Motor Grader Operation Method (Standard Specification Version)

I. Pre-Operation Preparation (Safety and Equipment Inspection, Top Priority)

(1) Personnel Preparation

1. Operators must hold a valid “Construction Machinery Operation Certificate”, be familiar with the structure, performance and operation manual of the motor grader being operated, and those without relevant operation qualifications are strictly prohibited from boarding the machine.
2. Wear complete personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety helmet, non-slip work clothes, protective gloves, protective goggles and earplugs, to avoid injury from flying debris and noise during operation. Footwear must be cleaned to avoid slipping caused by grease and soil.
3. Participate in the pre-shift “631” quick meeting before operation, clarify the operation task (such as leveling elevation and slope requirements) and the scope of the operation area, check potential safety hazards around the operation surface (such as underground pipelines, obstacles, and construction personnel), and conduct good communication and disclosure.

(2) Equipment Inspection

1. Appearance and basic component inspection: Walk around the machine to check for damage, oil leakage, water leakage and air leakage; check the wear condition and air pressure of tires (or crawlers) to ensure they are normal, and check if bolts are loose; clean gravel and residues on the blade and slewing ring to ensure the blade slide rail and disc top surface are clean.
2. Oil and instrument inspection: Check the oil levels of engine oil, hydraulic oil, coolant and brake fluid to ensure they are within the standard scale range, and the oil is free from deterioration and leakage; before starting, turn the key to the “TEST” position to check that all warning lights, alarms and instruments are normal, and the fan belt and generator belt are properly tight (10mm deflection when pressed with the thumb).
3. Core component test: Before starting the engine, confirm that the gear lever is in neutral, the handbrake is fully applied, and the blade is on the ground; test the blade lifting, swinging, slewing and tilting functions, check that the hydraulic cylinder has no leakage, the steering system is flexible, and the braking system (foot brake and handbrake) is effective; check that safety devices (such as safety belt, reversing buzzer and fire extinguisher) are complete and usable, and safety signs are clear and undamaged.
4. Operation environment confirmation: Clean up large debris and hard objects on the operation surface and mark elevation reference points; check for hidden dangers such as underground pipelines, hidden ditches and high-voltage lines in the operation area, and set up warning signs if necessary; confirm that the visibility of the operation surface meets the requirements. Operation is prohibited when the visibility is less than 50m in rain and fog or the wind speed is ≥6 levels. All lighting equipment must be turned on during night operation to ensure the illuminance is ≥50lx.

II. Start-Up Operation (Standard Start-Up to Protect Equipment)

1. When boarding the machine, the operator must face the equipment, hold the handrail firmly with both hands, step on the pedal steadily, maintain three-point contact, and is strictly prohibited from jumping up and down. Do not carry any items into the cab to avoid colliding with operating components.
2. After entering the cab, fasten the safety belt, adjust the seat and rearview mirror to a comfortable position with a clear view, clean up debris in the cab to ensure a clean operating space, and ensure all operating handles are in the neutral position.
3. Start the engine: Turn the key to the ON position, wait for the system self-inspection to complete (the self-inspection light goes out), then turn the key to the START position to start the engine. The starting time shall not exceed 15 seconds. If it fails to start once, wait 30 seconds before trying again; after starting, release the key and let the engine idle for 3-5 minutes (extend to 5-8 minutes in cold weather) to preheat the hydraulic system and engine. Observe the instrument display to ensure that parameters such as oil pressure and water temperature are normal, and there are no abnormal noises or odors.
4. After preheating, test the hydraulic system: Slowly operate the blade lifting and swinging handles to make the blade perform full-stroke movements 2-3 times to discharge air in the hydraulic pipeline, and confirm that the hydraulic system operates stably without jamming or leakage; at the same time, test the steering function to ensure that the steering is flexible and free of deviation, and the front wheel steering angle meets the requirements.

III. Driving Operation (Stable Driving to Avoid Risks)

1. Operation driving: Release the handbrake, step on the foot brake, shift the gear lever to low gear (1-2 gears), slowly release the foot brake, and step on the accelerator at a constant speed to make the motor grader drive slowly; adopt the “intermittent full pressure” principle when steering, with a single steering angle not exceeding 15°, which can automatically return to the center after releasing the hand, avoiding continuous large-angle steering; during driving, the blade must be lifted 10-15cm off the ground to avoid the blade scraping the ground, damaging the blade edge or affecting driving stability, and keep the hydraulic system lowering close to the ground.
2. Transfer driving: When it is necessary to transfer to another operation area (far distance), fully lift and fix the blade, shift to high gear (3-4 gears), and control the driving speed within 15km/h to avoid high-speed driving; during transfer, closely observe the surrounding environment, avoid obstacles and construction personnel, and strictly prohibit high-speed driving on steep slopes and soft ground; when going downhill, coasting in neutral is strictly prohibited, must shift to low gear, keep the engine speed ≥1500r/min, and use compression braking to decelerate to avoid brake overheating and failure.
3. Special driving precautions: When slewing and turning around, it is strictly prohibited to use the blade to support the ground on one side for “in-situ grinding”, and walking slewing must be adopted, with the outer edge of the minimum turning radius not exceeding 6m; when approaching overhead lines (voltage <10kV), keep a horizontal distance ≥2m and a vertical distance ≥1.5m to avoid electric shock hazards.

IV. Core Operation (Leveling, Trimming, Precise Control)

(1) Ground Leveling Operation (Most Common Working Condition)

1. Set the reference: According to the operation requirements, set the leveling reference using a laser leveling system or elevation reference points. The laser transmitter tripod must be placed ≥50m outside the operation area to ensure a height difference accuracy of ±5mm; if there is no laser system, elevation stakes can be set at both ends of the operation surface, and a reference line can be pulled as a reference for leveling.
2. Adjust the blade: According to the hardness of the operation surface and the leveling requirements, adjust the angle and height of the blade – when working on hard soil, tilt the blade forward by about 5° to increase cutting force; when working on loose soil, tilt the blade backward by about 3° to avoid material splashing; the initial cutting depth shall not exceed 10cm, and each step shall not exceed 5cm to avoid blade overload damaging the hydraulic system or blade edge.
3. Stable operation: Keep the motor grader driving at a constant speed (speed controlled at 2-4km/h), and adopt a “bow-shaped” or “round-trip” driving route to avoid missing the operation area; during operation, closely observe the leveling condition of the operation surface, monitor the slope in real time through the instrument panel, and slowly adjust the blade height according to the ground undulation to avoid height differences and wave patterns; when reversing, the blade must be lifted to ≥30cm to avoid the blade gnawing the edge and damaging the leveled ground, and confirm that there are no obstacles or personnel behind.
4. Precise leveling treatment: After the first round of leveling, reduce the blade cutting depth (2-3cm) for the second precise leveling, focusing on trimming uneven areas; at 30cm of the operation surface edge, use the “forward pressing method”, that is, tilt the blade forward by 5° and operate close to the edge at a slow speed to ensure the edge is flat and free of collapse.

(2) Slope Trimming Operation

1. According to the designed slope requirements, adjust the tilt angle of the blade (usually the slope is controlled within 1:1, and the edge is ≥1.2m away from the pit groove during horizontal operation). The adjustment can be assisted by the slope meter or laser guidance system equipped with the equipment to ensure the slope is precise.
2. The driving route is the same as that of leveling operation, keeping constant speed driving. During operation, avoid adjusting the blade angle too fast to prevent slope deviation; if the operation surface is a steep slope, control the driving speed, and set up steel pipe railings if necessary to prevent equipment rollover.
3. After the slope trimming is completed, gently scrape the slope surface with the blade to remove excess materials, ensuring the slope surface is flat, the slope is uniform, and there is no accumulation of loose materials.

(3) Material Paving Operation

1. Evenly pile the materials to be paved (such as sand, gravel, soil) in the operation area, adjust the blade angle to the paving angle (tilt forward by about 10°), and adjust the blade height according to the paving thickness (usually 3-5cm).
2. Drive the motor grader at a constant speed, use the blade to evenly pave the materials. During driving, the blade height can be adjusted appropriately to ensure the paving thickness is consistent; if material accumulation occurs, the blade swing angle can be adjusted to disperse the materials evenly, avoiding local accumulation or gaps.

V. Post-Operation Finishing (Standard Shutdown to Maintain Equipment)

1. Shutdown preparation: Drive the motor grader to a flat, hard and water-free safe area, ≥3m away from the edge of the pit groove to avoid equipment sliding; slowly lower the blade to make it land, unload the equipment load, turn off all operation components (such as hydraulic system), and let the engine idle for 3-5 minutes to cool the engine and hydraulic system (must be implemented for turbocharged models) to avoid damage to the equipment due to high-temperature shutdown.
2. Shutdown operation: Turn off the throttle, shift the gear lever to neutral, pull the handbrake tightly, turn off the engine and pull out the key; when parking at night, a rotating warning light must be installed, reflective triangular flags (spacing 10m) must be set up, and warning signs must be made.
3. Equipment cleaning and inspection: Clean the bonded materials and soil on the blade, check the wear condition of the blade edge, and replace it in time if it is severely worn (blade thickness <16mm); clean the debris and dust on the body and cab surface, check if the equipment has oil leakage and water leakage, and keep records; lubricate the pivot points such as the blade ball joint and steering joint with high-pressure extreme pressure lithium-based grease.
4. Finishing work: Fill in the “Equipment Operation Record” and “Motor Grader Daily Inspection Form”, record the operation time, equipment operation status and found problems; sort out personal protective equipment, clean up debris in the operation area to ensure the operation site is clean, do a good job in handover, and inform the subsequent operator of the equipment status and precautions.

VI. Operation Precautions (Safety and Practical Taboos)

1. Unauthorized operation, operation after drinking, and fatigue operation are strictly prohibited. During operation, you must keep focused, do not answer or make calls, do not leave the cab without permission, and strictly prohibit extending body parts out of the cab window to avoid extrusion and collision injuries.
2. During operation, no one is allowed to stand within 10 meters of the blade slewing radius, and irrelevant personnel are prohibited from entering the operation area; the assistant worker must clean up obstacles within 1.5m in front of and 2m behind the blade, and squatting or sitting under the blade to rest is strictly prohibited.
3. Overload operation is strictly prohibited, and forced cutting of hard materials is not allowed to avoid damaging the blade and hydraulic system; if hard objects (such as stones and steel bars) are encountered, stop the machine immediately, clean them up before continuing operation, and forced rolling or cutting is strictly prohibited.
4. When operating under high-voltage lines, the “Permit for Operation Near Overhead Lines” must be handled, supervised on site by the power department, a height-limiting bamboo pole (1.5m lower than the wire) must be set up, and the operator must wear a “high-voltage proximity alarm” which will sound a warning when the horizontal distance from the wire is 2m. Illegal operation is strictly prohibited.
5. When the equipment fails (such as engine emitting blue smoke, brake air pressure <0.45MPa, heavy steering, abnormal noise of hydraulic pump), stop the machine immediately, hang a “Forbidden” sign, and contact maintenance personnel in a timely manner for handling. Unauthorized disassembly and maintenance of the equipment is strictly prohibited to avoid expanding the fault.
6. Regularly maintain the equipment, check oil and components daily, check crawler tension and engine oil weekly, replace hydraulic oil filter every 250 hours, and calibrate laser receiver accuracy every six months to ensure the equipment is in good operating condition; follow the lubrication requirements in the equipment operation manual and add lubricant regularly to avoid component wear.
7. During rainy season construction, the transverse slope of the operation surface is ≥2%, temporary drainage ditches (30×30cm) are set up, and waste engine oil is applied to the blade and slewing ring after each shift to prevent rust; stop the machine immediately in thunderstorm weather, put the blade on the ground, and personnel evacuate to a safe house. Taking shelter from rain under the machine is strictly prohibited.