This year has brought some intense storms that have tested the limits of many snow fighters.  Increased seat time can cause more wear on critical parts, including your snow blade. Proper maintenance will not only save you money and increase uptime, but also keep operators safer.

Inspect and replace cutting edges on your KAGE Plow Blade

Replacing your cutting edges at the proper time will ensure that you do not have unnecessary wear on the base angle and trip edge components of your plow.  When the cutting edge is worn, it can cause direct wear to the base angle of the trip edge and also wear into spring bottoms and trip links.  This can leave you with a costly repair and downtime when you need your plow most.

Things to inspect before and after each snow event:

• Ensure that you have enough cutting edge to plow the next snow event without causing damage to the base angle.
• Inspect base angle to ensure proper movement.
• Check clevis pins and bolts to make sure all components are attached as intended and not loose.
• Inspect Springs for breaks. (Improper tension to the base angle can cause pre-mature tripping which decreases efficiency and leaves snow behind)

Grease Zerks and Cleaning

Corrosive products are used frequently around plows, it is important to keep all plow and equipment parts greased. Friction from lack of grease causes binding which can lead to uneven cleaning, damage to the equipment and/or cause a trip edge to stick in the tripped/open position.

Key Grease Locations:

• Center right and left of Slot Plate. (Note: Excess greasing will cause grease to fill into the moldboard. A few pumps go a long way on the Slot Plate)
• Pivot Frame King Pin.
• It is also a good idea to clean and grease spring top and bottom regularly to ensure these do not bind.

We recommend greasing at least 2 times per year as well as performing a full system cleaning and grease at the end of the season.  To fully clean your system and have the longest system lifespan, we also recommend:

• Remove springs to clean spring top, spring, and spring bottom and spread grease on spring bottom so that spring bottom and top do not bind when tripping edge is activated.

Keep Hydraulic Fittings clean on Skid Steer, Loader or Tractor to avoid clogged restrictor fittings

Hydraulic systems use high pressure oil flow to operate attachments.  KAGE Plows use restrictor fittings to reduce the pressure when angling so that operators can angle at a safe rate of speed.  When dirt and grime are covering parts of the hydraulic fittings, the debris can enter the system causing clogged restrictor fittings or lines.  Whenever connecting or disconnecting attachments, it is a good idea to clean the fittings.

• Wipe down fittings when connecting and disconnecting any attachments.
• If a plow will not angle one direction, remove line, remove restrictor and clean. It can also be a good idea to flow a little bit of hydraulic oil into a bucket to ensure any debris is cleared from the line itself.