Having trouble cutting in to hard ground

[JD40c]

My 40C has a JD 76 blade on it. With the crawler on level ground and the blade all the way down, the front of the blade is almost perfectly vertical, from the cutting edge to the top of the blade. Is this normal, or should it be rolled back more?

The problem is the dozer just won't cut into hard ground. I have to resort to digging shallow trenches for the blade to hook and cut in. Then it does ok.

Anyone know of a source for good used cutting edges? I'm wondering if the one on this blade is just worn short. The support in the blade behind the cutting edge almost touches the grouns which I assume would make the blade tend to scrape along instead of cut in. The guage shoes have been removed so they aren't causing the problem.

[Willyr]

You can buy plow (Fischer snow plow) blades at any autoparts store. I believe an 8 foot is like a hundred dollars. Yes you can get them shorter.

My "edge" if you will is maybe 35 degrees back cfrom the 90 you have. You dont want too much angle, say 45 degrees, or it will dive and you wont be able to hold the blade out of the hole. Yet as you say, you dont want 90 degrees as it "just wont dig". Even my 35 might be too shallow, as it is I have to struggle at times when she gets under that hard pack she will pull herself under and stall.

If you look at my avatar you can see how much angle mine has.

[JD40c]

Found a couple online vendors for cutter bar replacement. One of the bars is 3/4" taller than the one currently on my crawler. Not sure if mine is just worn down that much.

[Lu47Dan]

JD40c,

The support in the blade behind the cutting edge almost touches the grouns which I assume would make the blade tend to scrape along instead of cut in.

The support behind the cutting edge is called the Frog, if your cutting edge is worn down close to that it is time to change or "flip"the cutting edge. Most cutting edges are designed to be flipped over, the bolt pattern is symmetrical, so the blade can be unbolted, flipped end for end or spin 180 degrees along its long axis and bolted back on. This does require that the corner bits be replaced.
If the old cutting edge is worn out on both edges you could buy a piece of wear plate and make a new edge, check with local heavy equipment dealers as most of them are more then willing to get sell you a pre-cut piece of AR steel. I bought a piece from a local dealer for a bucket repair on a friends backhoe not long ago. I got it cut to the size I needed.
If the frog gets worn down then it can not support the force of cutting into the dirt,
I do not know of any sources for the original cutting edge but Lavoy or Stan might.
The cutting edge on my 420c has not been flipped over so I will probably try to locate an acceptable replacement for it, or make one before putting my crawler back in service. My two corner bits will have to be built up from weldable AR plate as I doubt if they are still available any more.
Dan.

[JD40c]

The holes aren't punched in the middle of the cutting blade, so it can't be flipped over.

Quick check of Google turned up this place: http://www.beavervalleysupply.com/secti ... tingec.htm

DE116206 is the item that will fit my dozer. Haven't heard about shipping yet.

[Lavoy]

76 blade uses 1/2" X 6" X 6' grader blade. Used to be really common for $30 or less, now kind of a pain to find. Check with any local industrial dealer, they may have one on the shelf.
Lavoy

[JD40c]

Not having much luck. Seems most of the parts guys in this area don't have a clue how to look up parts except by a specific part number anymore.

Is 1/8" thicker going to make any real difference on a cutting edge? The link I posted is the best match I've seen so far, other than being 5/8" thick.

[Lavoy]

It doesn't seem like much, but everything helps. I just e-mailed you the part number that I have.
Lavoy

[Paul Buhler]

Is 1/8" thicker going to make any real difference on a cutting edge? The link I posted is the best match I've seen so far, other than being 5/8" thick.

If your tractor is a 3 or 4 roll machine, the extra weight may make your machine more tippy front to back which can make holding a grade more challenging; of course wet dirt sticking to the blade will have a similar effect. That said, you'll probably learn how to deal with the extra weight, but a bit more searching now for the correct part will make your long term repair more satisfying and may make your life easier when running the machine. JMO Paul

[Lu47Dan]

JD40C, going from 1/2" to 5/8" will add about 15lbs to the weight of the cutting edge.
If it upsets the balance of your crawler you can add a piece of 1/2" plate to the rear of the crawler 9" X 12" to offset the added weight.
Dan.

[JD40c]

Just picked up the correct JD cutter edge yesterday. Had to torch off four of the eight plowshare bolts, and no one local has them. Fastenal will be shipping some out Monday.

The cutter edge was $88 shipped to a John Deere dealer.

I didn't even think about replacing the "special cutting edge" attachments on each end of the blade. Any idea if those are still available? The only part number I have for them comes up as n/a on the Deere.com parts finder.

[Lavoy]

Unless you are cutting into a bank, don't put them back on, that is all they are for.
Lavoy

[JD40c]

hrm....now there's a way to make some money.

[Lavoy]

Okay, "dirt" bank!
Lavoy

[JD40c]

Installed the new cutter edge last week and it works awesome. I'll definitely be using the gauge shoes for any precise leveling.