Resurfacing Your Heavy Equipment After A Hard Winter

Winter can be hard on heavy equipment and although we protect our blades and buckets with a technique known as hard surfacing, freezing conditions can be our equipment’s worst enemy. Frozen lines can often be replaced in an hour or two. If your blades hard surfacing is starting to come away then it probably needs grinding back and a new surface applied.

Hard surfacing is a process where special hard metal compounds are welded onto a blade or bucket. This surface bears the brunt of any wear when digging, scraping or moving materials. The process is particularly important if your heavy equipment is working in areas with a lot of hard rock.

The constant freezing and thawing process that takes place in winter can damage this hard surface. If it is not replaced then you may find that your blades or buckets take the wear and tear themselves. This leads to a need to replace these heavy equipment tools – a rather costly exercise when you compare it to the cost of hard surfacing.

For heavy equipment operators that are trained effectively, knowing what to look for when inspecting your machinery can prevent these long term problems from eventuating. Training schools like ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools include maintenance and daily inspections as part of their training program. This ensures that operators that complete the course and enter the workplace have the required knowledge to carry out these inspections. Do you know the difference between a hard surfaced blade and standard off the shelf blade?