5 Reasons to Fit a Cutting Edge to your Excavator Bucket

If you know anything about excavators then you know that operating in harsh, abrasive materials can be detrimental to the cutting edge of your buckets. One of the key components that can significantly impact your excavation and digging operations is the cutting edge of your excavator bucket so it's essential to protect it. While often overlooked, the bolt-on cutting edge plays a pivotal role in optimizing performance and achieving your desired results. Join us as we explore the top five reasons why fitting a bolt-on cutting edge to your excavator bucket is the best decision to protect your buckets. From increased durability to enhanced precision, we'll uncover how this cutting edge can save you time and money.

1. Less wear to the integral bucket welds

The purpose of fitting a bolt-on cutting edge to your excavator bucket is to protect your bucket edge from wearing down over time. It's inevitable that your bucket edge will wear down due to the friction created during digging and grading jobs, so the best way to protect this is by fitting an additional layer of steel as a protective surface. Not only does it protect the bucket edge from wearing but a bolt-on cutting edge also protects the integral bucket welds from becoming damaged. As the bucket edge starts to wear away, the welds that connect the side plates and bucket shell become exposed to the abrasive environments. If not protected, the welds can snap, buckle or crack, causing your bucket to be deemed unusable.

2. No need to grind out and reweld

Protective cutting edges were first introduced to the industry to reduce the time taken to repair your bucket when the edge became too worn and distorted to function adequately. This involved cutting out the lip plate and welding a new bucket edge back in. As you can imagine, this isn't a quick job and could have you waiting around for your bucket for a day or two. The bolt-on cutting edge was designed to protect the bucket edge so these correction projects weren't necessary.

A bolt-on cutting edge attaches to the underside of your bucket edge with plow bolts / plough bolts, through the bucket edge and cutting edge. Depending on the size of your bucket, this can be a quick and simple job, taking under an hour to fit before you're back up and running.

3. Double the life of your bucket edge

Most cutting edges supplied by bucket manufacturers will be double-edged to maximize your time and money. When one side of your blade is worn back to the bucket edge, you can simply undo the bolts, remove the blade and spin it 180 degrees to refit it. If used without a cutting edge, your bucket would have required a replacement edge to be removed and rewelded twice during this time, setting you back a few days in repair time.

As well as taking much longer, removing and repairing the edge of your bucket can be considerably more expensive than simply replacing your bolt-on cutting edge. Sourcing the correct parts to fit your bucket and an experienced welder to carry out the repair can be substantially higher in price. Depending on the extent of the bucket wear, you could end up replacing your entire bucket if the wear is too extensive.

4. Enhances quality and finishes off your jobs

Fitting a bolt-on cutting edge ensures that your your bucket edge remains level to create the perfect finish to your profiling and digging jobs. If used without a blade, your bucket edge will warp and distort through wear, leaving you with a much more difficult job for finishing surfaces or digging neat trenches. The cutting edge reinforces your bucket lip plate to maintain a flat, level bucket edge. This is essential for your grading or ditch cleaning bucket where you need to create a smooth finish to the top layer of dirt or when spreading out aggregates like stones.

5. Extra bucket capacity

Although only marginal, fitting a bolt-on cutting edge to your excavator bucket can increase the length and capacity of your bucket. This is especially useful when bulk moving material as you can transport your material quicker. But, it also extends the length of your bucket enabling your excavator to reach further when digging trenches, which is extremely beneficial when working to a tight deadline.

In summary, if you're looking for a method to extend the life of your excavator buckets and improve your overall productivity, then the bolt-on cutting edge is the best option for you. The cost-saving potential extends far beyond the purchase of your first blade, but continues to build through every cutting edge replacement.

If you want to purchase a bolt-on cutting edge for your Rhinox excavator buckets, contact us today via our Contact Us page. For more information on the importance of fitting a cutting edge, to your buckets check out more of our content below:

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