Grading and other tasks you might undertake in this line of work require a lot of specialized equipment. Here are the top types of grading equipment you will encounter in your career.
1. Scraper Blades
Grading, leveling, clearing, installing driveways, and more require you to have scraper blades. Since you will use this attachment the most, you will be happy to hear that most stores that sell replacement grader blades carry these, so you can always keep yours fresh.
2. Heat Treated Curved Blades
When you want to upgrade from your standard scraper blades, you can invest in heat-treated curved blades, which can last longer and give you a better grade. While they don’t cut through as hard surfaces as carbide-tipped blades, curved blades are still the better choice for tough jobs.
3. Heat Treated Serrated Blades
Sometimes, you’ll need serrations on your blades. When this happens, look for ones made with heat-treated steel so you know they will last a long time and do the necessary tasks.
4. Blades With Boxed Ends
When you need to fill holes, you’ll want a blade with boxed ends because they can help hold more dirt. That means you can easily drag dirt where you need it and fill any ruts or holes, giving you a perfectly level finish.
5. Heavy Duty Adjustable Blades
If you’ve got a job with some tough-to-reach places and still need serious cutting power, you need a heavy-duty adjustable blade. Attach it with some heavy equipment wear parts, and you can tilt your blade, offset it, and get started grading, scraping, and digging in the tightest spots.
6. Box Blade Scrapers
Box blade scrapers are perfect when you have a job that is exclusively dirt and requires a mixture of filling holes, grading, and spreading soils. They include a scraper blade with boxed ends and adjustable scarifier teeth, so you can move dirt, break up clumps, and get your job done quickly.
7. Heavy Duty Utility Plows
Just because winter rolls around doesn’t mean your job stops. When you need to work, and snow’s on the ground, you need a heavy-duty utility plow to move it out of the way.
8. Land Levelers
If you’re grading a construction site, you need it to be perfect. In these situations, you’ll want to use a land leveler as a finisher to get the site perfectly smooth and ready for construction.
9. Driveway Graders
Driveway graders are a unique tool designed to let you install driveways easier. With this tool, you drive along the rough-cut road to get a smooth finish, then spread gravel, asphalt, or any other material down where you just went.
10. Bucket Cutting Edges
Some of your smaller jobs may not require that you have more than a Skidsteer with a cutting edge on the bucket. These allow you to cut through the ground without using heavy-duty equipment.
11. Field Groomers
When you’re finished with the scraper blades and road graders, you’ll want to use a field groomer to make everything look nice. These come with scarifier teeth, a grooming blade, and a drag harrow that will prepare the ground for anything.
12. Chain Drags
You should be okay with a chain drag if you need to break up some clumps but primarily want to level mostly prepared dirt. These are straightforward tools you will encounter and are steel mesh you drag behind your tractor or another implement.
You’ll need to use a lot of different equipment as a grader. By keeping each of these in your toolshed, you’ll be ready to tackle even the most complex jobs.
