Question: should a city or campus that plows paths and sidewalks use carbide edges? The best public evidence I found is a small Minnesota trial. It is useful, but narrow, so read what it does and does not cover.
What Eagan did (University of Minnesota LTAP, June 2021)
Eagan’s trial is documented well enough to copy the design.
- Eagan Public Works maintains 130 miles of trails and sidewalks. The report says standard steel edges typically need replacing annually and often several times per winter.
- With a $5,000 Local OPERA grant, staff studied three trail plows fitted with V-plows: one kept a hardened steel edge, one got standard 12-inch tungsten carbide segments, one got segments cut to 6 inches.
- Performance and wear were monitored over about 30 plowing events, comparing three locations with similar pavement on each route.
What it found
| Item | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Snow removal quality | Steel and carbide each left minimal snow; no noticeable difference between 12-inch and 6-inch carbide segments |
| Debris in joints | No issues with rocks or debris lodging in the carbide segment joints |
| Cost basis (staff estimate) | Steel about $1,480 per plow per year; carbide about $1,700 each, expected to last at least five years |
| Projected saving | At least $5,700 per trail plow over five years |
| Decision | Eagan intended to use segmented 12-inch carbide on all trail plows from winter 2021-22 |
What the study does not tell you
The five-year figure is an expectation, not a measurement.
- The five-year life is an expectation. About 30 plowing events cannot show a five-year lifetime, and the report frames the cost figures as staff estimates.
- Surface types. The report does not break results out for pavers, concrete or asphalt. If you plow brick or paver walks, joints and edges may behave differently.
- Other machines. The trial used V-plows on trail equipment, not truck plows or pusher boxes.
- Product neutrality. The publication states that products named are not an endorsement.
Why the estimate needs care
The steel figure assumes one replacement per year, which fits Eagan’s report of annual replacement, while the report notes that steel edges are often replaced several times per winter. The carbide figure assumes at least five years. A budget built on these numbers should show a low and a high case, and be revised after each winter with real replacement dates.
Using it in your own decision
The Eagan trial is a design you can copy even if your route is different.
- Copy the design: one control edge, one trial edge, similar locations, a fixed number of events.
- Walk the route for joints, raised pavers and thresholds before you commit.
- Track cost per season, including labor to change edges.
Sources and further reading. External references are dated; where a figure is quoted, the link shows where it came from.
Minnesota LTAP / University of Minnesota CTS: Local OPERA: Trail Plow Cutting Edges (City of Eagan, MN) (June 2021) ↗Working Out the Payback on a Carbide Edge ↗Steel, Carbide and Clad Snow Plow Edges: Choosing by Fleet Abrasion Profile ↗JOMA style rubber-flex blade ↗Worn Skid Shoes and Uneven Edge Wear: Reading the Shoe Before Blaming the Blade ↗Rubber Plow Blade Curling or Cupping: Reading the Wear Shape Against Likely Causes ↗
