he's asking if one of us would do that for him.   I could tomorrow...

I don't have one, but for an actual total measurement without guess work I suggested using said flexible/seamstress tape measure.

[ebinmaine 67,627]

I've got the dimensions. 

I'll ad them to my Mid mount grader blade measurements thread. 

 

 

 

 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

5 minutes ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

I don't have one, but for an actual total measurement without guess work I suggested using said flexible/seamstress tape measure.

For sure.  I carry one in my pocket most of the time.  Seems Eric in ME is on it, though.

[David414 289]

Yes, a cloth / flexible  measuring tape would give the exact curve length. I should have asked earlier, but what gauge (thickness) is the curved blade? Not the cutting edge?  How critical is the thickness of the curve blade? Can anyone suggest a minimum thickness and maximum thickness for the curved blade?

Many thanks to everyone for their quick reply!

[David414 289]

@ebinmaine

Eric,

Thank you for the updated photo! Very kind with the quick reply. Can I ask how thick is the curved blade? 

[ebinmaine 67,627]

4 minutes ago, David414 said:

what gauge (thickness) is the curved blade

I don't know gauges... One of my pics shows it's over an 1/8". 

 

Thicker would be better. IMHO. 

[David414 289]

Thanks

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1/4" and then the cutting edge should work well.  Heavier wouldn't hurt but harder to bend for sure!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

That "grader" blade cutting edge in have had for 20+ years is actually beveled/curved but not "rolled" like Eric's blade. You would not need anything else if you had one these.

Edited March 1, 2021 by WVHillbilly520H

[Handy Don 12,237]

24 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

1/4" and then the cutting edge should work well.  Heavier wouldn't hurt but harder to bend for sure!

More important that the shell's thickness is how well it is supported by the frame and the strength of the cutting edge. If you reduce the shell to 3/16" and bolt on a ¼" x 1.5" cutting edge, you'll be fine for strength and have an edge that can be replaced when worn.

That said, the material and surface you are grading (loose or hard), and the angle of attack of the edge (lean back to dig in, more upright for smoothing) have a lot to do with performance as does the grader's weight. If you use a fixed link on the lifting connection, you can use the lift control arm to give controlled "down force".

Edited March 1, 2021 by Handy Don

[DennisThornton 4,769]

3 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

If you use a fixed link on the lifting connection, you can use the lift control arm to give controlled "down force".

I haven't used my mid-mount yet but I have many hours behind my dozer/snow blade with fixed link and it is SO amazing that I no longer want a JD 318 with remote controlled blade!  I would hate to lose that "feel".  Seriously, I'll keep my manual blade over a hydraulic!

 

[oliver2-44 9,761]

The Wheelhorse factory mid-mount blades did not have a replaceable cutting edge.  The snow/dozer blades do.  

[Lee1977 6,667]

I used motor grader blade edge it's about 6" tall. and about 3/8" thick. It weighs about 12# a foot.

 

They can be sawed off with a  band saw if you grind the surface off first. iI cut a foot off mine to make it 4 foot. I went with that dimention because there was two existing holes in the center of the 4 foot.

Edited March 1, 2021 by Lee1977

[David414 289]

 

@Handy Don  @ebinmaine  @Lee1977

Gentlemen,

On the  blade, how important is it to have the curve? Can you weld 2 steel plates length wise ( 4" x 48" x 2,  to get  8" x 48") together to form a very shallow v angle? 

I found a source to roll a 1/4'' thick metal blade but it is very expensive. It is far cheaper to weld two 3/8" thick plates to form a shallow  "v angle"  would this work?

 

Other question, the bottom of the blade is not at 90 degrees to the ground. It appears that the blade is fixed at an rearward angle.  Any thoughts on the angle?

 

Forgive the questions, but I have never seen a mid mount grader blade, only in pictures.

Thanks.

[ebinmaine 67,627]

2 minutes ago, David414 said:

 

@Handy Don  @ebinmaine  @Lee1977

Gentlemen,

On the  blade, how important is it to have the curve? Can you weld 2 steel plates length wise ( 4" x 48" x 2,  to get  8" x 48") together to form a very shallow v angle? 

I found a source to roll a 1/4'' thick metal blade but it is very expensive. It is far cheaper to weld two 3/8" thick plates to form a shallow  "v angle"  would this work?

 

Other question, the bottom of the blade is not at 90 degrees to the ground. It appears that the blade is fixed at an rearward angle.  Any thoughts on the angle?

 

Forgive the questions, but I have never seen a mid mount grader blade, only in pictures.

Thanks.

No worries on the questions David. That's what we're all here for.

 

In my particular case I really would have to ask Trina what she thinks about the rear angle tilt because she's the one that uses it.

 

I could have her take pictures of how it is mounted on the tractor maybe sometime this weekend. 

 

I'm no engineer by a long shot but I don't see why two pieces welded in a V wouldn't work as a grader blade because you're not depending on the "roll" of the dirt quite so much like you are with a snow plow rolling the snow off the side....

 

I may not be quite right about that and I'd like to see what the others say. 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,237]

Questions make me think, and I enjoy thinking!

 

This is a bit long winded...

 

As you and @ebinmaine surmised, the purpose of the curve is to "roll" the material being graded so that it falls forward instead of piling up and over the blade. Snow, for instance, will readily pile up unless forced to roll. Coarse gravel not so much. (In civil engineering, this is called the material's "angle of repose".) Other materials are in between.

Also, when the blade is at an angle to the forward motion, the material "rolls" forward but also sideways a bit and it is this sideways motion that causes it to move across the blade until it gets pushed aside.

 

So to answer you questions:

- a blade composed of three flat segments (leaning back, vertical, and leaning forward) would work for many materials--probably better than a single shallow V, as long as the angles approximate a curved blade's radius

- ¼" is overkill for the blade shell based on the loads that you can reasonably expect a WH to push -- 3/16 would be more than enough and some lighter commercial units are even thinner gauges by virtue of having a supplemental scraper edge and bracing across the back side where it attaches to frame

- the angle of attack of the blade edge determines how aggressively it digs into the ground. If your likeliest use is to smooth gravel or soil then a more vertical angle makes sense--the machines that smooth horse racing tracks have vertical blades. If you plan to displace more hard packed materials, say carving the center or sides of a rutted dirt road, then you'll need a less vertical blade edge. The one on the WH units is a compromise intended for general usage soils and gravels  -- it can dig into moderately packed soil but is not suited for aggressive digging (and this is in line with the amount of power most WH's can deliver)!

For example, a common (Cub, Husq, Craftsman) 15" high "snow/dirt" garden tractor plow curve has an 11.5" radius and is mounted to have the top edge directly above the bottom edge. The one 7.5" high grader blade I measured had a 4" radius (i.e. a "deeper" curve than the snow blade) to make sure the the dirt rolled before overtopping the shorter blade. (Trundle out your HS geometry to figure the angles of the tangents to the circles at the bottom edge!)

Edited March 3, 2021 by Handy Don

[ebinmaine 67,627]

I like that three angled idea.

 

@David414 is there any sort of around long tank you could use as a piece of sacrificial material?

Tall thin propane tank.

Air tank off of semi.

Other type of air tank like from a gas compressor for nailing.

 

Just throwing stuff out there....

 

 

 

[ranger 1,750]

I made a grading/ ditching bucket/ blade for using on my towable digger. I had an old argon cylinder, ( the large size), which I cut the ends off and then cut it lengthways into two pieces. One piece became the bucket, the other will be used to make a grading blade for the C121, either going onto the 3point or being mid-mounted. I’ll take a couple of pic’s tomorrow of the bucket and the “still to be used piece “.

[David414 289]

This site is a wealth of information. Re-thinking my approach to this. Thanks!

[Handy Don 12,237]

@ranger, when you grab the image, can you also get the height (circle chord from top edge to bottom edge) and the depth to the plow from a straight edge connecting the edges, please? 

[ranger 1,750]

2 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

@ranger, when you grab the image, can you also get the height (circle chord from top edge to bottom edge) and the depth to the plow from a straight edge connecting the edges, please? 

No problem 👍