When you spend thousands of dollars on a piece of equipment, taking care of it and extending its life is a priority. One way to get the most out of your bucket, whether it’s a skid steer or compact track loader, is to use a cutting edge. With replacement buckets costing upwards of a thousand dollars, using a blade will extend the life of your bucket and protect your investment. TVH carries a selection of reversible, double-bevel, bolt-on cutting edges for your light construction equipment. Not sure if a bolt-on is right for you? Continue reading for five reasons to consider using a bolt-on cutting edge.
- Less downtime to replace – Do you have half a day to spend cutting off your old fixed blade and welding on a new one? Probably not. A bolt-on blade can be rotated or replaced in under an hour with basic hand tools.
- Twice the lifetime – Unlike a fixed blade, which has only one usable edge, a double-sided, or reversal, blade can be rotated to give you essentially two blades in one.
- Extra bucket capacity – Since the blade gives you additional floor length, your bucket is able to hold more, thereby increasing your efficiency.
- Less wear to the bucket – A bolt-on edge extends the floor out away from the sides, thereby minimizing the amount of wear they receive. The blade also lifts the bottom up off the ground slightly, reducing the amount of drag and wear the bucket endures.
- More rigid front of the bucket – By adding a bolt-on blade, you double the front thickness of your bucket; this creates a more rigid front that results in a more efficient bucket.
Have we convinced you to use a bolt-on cutting edge yet? Yes? Excellent. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of it once it’s installed.
- Rotate regularly – since it’s a double-sided blade, you have two usable surfaces. You can choose to let one side wear down completely before reversing it, or you can rotate it regularly so that both sides wear down evenly. Quick Tip! When reversing the blade, don’t reuse the bolts, the treads can get damaged during use and won’t be reusable. TVH carries bolts and nuts to offer you a one-stop-Shopping experience.
- Avoid excessive down pressure – because the operator controls the degree of pressure exerted on the bucket, using less pressure when it engages with the ground will make your bucket and edge last longer.
- Use the correct bolts and nuts – It’s important to use high-quality bolts and nuts when attaching your blade. You should use at least a Grade 8, if not higher. Lesser quality bolts are likely to stretch, causing the blade to loosen.
- Check and tighten bolts regularly – Loose blades are prone to “chattering,” and can be damaged, break, or even fall off. By regularly checking that your bolts are tightened, you can prevent having to replace your blade unnecessarily early.
Need help selecting the right bolt-on cutting edge for your equipment? Our highly experienced Technical Research team can help ensure you get the right part the first time.
In addition to cutting edges, TVH offers over 600,000 part numbers for your light construction equipment, including skid steers, mini excavators and compact track loaders. Our lineup includes parts for many popular brands, including Bobcat, Case, Caterpillar, John Deere, Kubota and Takeuchi. With multiple distribution centers located throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico and South America, next day delivery on the majority of our parts, make TVH your first choice for all of your light construction equipment needs.