the blade should be extended well to the side and angledto side cast the windrow to the inside of the rear tires.The pile is reduced by using a series of side cuts, asshown in figure 10-31. Piles to be spread by a gradershould be spread dumped as much as possible. The loadto be spread is limited by the power and traction of thegrader.When there is not enough room to use the wide sidereach and the piles of material are not too high, the frontwheels may be driven over the piles. The front axlespush the top off the pile, and the blade cuts as much aspower permits. The blade should be positioned wellbelow its highest point, so when the grader gets hung upon the piles and loses traction, the blade can be raised torestore the weight to the rear wheels. When traction islost and the tires spin, unnecessary tire wear increases.Road MaintenanceThe ability of the grader to blade mix materials usedas road surfaces is an important function in roadmaintenance.When blade mixing, pitch the bladeslightly forward and angled at about 30 degrees. Thisposition gives the widest possible spread with maximummixing action. In mixing, move the windrow from sideto side by successive cuts with the blade.To increase production, use several graders tooperate, one behind another, on the same windrow (fig.10-32). When the mixture is wet, mixing shouldcontinue until the mixture is dry. After mixing, thematerial is again side tasted into a windrow beforespreading. During mixing, more bitumen or cement canbe applied to any lean sections. All particles of thecompleted mix should be coated and uniform in color.Figure 10-31.—Wide side reach.Figure 10-32.—Blade-mixing operation.Blade-mixing operations are performed as rapidlyas possible, consistent with the skill of the operator andthe condition of the surface being maintained.However, when the grader is operated too fast, it willtend to bounce and give the surface a washboardappearance that will take additional time and passes toconnect. When washboarding is not corrected, it willcreate unnecessary wear and tear on traffic using theroad or work area.Snow RemovalGraders can be used for snow removal in the sameway as a snowplow. The blade and circle are adjustedto side cast snow and slush the same as if side castingroad materials. When the cutting edges are not removedand replaced with a strip of hard rubber bolted to themoldboard, raise the blade at least 1/2 to 1 inch whenremoving snow from uneven pavement or a runwaysurface.NOTE: Failure to make proper blade adjustmentscan result in not only damaging the cutting edges,moldboard, or grader, but also in gouging and tearing upthe road or runway surface.Finish GradingFinish grading is a fine cut or fill of a surface to getthe final desired elevation. This phase of a gradingoperation is called blue topping. Blue topping takestime and patience even for experienced operators.When performing blue topping operations, makesure the grader cutting edges are not worn, the tires arethe same size with the correct air pressure, and the tiresare pointed in the right direction. Front tire treadsshould be pointed toward the rear, and rear tire treadsshould be pointed toward the front. Adjust the bladepitch all the way forward to scrape instead of cut.10-14
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