EARTHMOVING & EXCAVATION
HOW TO PAIR THE RIGHT BLADE WITH YOUR CRAWLER DOZER Material, type of job and machine are keys to proper blade selection By Lee Toop, Editor
Manufacturers put a broad range of factors into the blades that they pair with their dozers – the right architecture, structure and size of the blade can make a big difference in performance and quality of work.
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uying a track dozer requires buyers to think about a lot of different needs and wants in terms of what they want the machine to do and how it can benefit their company’s bottom line. One particular piece of that puzzle that often may not get as much consideration is perhaps the most important one: the blade. There are a lot of different concepts that go into choosing the precise blade design that works for a particular task. Manufacturers put a broad range of factors into the blades that they pair with their dozers – the right architecture, structure and size of the blade can make a big difference in performance and quality of work performed.
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Broad blade range available
According to Kurt Moncini, Komatsu senior product manager, there are a number of different blade designs available for crawler dozers. The Power Angle Tilt (PAT) blade tilts and angles using hydraulic power. “This is the predominant blade type for mid-sized and small dozers, as it offers the greatest versatility,” Moncini said. Manual Angle Power Tilt is an outside C-frame blade that can be manually angled but offers power tilt capability; this blade often finds use on pipeline right of way. Straight blades with outside push arms are used on large mid-size dozers and up, Moncini said. “These will have blade tilt and on larger dozers will be available with dual tilt – they can pitch the blade forward for ag-
gressive cutting and back for more efficient blade carry,” he said. “Larger dozers will have a semi-U design for better load control.” Sigma is a Komatsu exclusive blade, designed with an extended centre cutting edge and two pockets to the left and right sides; this blade offers good penetration and load carrying without having to step up to a full U blade. Full U blades include large side wings that form a pocket in the blade for greater load carrying capacity. Cushion blades are generally only found on large dozers; these are very specialized narrow blades used for push loading scrapers. “Rubber biscuits cushion the shock load when the dozer contacts a scraper at the beginning of the push. The blade is narrow to help prevent contact with scraper rear tires,” Moncini said.
