Road Maintenance Cost Lowered Greatly by Carbide-Tipped Grader Blades

A system of replaceable cemented carbide-tipped grader blades has been developed by the Swedish company Sandvik. As designed for road maintenance applications, System 2000 uses a new style of serrated cutting edge with free-rotating, cemented carbide tipped teeth. These are set into manageable three or four foot long adaptor plates that are bolted into place on the moldboard of the grader. The unique design of the teeth means that they utilize a rolling rather than a cutting action to prepare the road surface. So significant cost savings for the operator, up to 30% is said to be possible with a 25-fold increase in service life. 

The new cutting edge uses a professionally designed tool holder which holds the teeth in place. Originally the idea for System 2000 comes from the mining industry where free-moving cutters have consistently proved to have a longer service life than fixed blades. According to the manufacturer, the unique design of the teeth means that it is virtually impossible for them to shear away from the toolholder. Should a breakage occur, teeth can be individually replaced by hand? The system is primarily designed for use on gravel and dirt roads, including asphalt or oil gravel. An effective cutting/ripping action is used to grade surfaces. In harsh weather conditions, the system can also be used to rake grooves into hard-packed snow and ice to improve traction and thereby road safety.

The tips of the cutting teeth are made of cemented-carbide inserts. Combined with their rotating action against the road surface, it is said to increase service life considerably, up to 25 times the maker claims compared to conventional steel blade. The convex shape of the rounded tool means that a raking rather than cutting action is used on the road surface, making grading more efficient. It also greatly reduces the risk of damage to the underlying surface. Another advantage is that vibration is reduced improving the working environment for the grader operator.

Significant savings

Operational savings of up to 30% are said to be possible when using System 2000 for ice cutting or maintenance of gravel roads and although initial investment is higher than for traditional blades, the overall cost per prepared kilometer is lower than for comparable methods. The shape of the teeth also means that they are pushed along the road surface quicker and with less torque required from the engine which saves fuel.

The system has already been extensively tested in a number of countries including Sweden and Canada. In some instances, System 2000 has proved to be an effective asphalt planer, provided that the temperature is conducive for planing. In one test, one half of a 33’ road surface was planed in 3 hours and 15 minutes using a 38” planing drum. The second half of the road was planed using a 14’ Sandvik System 2000 mounted on an ordinary John Deere 772 grader in just fifteen minutes with no wear showing on the adaptor or tools.