Proper maintenance is essential for getting maximum operating hours out of your winter equipment. While tungsten carbide inserts deliver exceptional wear resistance, neglecting routine shop maintenance can lead to early failure. Today, we are going to dive into practical maintenance tips for carbide snow plow blades and learn how hardfacing touch-ups protect your equipment throughout the winter season.
Core Maintenance Practices for Carbide Snowplow Blades
Taking care of your snow plow blades involves more than just bolting them onto the moldboard. Following these practical maintenance steps helps prevent premature breakage:
- Maintain Correct Bolt Torque: Loose mounting bolts cause vibration during scraping, which creates micro-cracks in brittle carbide inserts. Regularly check bolt tightness using a torque wrench.
- Adjust Wear Shoes Properly: Set your plow shoes or caster wheels to the correct height. This balances the plow weight and prevents the blade from taking sudden, violent shocks on uneven pavement.
- Monitor Steel Carrier Erosion: Check the steel base below and around the carbide inserts after every long storm shift. Catching steel wear early prevents inserts from coming loose.
Extending Snowplow Blade Life with In-Shop Hardfacing Touch-Ups
Even with careful operation, road slush and grit gradually wash away the soft steel housing around your carbide inserts. Once the steel thins out, carbide inserts lose structural backing and can shatter upon impact.
To prevent this, fleet repair shops can perform hardfacing touch-ups during routine maintenance:
- Applying Hardfacing Weld Rods & Wires: Maintenance technicians can apply tungsten carbide hardfacing wire or chromium carbide weld overlays directly onto thinned steel surfaces.
- Rebuilding High-Wear Zones: Re-applying a protective hardfacing layer along the bottom edge shields the steel carrier, keeping carbide inserts securely seated for extra storm shifts.
Using hardfacing materials in your repair shop turns routine maintenance into a proactive way to rebuild worn blades at a fraction of replacement costs.
Partner with MCT for Shop Maintenance Supplies
Extending cutting edge lifespan requires quality replacement blades and the right wear-protection materials.
At MCT, we supply durable carbide snow plow blades alongside premium crushed carbide grits for hardfacing. Contact our technical team today to stock up on wear parts and maintenance supplies for your shop!
