When to Replace the Edges and Shoes on a Metal Pless plow.
One of the topics that seem to be discussed the most in the Team Storm community is when to replace cutting edges and shoes on your plow. Below we are going to cover some of that information as well as some things to consider when that time comes.
Live Edge Cutting Edge
On all LiveEdge cutting edges, whether it's on a hydraulic wing plow or LiveBoxx, the wear mark can be found by the small notches or "brands" located near the bottom of the edge. The notch indicates how far the carbide inserts go into the edge. Once you go past this mark, the rest of the edge is going to wear quite quickly. If you are ever wondering if the carbide is still there, safely lift the plow to a working position and inspect the bottom of the edge looking for the carbide rods. In this case it is best to wear them out completely before replacing, these edges wear extremely well/slow and would be inefficient to replace them prematurely.
Standard and HD Cutting Edge
The cutting edges on the standard and HD models are made of CHT400 steel, while it wears fairly well you will still see it wear quicker than the LiveEdge. You can see the wear marks in the picture above. When you get to those marks on the standard edge it is time to get them replaced. If you go much further than that you will start wearing on parts that can’t easily be replaced.
Abrasion Shoe Replacement
The general rule of thumb with abrasion shoes is that as long as the shoes are scraping and functioning as desired you don’t need to replace them.
On the standard shoe you should keep an eye on how they are wearing with the plowing that you are doing. If it seems to be fairly even, you are doing a good job of keeping the plow level correctly with how you have your wings positioned. If it is wearing unevenly you can use the leaf spring to adjust them so that the pressure is more even across the shoe.
With the AgriMaxx and PlowMaxx Lite plows, again, the rule of thumb is until you notice it's not scraping the way it should, or you start getting close to wearing on parts other than the shoe, keep using them as is.
When it comes to the HD shoes it will again depend on how well they are functioning. As long as you aren’t doing more damage to other parts of the plow, keep using them. There is no need to replace sooner than you need to.
On the LiveEdge shoes, they have the carbide inserts, so make sure to run them as long as possible. You might eventually notice some uneven wear to the point that some snow might be left between the shoes and the moldboard edges. If it starts to become an issue, you may need to consider replacing, but make sure your operator sees what is happening to help correct it in the future.
Many questions on the LiveEdge shoe have been about the “doubler” piece added to the bottom of the shoe. This piece is just extra metal to help absorb the abrasion and replacement time for the shoes. It's sacrificial and as long as there is enough hardware to hold it on, do not replace it. The doubler should not be replaced without replacing the entire shoe at the same time. Again, even if the doubler has to come off, as long as you have good carbide in the shoe keep running it until you notice it's not scraping as it should.
Other Notes
My advice to anyone is to get a spare set of edges and shoes for each Metal Pless plow you have sitting on the shelf for when that time comes. We all have heard and experienced some of the stories about shipping, lead times, etc. that may present themselves. I wouldn’t want to get to a point where my plow is not usable with the next storm coming and no way of getting parts in time. Get them ordered and on the shelf.
Also, assume you are going to need new hardware whenever you replace anything on your plow. Between rust and getting beat up from use, there is a very high likelihood it will not survive. Get the bolts you need from your local hardware source and have them ready as well. A lot of the hardware is interchangeable somewhere across plows regardless of size and model.
Order today. At some point in your plow’s life you are going to replace shoes and edges. Ordering today will give you peace of mind that they are on the shelf when you need them and the cost of parts are only going up. Buy today so you can save money when they are needed. If you don’t use them, the next guy to buy your plow will. Make them part of the deal.
When ordering shoes and edges make sure you know the model of plow that you have, the width of the moldboard, and the length of the shoes. These will make the process painless. Also realize that some have a defined left and right side which will be important when ordering. Storm Equipment’s website is set up to make this very easy and convenient if you know what you need. Please visit their parts page at: https://stormeq.com/pages/common-parts . You can also contact us at 507.740.1746 and we will gladly help you.
Conclusion
So for the most part, when it comes to replacing shoes and edges, the best practice is to wait as long as possible to replace them with replacement parts on your shelf. Your operator knows your plow better than anyone. If he thinks it's not performing as it should, take a look at the shoes and edges and address them if they appear to be an issue. The shoes and edges are designed to be worn down. With the cost of new ones be sure to wait as long as possible to replace them. My suggestion is to order them now and have them on the shelf so when the time comes to replace them you are ready to Push Through the Storm.
