Section 4: Operating Procedures
1/13/21
RBT3584 & RBT3596 Rear Blades 301-251M
26
Rear Blade Functions
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
Never operate hydraulic cylinder(s) with blade in the ground
or under load. Improper use can result in loss of control and
damage the Rear Blade. Always lift blade up before operating
Grading
Pivot moldboard to the desired angle, lower blade to
ground and set tractor’s draft-link height control to the
desired position. Proceed forward at a speed of no more
than 2 to 4 mph. The blade should immediately begin
shaving the surface. A blade full of material can be raised
slightly so that material can flow out evenly under the
blade to effectively shave off high spots and fill in
potholes or depressions. Loose soil can be smoothed out
by pushing soil with back of moldboard while backing-up.
If a gauge wheel is included, set tractor’s draft-link height
control to maximum preferred cutting depth. Raise and
lower blade with gauge wheel.
Edge work
Material that is close to fences, buildings, and other
obstructions can be graded by offsetting moldboard to
the right or left beyond the tractor tire. Always make
certain end of blade is offset far enough to be visible to
the operator. Always keep a safe distance away from
obstructions, drive slowly when passing by them and stay
clear of them when turning. Always be aware that the
blade will make a wide swinging pattern in a turn and
always be ready to stop immediately to keep from hitting
an obstruction. Never hit an obstruction as this can
damage blade and/or obstruction.
Ditch Work
The Rear Blade is good for making V-type ditches. Tilt
one end of moldboard down to the desired ditching angle.
Offset that end to be in line with the tractor’s rear tire and
pivot other end of moldboard back. The combined offset
angle and pivot angle should be between 45
o
and 60
o
.
Operate tractor at slow speeds when cleaning a ditch or
removing snow. Be careful not to hit hidden solid objects
that can damage the Rear Blade. Always be ready to stop
immediately. Remember, the lighter the blade load, the
easier it is for the tractor to damage the blade when
hitting solid objects.
Fill ditches by offsetting blade beyond the tractor wheel to
keep tractor out of the ditch. Angle blade to move dirt
toward and into the ditch while traveling forward. Set
blade depth as needed (see
this page when setting blade depth).
IMPORTANT:
The warranty shall not apply to
damage caused by misuse, abuse, or contact with
Backfilling
Backfilling is a process where the operator turns the
blade around 180
o
and pushes product while backing-up.
Be careful not to overstress the Rear Blade while
backfilling as load forces on blade and frame increase
when backing up. To help protect Rear Blade from
damage, lengthen tractor’s top center link until blade will
move across top of ground without forcing itself into the
soil, adjust offset to be straight behind the tractor and set
blade angle at 90
o
(perpendicular to Mainframe). Keep
load in center of blade and not on end of blade. Don’t ram
a load with blade and always operate at slow speeds
when backing-up. Be ready to stop immediately if a solid
object is hit. Removing snow while backing-up is
especially dangerous as snow can hide solid objects and
there is a tendency to drive too fast to get the snow
removal job done. High speeds multiply forces exerted on
the Rear Blade.
Unhook Rear Blade
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
When using the park stand, make sure it is fully down with wire
retaining pin fully inserted and wire retainer over end of pin.
If not, the implement could fall.
Unhook Rear Blade from tractor as follows:
1. Park on a level solid hard surface. Place tractor gear
selector in park and set park brake.
2. Lower parking jack and secure with hitch pin.
3. Lower blade and parking jack onto level ground or
onto blocks supporting unit just above ground.
4. Shut tractor engine off and remove key.
5. If coupled to hydraulic cylinder(s), move hydraulic
control lever(s) back and forth several times to
reliever hydraulic pressure at quick disconnect
couplings and then unhook couplings from tractor
and store on the Rear Blade frame to keep couplings
out of the dirt.
6. If necessary, adjust length of upper center 3-Point
link until hitch pin can be removed from hitch frame.
7.
Remove hitch pins from lower 3-Point arms at the
hitch frame.
8. Reinstall hitch pins, linchpins, and hairpin cotters in
the Rear Blade hitch frame for storage.
9. Refer to “
28 when storing Rear Blade for a long time.
