Hunan Jetvision Industrial CO.,LTD

Carbide insert blades are plow blades with slugs of tungsten carbide brazed into the thickness of the blade. Carbide is an extremely durable substance that substantially extends blade life up to 20 times over standard carbon steel blades.

Carbide insert blades for snow plow applications are available in four profiles: 3/4 x 5, 3/4 x 6, 7/8 x 5 and 7/8 x 6.

Carbide inserts are brazed into a milled slot in the steel blade to extend the life of the blade. Carbide inserts are extremely hard material that will resist wear by an estimated 20 times over steel blades.

Insert blades for under body plows are also available. They come with backside top bevel to allow for the step in the moldboard. Trapezoid-shaped inserts can be brazed into the blade backwards to create a cleaner road surface, allowing for the back dragging of some under bodies.

Jetvision takes pride in its carbide snow plow blades. We have hundreds of customers proving that carbide snow plow blades add more value to their fleets. Stop spending time and money on high carbon (1084) or heat treated (AR500) steel snow plow blades that wear out several times faster than carbide plow edges.

To begin, it is important to give a brief overview of this particular snow plow cutting edge style. Carbide snow plow edges are used on the front, under body, and wing of a snow plow. Carbide snow plow blades look very similar to traditional steel edges; however, they have a carbide insert brazed into the thickness of the steel face along the bottom of the blade. This carbide insert has much better wear resistance properties than a cutting edge made of just steel.  

This gives the operator the following benefits:

1. Longer Wear Life – on average carbide cutting edges have 3-5x more wear lifespan than heat-treated steel edges, and up to 20x more when compared to Carbon Steel

2. Even Wear – carbide snow plow cutting edges will wear evenly across the face of the blade, which can help reduce the “crowning” effect that many operators experience with steel edges.

3. Saves Time – Because the blades last longer and wear more evenly, operators can spend less time changing blades and more time out on the roads pushing snow.

Types of Carbide Snow Plow Edges

There are a wide variety of carbide edge styles for snow plows. The standard is a flat, 3/4″ thick by 6″ tall blade with a single carbide insert. These edges are great for front mounts, under bodies and wing plows. It is important to note that specific mounting applications have specific additional edge qualities. Specifically, an under body blade should have a top bevel, whereas front mount and wing blades are unbeveled square edges.

Another type of Carbide snow plow edge is a serrated edge. These blade types are designed for a more aggressive cut that can easily break through hard compacted snow and ice. The blades are easy to identify (as you can see in the picture below) because they have a carbide square welded to the front that look like teeth.

Hybrid Edges

Finally, there are some carbide snow plow edges that are more of a hybrid. These blades can consist of steel and/or rubber in addition to the carbide segments. In these cases, the carbide and steel segments are completely encased in a rubber shell. The most common model for these hybrid blades consist of a steel mounting blade, rubberized carbide segment (pictured below), and a steel cover plate. The mounting plate and cover plate offer stability for the rubber segment.

This setup is beneficial for operators because it helps give a better clean sweep on snow. You can almost think of it as a squeegee effect on the road surface. Plus, the rubber embedded metal snow plow blades offer greater flexibility to contour to changing road surfaces and the rubber also drastically decreases vibration on the machine for a better operating environment.

Carbide snow plow edges are a great way to increase wear life and decrease the time and effort that changing blades creates. The extended wear life of carbide does come at a higher price than a steel edge; but when ran properly the longer wear life and cost savings will be a financial advantage in the long run.