Knowing how to replace your commercial floor scraper blade is one of the key pieces of maintenance you have to know. When you’re transporting your floor scraper, to prevent damage or injury, you’ll want to remove the blade and store it separately. Additionally, there are times when you’ll need to replace ineffective blades, such as when you hit a floor joint at the wrong angle with your commercial floor scraper and break a blade, your blade has dulled over time, or you need to switch your current tool for a blade better suited for the task at hand. While we’ve covered when to change your floor scraper blade, today, we’re walking you through the “how-to” aspect of changing it out.
Changing the Blade on a Walk-Behind Floor Scraper
While every floor scraper manufacturer is a bit different, the general method of changing the blade on a walk-behind floor scraper involves loosening the bolts between the striker plate and retainer plate. Most walk-behind scrapers need to be tilted back or laid down so the bottom or the machine is exposed as that’s where you loosen the bolts. Once the bolts are loose, you can slide the existing scraper blade out and replace it with a new option.
While some floor scraper blades have notches to show where to place them so you can tighten the bolts back, other blades are flat and you simply tighten the bolts to ensure the striker and retainer plates are tight enough to hold the blades in place. Then tilt the machine back up and it should be ready for use.
Changing the Blade on a Ride-On Floor Scraper
Similarly to the walk-behind floor scraper, you’ll need to remove the blade of a ride-on floor scraper before transport or when the blade is dull or not right for the task. Despite the cumbersome size of the ride-on scrapers, changing their scraper blades are also pretty quick and easy. The blade extends out from the machine, and in most cases, the bolts between the two plates are on top, so there is little maneuvering necessary to quickly swap out your blades.
Putting Your Scraper Blades on the Right Way
Before tightening the bolts, you’ll want to make sure you have the blade in the right way. If your blade has a beveled edge, and most do, you’ll want to face the bevel up when you’re working on a concrete subfloor. However, if you’re working on wood, you’ll want to position the blade so the bevel is face down. This reduces damage to the wood and also reduces dulling the blade.
Get Your Replacement Blades from BMD
When you need replacement floor scraper blades and chisels for your commercial scraper, we can help! We have a wide selection of blades and our product experts can help you get the right equipment to get your next job done right! Contact us at (815) 472-9735 or by filling out our contact form to get started!