Grading Leveling rear blade, How?

MikeInEburg · Feb 25, 2008

I had this exact trouble - no matter how you level the blade, it would dig in. And my blade is a non-tilt variety. So I replaced one of the lift arms on tractor with a section of heavy-duty chain, allowing the blade to float. It has done the trick for years now.
Mike

Dargo · Feb 25, 2008

For me, this is where a T&T really helps. For clearing snow (dang, I first typed "snot" - what am I thinking?!), I lay the top of the blade forward as much as possible to keep it from digging in. On paved or concrete, I use the tilt cylinder to keep the blade leveled with any angle I use. It seems I have to re-adjust after each change in the angle of the blade. If I'm clearing snow on a gravel drive I push the tilt cylinder to the float position as indicated by others, but keep the top cylinder sucked all the way in.

For putting a crown back in a gravel road, the tilt cylinder really helps as does the top cylinder to help me change the degree of attack while on the fly. Long ago I used to always scrape my gravel drives perfectly flat. That allowed them to hold water and get soft. Now I'll either crown them or tilt them to one side or another.

daTeacha · Feb 25, 2008

A basic adjustment method that hasn't been listed here: 1) Start with the blade just off the ground, side stabilizers set to center it. 2) Set your lift arms (level, ideally) so the pivot pin for your blade is perpendicular when viewed from behind the tractor 3) Adjust the top link so the pivot pin is perpendicular when viewed from the side.

If these steps are done right and your blade is straight, you should be able to turn the blade to any angle on a flat surface and have about the same clearance at all times in all parts of the blade. If you have it tilted toward the tractor in step 3, the leading edge will run lower than the trailing edge when you angle it, which you may want to do to move material to crown a drive or something.

Those of you with the fancier blades that have tilt and tip adjustments on the blade itself need to center the thing before you start, of course. For the rest of us po' folks, that isn't something we need to worry about.

75H2 · Feb 29, 2008

newt92 said:
My blade sits pretty level but once in a while would dig in. I learned from someone else here on TBN to take the tilt pin out and run like that so the blade floats. I tried this and it helps big time! Why I never thought of this before, I dont know. For snow removable its great!

Newt92. We got a big storm today. I used your advice & pulled the tilt pin. It worked like magic, thanks