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There are many different ways to measure a motor grader’s operating capacity or production.
A motor grader’s moldboard angle is calculated by its right angle to the main frame of the machine.
0-degree angle is used for dozing material straight ahead over short distances.
Using a formula that calculates its production in relation to the area covered by its moldboard is one of the
most easy and accurate ways to get a firm idea of your grader’s productivity.
Where:
1. Speeds
Finish grading: 0-2.5 mph (0-4 km/h)
Heavy blading: 0-6 mph (0-9 km/h)
Ditch repair: 0-3 mph (0-5 km/h)
Ripping: 0-3 mph (0-5 km/h)
Road maintenance: 3-9.5 mph (5-16 km/h)
Haul road maintenance: 3-9.5 mph (5-16 km/h)
Snow plowing: 4-13 mph (7-21 km/h)
Snow winging: 9-17 mph (15-28 km/h)
To calculate effective blade length, bear in mind that the moldboard is usually angled when
moving material. Effective blade length must be computed to account for this angle. This is the
actual width of material swept by the moldboard.
Moldboard length in feet (meters)
12 (3.658)
14 (4.267)
16 (4.877)
24 (7.315)
10.4 (3.17)
12.1 (3.70)
13.9 (4.22)
20.8 (6.33)
8.5 (2.59)
9.9 (3.02)
11.3 (3.45)
17.0 (5.17)
(For other blade lengths and carry angles: Effective length = COS (Radians (Blade L) 3 Blade
Length)
3. Width of overlap
This is generally 2 ft (0.6 m). This overlap accounts for the need to keep the tires out of
the windrow on the return pass.
4. Job efficiency
This number varies based on job conditions, operator skill and other factors. That said, a good
estimation for efficiency is approximately 0.70 to 0.85, but actual operating conditions should
be used to determine the best value.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
A Cat motor grader with a 12-foot (8.6-meter) moldboard is performing road maintenance on a township
road. The machine is working at an average speed of 8 mph (13 km/h) with a moldboard carry angle of 30
degrees. What is the motor grader’s production based on coverage area?
Note: Due to the long passes involved in road maintenance — fewer turnarounds — a higher job efficiency
of 0.90 is chosen.
From the table, the effective blade length is 10.4 ft (3.17 m).
English
Production, A = 8 mph × (10.4 ft − 2.0 ft) × 5,280 × 0.90 = 319,334 ft2/hr (7.33 acres/hr)
Metric
Production, A = 13 km/h × (3.17 m − 0.6 m) × 1,000 × 0.90 = 30,069 m2/hr (3.07 hectares/hr)
Using these formulas will allow you to quickly and easily calculate your motor grader performance.