How do you know that it’s time for a grader? Many people in similar industries are using bulldozers, but the resulting grading is very rough and might actually damage where you’re working. That’s where it’s time to consider buying a grader.
What can a grader do for me?
Graders are wonderful pieces of equipment designed to flatten surfaces. But, is that all they can do? Your typical grader can help with landscaping, digging ditches, removing snow, make dirt roads, leveling land, foundation laying and for getting the soil ready for agriculture work. That’s quite versatile for one piece of equipment.
What makes graders so important is when it comes to road work. Even in the winter months, attention must be paid to the three layers of a road.
All roads have
- Surface – the layer everyone knows. Whether it be asphalt or gravel, it’s what you see when you’re driving.
- Base – it’s a mix of elements, but works together with the subgrade to provide support for the surface.
- Subgrade – the natural soil that lives under the road.
When you are tasked with removing snow from a road or doing repairs, do you want the heavy duty dozer with tank treads? Or do you want an easy going grader that can glide along the surface and get the job done without damaging your road or other delicate area?
I work on a farm, what does a grader do?
Graders can do amazing work on farms. We know what good they do for roads and clearing the way. But, what about in the livestock areas of a farm? How do they perform in the tall grasses of a pasture or other places? These are the things we seek to answer.
In the simplest terms, graders can do the following for you on farms
- Clear pathways
- Prep the soil
- Overturn and clear dead brush and flatten organic obstructions for land leveling
- Help with ditches and irrigation
- Remove weather related debris that can provide obstruction to livestock.
I work in construction and I’m not totally sure why I need a grader
Construction and other outdoor industries make excellent use of graders and other equipment. But, what do they do with graders? Whether you’re building a new business or working on a subdivision, you’re going to need a grader to do everything from help lay foundations, create driveway bases and ultimately turn a wild environment into a livable one.
Why do I need a grader vs. a bulldozer?
Bulldozers are not the same as graders. At the heart of a bulldozer is a track or crawler type tractor running on metal treads. These treads allow them the flexibility to go off road and explore several terrains.
What’s even more impressive about bulldozers is the amount of attachments they have. You can slap on a straight blade, box blades, angle blades and winches. With these attachments, they can clear, backfill and spread across many lands. However, they have problems.
Bulldozers have problems that Graders don’t
Bulldozers are nowhere near as precise as a grader. Fine grading is in demand when working on major jobs or in areas where environmental impact is huge. Some might say the environmental impact doesn’t bother them. But, what we’re talking about is speeding up issues such as erosion and tree decay, while operating the gigantic dozers.
Also, bulldozers are super heavy working on lands that might not be entirely settled. Shallow soil is still a big deal in many rural and open areas. Even if you can get a bulldozer through there, the weight and damage from its operations can end up causing long term issues.
Who do I contact to get a grader?
Now that you know why you need a grader, it’s time to reach out and talk to Johnson Manufacturing about Hygrades and more graders.
Want to learn more about Johnson Manufacturing’s Hygrade Grader options?