This article initially appeared in PS 775 (Jun 17), p. 16.
Step Assembly
The step assembly that hangs below the cab on your 120M road grader does a bang-up job…at least until it gets snagged by the end of the blade.
That can happen whenever the blade is raised, set to cut a V-ditch, or turned for gravel. Then it’s the steps that get banged up!
The rubber vertical rails handle the abuse pretty well. But the metal steps can get crushed. So when positioning the blade, make sure the steps aren’t in the way.
Cab steps get banged up when snagged by blade
Circle Drive Hydraulic Hose
Another area to watch out for is the hydraulic hose that mounts into the circle drive’s blade side-shift cylinder. This exposed hose gets knocked around pretty regularly. That can result in oil flow restriction or a hydraulic leak.
Check hydraulic hose for kinks or leaks
Thing is, you probably won’t notice it unless you crouch down to look!
So during your morning inspections, eyeball the hose for any dents or leaks. If you find any problems, tell your mechanic about it now!