Graders, also known as motor graders and road graders are a jack of all trades machine. Able to handle jobs from all aspects of construction and earthmoving, including spreading, fine grading, site clearing and even snow removal from sites that are located in cold areas that are prone to snowfall in the winter months, graders are used across all areas of construction from residential to civil and commercial construction.
While they are commonly associated with the construction and maintenance of dirt and gravel roads, motor graders can also be used to set the soil or gravel foundation of a block for construction of buildings from small residential blocks to large scale subdivisions.
What Is Grading?
Grading is the process of using a heavy duty blade that is attached to the underside of a grader machine located between the front axle and the double axle on the rear, to turn particles of dirt, gravel and rubble to create a flat surface. The grading bar churns through the surface of the dirt forcing the finer particles down while bringing the large chunks of debris to the top.
The number of layers that are turned can be adjusted by adjusting the angle of the grader blade. This blade is hydraulically controlled and can be adjusted from inside the cab by an experienced operator via the use of a steering wheel or stick controls.
Grading And Road Building
To create the perfect grade for a road, there are multiple variables that need to be taken into account. Grading for road construction is a precision job, and the grader blade needs to be angled correctly to ensure that the correct angle for drainage is achieved, while still creating a flat surface.
Most modern graders are equipped with GPS field levelling technology and grade control technology to allow for a more precise grade control than the previous manual grade control system. These new systems are created by industry leading specialist companies such as Topcon Positioning Systems and Trimble Navigation.
Operators are able to use this new technology to create the perfect grade and angle to ensure that the building surface is completely flat or angled for drainage ready for construction.
