Bolt-on Blade or Weld-on Blade - Which should I have on my digger buckets?
Fitting a blade to your digging bucket or grading bucket is the best way to protect your bucket edge from wear. But, what is the difference between a bolt-on blade and a weld-on blade, and when should you use each type? In this post, we're going to address both of these, including the best options for you if you want to swap between teeth and blades regularly.
What is a Bolt-on Blade? When should I use one?
Bolt-on Blades are pieces of steel that you can attach underneath your digging bucket or grading bucket via nuts and bolts, to help maintain a smooth edge and prevent your actual bucket edge from wearing down. The biggest benefit to a bolt-on blade is that they are easy to replace. All you have to do is unscrew the nuts and bolts, or sheer them off if they're worn, and refit a blade or bolt on your bucket teeth to your digging buckets. Most manufacturers supply reversible bolt-on blades which means once you've worn one side down, you can take it off, spin it 180 degrees and reattach with the other (unworn) side facing out.
Bolt-on blades cannot be fitted to digging buckets that are manufactured with CAT style teeth, as these buckets have had adapters welded to the lip plate so the teeth can be fitted. Digging buckets with CAT style teeth are usually 9 ton and above, but can go as low as 3 ton in locations like Northern Ireland. Some manufacturers can fit bolt-on blades to digging buckets that usually have CAT style teeth but this would have to be done at the point of manufacturing so the adaptors are not welded on. Rhinox can provide this service for anybody who wants a 9 ton and above digging bucket with a bolt-on blade.
We would also recommend fitting a bolt-on blade to your grading bucket so your bucket lasts as long as possible. Some manufacturers don't drill the lip plate of their grading buckets as standard so if you wanted to fit a bolt-on blade to your grading bucket you might have to specify this at the point of purchase. Here at Rhinox, we drill our lip plates as standard so that you can fit a bolt-on blade whenever you feel it's necessary.
What is a Weld-on Blade? When should I use one?
Weld-on blades are slightly more complicated than a bolt-on blade. They are usually only available on digging buckets with CAT style teeth, and you will very rarely see a grading bucket with a weld-on blade. Weld-on blades allow you to convert a standard toothed digging bucket into a bladed bucket, by welding a piece of steel underneath the teeth of your digging bucket. This is the more traditional way of creating a flat edged digging bucket and was popular before the bolt-on blade became popular and more readily available.
The biggest benefit to a weld-on blade is it adds additional reach to your digging bucket, as well as increasing the visibility for the operator so they can see the end of the bucket easier when digging trenches. It also provides extra wear protection to your bucket as there is a greater distance between the end of the blade and the edge of your bucket lip plate.
The main problem with weld-on blades is that you can't easily swap between your blade and bucket teeth, as the blade is welded to your bucket teeth. To be able to switch between them, you would have to purchase an extra set of teeth, which sounds easy enough but removing the pin and retainers is a much more difficult job than it first seems. This can be an issue if you're needing to switch between them quickly and regularly - but it's not impossible!
When welding a blade to the teeth, you will be left with gaps between the teeth and the lip plate of your bucket where material can fall through. Some manufacturers can fill these upon request, but here at Rhinox we prefill these as standard so you don't lose material while digging and bulking.
Rhinox Blades - Bucket Sizes
At Rhinox, our bolt-on blades are available on all digging buckets from 0.75 up to 25 ton and all grading buckets 3 ton and above. All our bolt-on blades are reversible so you get double the wear protection from just one blade and are available on a Next Working Day Delivery if ordered before 3pm. Our weld-on blades are available on all digging buckets with CAT style teeth - so 9 ton and above, but are not available on any grading buckets. As previously mentioned, we also prefill the gaps between the teeth on all digging buckets fitted with a weld-on blade to stop your material falling through. If you would like more information about our blade options or you would like assistance placing an order, you can get in touch and we'll be happy to help!
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