Operating construction equipment on-site and off-site is a task that requires expertise and professionalism. Without its incorporation, a deteriorating effect engulfs the very job at hand and leads to nothing but an unfruitful end. When you are paving roads, cutting lands, working demolition sites, or laying foundations, you need to know how to operate the equipment being used. When it comes down to operating a motor grader, knowing a thing or two won’t get you across the line, therefore we bring to you some tips and instructions that might help increase the maintenance intervals and enhance the productivity of your motor grader. It doesn’t matter what type of wear surface is present on a roadway, maintenance is required to keep it operational.

“The doer alone learneth.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche

Excessive Is Not Good

1. Anything, if done excessively does not yield good results such as applying downward pressure for the completion of the task. The approach should always be targeted and smart, in such a way that it helps to increase the productivity and decreases the energy spent. Applying excessive downward pressure while working on a dry and hard surface leads to fast wear on the cutting edge. Because the surface is hard, increased ground pressure will lead to more fuel consumption and increased horse power usage. Even after spending this much energy, you will not be getting more work done. So keep an eye out for ground pressure.

Avoid Reformation

2. When you encounter pot holes, make sure to cut to the entire depth so that while refilling, the material that is placed should stay there. To avoid the reformation of the holes and displacement of the material placed, you need to follow this tip. This will also help eliminate the risk of refilling that would have cost you more, in terms of energy and money both.

Check Before Moving

3. Another thing that is fairly common but requires presence of mind is to look for things before starting the motor grader. You need to make sure that the blade or moldboard is not down but should be raised. Avoiding common mistakes like this can help you out a lot. If you won’t be paying attention to these little things, you might have to pay out a lot on the repairs and maintenance of parts.

Focus On Maintenance

4. While operating used construction equipment, it is required of the operator to focus more on the maintenance part to avoid any sudden breakdowns at any given time. The work done through each construction equipment is directly proportional to the condition of the machine. Even if you have a little bit of knowledge pertinent to this, you can easily cut down the costs.

Follow The Line

5. Processes as simple as removal of washboarding need precision. The corrugations should be cut down to their full depth and the area should be regarded with the moist material that would be compacted. Here you should take note that, if corrugations aren’t completely removed and filled with loose materials, then you can see their reformation in areas where there is increased traffic load.

Adjusting Moldboard

6. You should start the maintenance of the road with the moldboard top that should be about two inches ahead of the cutting edge. From there on you have to the choice of adjusting according to the conditions and materials. You can now tip the moldboard in a backward or forward direction to first achieve the desired action and then maintain it.

Moldboard throat clearance

7. Moldboard throat clearance can be achieved by tipping the moldboard in a forward direction. One might ask what the benefit of a wider moldboard throat is. The answer is better flow of material along the moldboard and that too while working with a variety of soils. Maintaining the rolling action also has its own benefits – reduced fuel consumption, decreased horsepower usage, and increased production capacity.

Moldboard Position

8. Regarding the position of moldboard, there are different suggestions when working within different conditions. The mold board should be kept straight up for better rear visibility. However, you should try and keep the moldboard parallel with the front axle when you are working slopes. In addition to keeping it parallel, you should also keep it centered according to the frame and lowered near ground for prevention against rolling over.

About Articulating

9. Either you use heavy machinery to do the job or you own the piece of equipment, you should keep in mind these tips to avoid shorter maintenance intervals at least. When it comes to working on slopes, one should also keep in mind to never articulate the motor grader in such conditions as it can lead to the grader rolling over and might cause severe self-injury or to others.

A bit of Change

10. Construction equipment don’t exactly work like the way you think they do. For instance, sometimes people think that working faster is an effective way of getting the work done. However, with motor graders it’s not like that. When you are using the motor grader for blading or ditching, you should never be in a hurry to finish the job because high frequency might lead to bouncing of motor grader and resultant gauging of the surface. If things get out of hand, operator control over the equipment can be lost and might lead to some harmful situation. Slow machine speed is imperative to avoid gauging.

Lower the Teeth

11. Another precaution is to lower the teeth of the ripper while the motor grader is in motion. One who is operating the motor grader should keep the wheels leaned in the same direction while turning the motor grader. While working hard surfaces, try reducing the number of teeth.

General Tips

12. Put the blade on the ground while not in use. Make sure that the motor grader is completely stopped before changing the gears from forward to reverse or from reverse to forward. Flashing beacons, lights, and sensors should be all checked before starting your work. If there is material buildup in the circle area, it might lead to an increased circle wear. You can also reduce the motor grader’s tendency to bounce by articulating the back frame towards the moldboard toe by adjusting approximately by 2 to 5 degrees.

These are some of the tips that might help you out while you are operating a motor grader. Make sure to follow these instructions and there are less chances of you messing up the job at hand. If you still have any questions, feel free to ask us. We’ll be more than happy to help you. Till then, happy reading!