Breaking cutting edge bolts

[chtucker]

On my 10'V I keep losing edge bolts, they have been repeatedly tightened. I am awaiting proper plow bolts from Winter equipment and I have replaced the some of the bolts with grade 8 hex heads. The grade 8 bolts are surviving fine, it is the factory carriage bolts that keep disappearing. Miracles of Miracles I still have my center shoe.... I plow alot of dirt (2 miles)

Any body else have this problem?

Howard

[wyldman]

Most likely the bolts have been overtightened,which stretches and damages them.

A loose bolt won't usually snap off.If they have been stretched,they lose their strength,and will easily break.

Grade 8 hex head will do just fine.Still a good idea to use a torque wrench to tighten them.Recheck after the first use.

[chtucker]

Torque specs (by the Boss manual) are 220#ft I actually checked? Maybe over tight from the factory?

[wyldman]

They probably were.The cutting edge is usually dealer installed,and maybe they just whacked the bolts on with an impact gun.Most good guns put out way more than 220 ft\lbs.

[bud16415]

Over tight or cheap bolts look at the heads and tell us if there are any markings. I would suspect the dealer may have got some off brand cheap China junk bolts he’s using. The manufactures mark and the grade mark should be on the head.

Bud

[CT18fireman]

On steel edges I usually torque them around 125-150 and use locknuts. NO reason to stretch them that much. As Wyldman said a looser bolt will seldom snap.

After a few hours plowing (one storm) check the torque again.

If you are loosing them on one side, say the right outside wing then I there might be other reasons. Check for round and true holes and that the nuts and bolts are tightened flat.

[gslam88]

Howard,

Actually you want to go to a grade 5 bolt, the grade 8 is stronger but as you see is brittle... the grade 5 will stretch per say and let you have more give.



Pete

[grizzlyadams73]

do you still have th old 1/2" cutting edges? the new ones are 5/8 and i havnt sheered any yet.
also you can weld blocks just above the cutting edges to relieve some of the pressure.

[chtucker]

5/8". I have not had any problems since I replaced them with Winter Equipment plow bolts and xtendor edge guards. I need some U edge to creater a wiper for the center shoe.

Howard