What the source is: the Clear Roads “Product Experience Feedback 2006-2021” file. Why it matters: several state comments describe heavy blades that were hard to install, and installation time is a labour cost that unit prices hide. I read the file on 24 October 2026. The comments are opinions, not timed trials, and the file gives no installation hours. I name products only as the file does and make no endorsement.
What state comments say
The comments are quoted because the wording matters more than the score.
- Iowa operators described one carbide blade as “very heavy and tough to install”, and the table’s average ease-of-installation rating for it was 2 (“not very easy”), though two trucks went through a winter without a blade change where they would normally use two or three sets.
- Iowa also wrote of another blade that it was very heavy and difficult to install, that it was very noisy, and that it cost twice as much as a comparison blade, with no benefit seen.
- North Dakota wrote that one underbody blade set was very heavy and needed three people to install, and that the sets lasted 3 days in one case and 87 hours over 18 days in another.
- Utah wrote of a blade that cleaned fairly well and lasted about 3 months, but was very hard to install and remove.
- Iowa also reported other blades where “install was very easy”, so the difference across products appears in the comments.
Worked example (invented numbers)
Suppose a depot changes blades 200 times a season, and crew time costs 60.00 per person-hour. All figures are invented.
| Blade A | Blade B | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per set | 400.00 | 480.00 |
| People and time per change | 1 person, 0.5 hour | 3 people, 1.0 hour |
| Labour cost per change | 30.00 | 180.00 |
| Cost per change including the set | 430.00 | 660.00 |
In this example, blade B must last much longer to compete, because each change costs 230.00 more. Extra crew time also takes trucks off the road.
What this does not tell you
- The file has no installation hours or crew counts for most products.
- Weight, tools and lifting aids at your depot change the effect.
Boundary: Cost figures are invented; comments are state opinions compiled by Clear Roads with no timed installation data, and products are named as the file names them without endorsement.
Sources and further reading. External references are dated; where a figure is quoted, the link shows where it came from.
Clear Roads Product Experience Feedback 2006-2021: Combined Results, Blades and Plows (Covers state feedback 2006-2021; accessed 2026-10-24) ↗What should an insert drawing say about the surface that will be brazed? ↗Snow Plow Blade Bolt Pattern: How to Verify It Before You Order ↗Carbide snow plow blades ↗Elongated Bolt Holes and Bushing Wear in Segmented Blades ↗Tow Plow Feedback From Clear Roads: Upfit, Spreading and Blades ↗Flexible Carbide Blades: What States Said, Praise and Complaints ↗
