A dozer blade is a metal shovel-like plate fitted on a tractor and used to push and clear materials such as soil, rocks, and sand. It also helps shave and compact uneven ground. Used primarily in construction and mining applications, dozer blades are particularly helpful in any project that involves removing large quantities of earth. Hence, dozer blades play a crucial role in building dams.
Known for outfitting tractors and crawlers, the dozer blade actually came into existence before either machine did. The early dozer blade was pulled by two mules and consisted of a frame outfitted with a blade. The blade was used to fill holes and gullies by pushing and spreading piles of dirt into them.
While many refer to the bulldozer as the tractor and blade combination, the term actually refers to the blade itself. The first manufacturer to fit a blade on a tractor is debatable. Some of the earliest manufacturers to do so include La-Plante Choate Co., and LeTourneau founder, Robert Gilmore LeTourneau.[1]
Dozer blades are available in various types, which include a straight blade, a universal blade, and a straight-universal combination. A straight or S-blade, is short, lacks lateral curving, and is generally used for fine grading of materials. The universal or U-blade is tall and curved, with a large side that is capable of pushing heavier and larger quantities. The S-U combination has features of both, consisting of a shorter blade with a slight curve and small side wings. This type is typically used in mining operations or on some construction sites that require the removal or displacement of large rocks.
When a dozer blade is unable to do the work of pushing and shaving large rocks, tractors can be fitted with rippers which scratch rocks and hard surfaces.[2]
