 The Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency has developed the following video to support the Air Force Qualification Training Program. This video covers step-by-step procedures for a specific task identified in the Specialty Training Standard of the Career Field Education and Training Plan. This video does not take the place of on-the-job training. It is not intended to replace the applicable technical reference. However, this program is intended to enhance the on-the-job training process, standardize the training procedures, provide spin-up training, and provide the minimum knowledge on a task or piece of equipment when a unit does not have the equipment. We hope you'll find this video a valuable training tool. This Civil Engineer Air Force Qualification Training Program videotape contains greater level materials and maintain unpaved surfaces. Whether leveling an area for open storage, covering a parking area with stone, or maintaining an unpaved perimeter road, the greater is the tool of choice. This versatile machine straightens out all the other pieces of construction equipment rough work, plus puts the finishing touch on any project. The greater's ability to cut the high spots and fill the low spots makes it ideal for leveling any surface. Before you attempt to operate the greater, physically survey the area. Grade stakes may not always be present, so visually check the lay of the land. Determine where the cuts need to be made and the fill deposited before you ever start grading. This program will cover the steps for leveling a load of material that has been dumped in an area to be filled. It will also address the steps for maintaining an unpaved surface, such as an outlying road. Unlike the dozer or a front-end loader, a greater cannot attack a pile of fill material head-on. It must take small bites of material with each pass through the pile, otherwise the greater will get bogged down. If the pile is large, extend the blade out past the front tire. This way the tires do not have to ride up and over the pile. With the blade four to six inches off the ground, make a pass through the pile, chipping away at the mound of material. We're not real concerned about spreading the material at this point because we can't accurately level or place the material where we need it. Depending on the size of the pile, you'll probably have to make a number of passes. The blade may have to be readjusted to help distribute the material in a different direction. Proceed through the pile and carry the material throughout the fill area. On these short passes, it's a lot easier and faster to back up than turn the greater around. Always check behind you before and as you back the greater. When the pile of material has been reduced to a manageable size, readjust the blade and attack the remaining pile head-on. This pass should finish knocking down the pile and produce a rough spread of material. With the material spread out all over the fill area, it's time to put on the finishing touch to level the area. Readjust the blade to get the maximum flow of material with each pass. The trailing end of the blade should be set so the material will flow outside the track of the rear tires and not under them. Approach the fill material and stop the greater before the front tires ride up on the material. Lower the blade just enough so it will cut through the material in one continuous pass. As the greater moves into the material and the blade loads up, the greater engine RPM may decrease. Listen to the engine and watch the blade. The blade may have to be raised slightly in order to carry the material all the way through the spread area. Back up and reposition the greater for the next leveling pass. Continue making passes through the fill material until it is as level as possible. Slower passes will result in better blade control and accurate placement of material. At some point, the greater may have to be turned around to redistribute the material in the other direction. Reposition the blade to carry the material in the new direction of travel. As you grade across the fill area, take your time. Make the passes as smooth as possible and distribute the fill material where you need it. Likewise, instead of grading up and back, you may want to grade perpendicular to get the maximum spread of material for leveling purposes. Numerous trips across the fill material may be required for accurate placement. Leveling an area with a greater takes a lot of patience to do the job right. When you are finished leveling, stop the greater and dismount to check your progress on this effort. Ground level review might present a whole new picture of your progress. Other people will judge it so you might as well be the first to determine if you are finished grading or not. Sometimes looking at your work from a different angle will give you a whole new perspective on leveling material. As with any project with a greater, the cuts and fills are minor. If big cuts and fills are needed, then you have the wrong piece of equipment. Maintaining an unpaved surface like a perimeter road is a simple matter of cutting to the bottom of ruts or washboards and leveling to produce a smooth surface. Performing this maintenance task when the road bed material is a little damp makes the cuts easier and produces better results. It's hard to see what needs to be done from the seat of the grader. Wall can check the area to be graded. If the road is too long, at least travel up and down the road slowly. Before you ever put the blade on the ground, formulate in your mind exactly how you are going to grade it. This plan will help decide whether to blade from one side of the road to the other or windrow all the material in the center and feather it out. There's no one way to do it. Each situation is different. Our particular scenario calls for windrowing the material to the center and then feathering it out. Tilt the front tires in toward the center of the road to help counter blade action. Adjust the toe of the blade so it is either directly behind the front tire or extend it out just past the front tire. If the road has ditches, extending the blade outside the tire will help keep the tire away from the ditch line and accidentally sliding in. Otherwise, position the blade's toe directly behind the tire. This way the tire can track right on the edge of the road. Angle the heel of the blade until it is outside the rear tires. This way the rear tires won't run over the windrowed material. Lower the blade down until it's just above the ground. A half an inch or so is a good place to start. The depth of the cut will depend on the condition of the road. Move the grater forward, watch the blade and increase your speed gradually. Material should start to flow across the blade as the center of the blade cuts across the road bed. Try to level the road bed across the full length of the blade, not just the toe or the heel. As the grater moves down the road, your eyes must constantly shift from the toe to the heel and back again. Blade adjustments in small increments must be coordinated with what is seen and what you feel is happening. Keep the toe close to the ground and material flowing off the heel of the blade. Continue down the road until you reach the point where you want to stop grating. Slowly raise the blade as you continue to move forward. Continue moving forward as the material feathers out under the blade. When there is no longer any material, raise the blade. Do not leave mounds of material as they will only create bumps in the road. Lean the tires in the direction of the turn to help reduce the turning radius. Turn the grater around for a pass down the other side of the road. Align it on the edge of the road. Lean the tires and angle the blade so the heel will deposit the material on the windrow just created. With the blade set, grade this side of the road as previously described. Most outlying roads aren't very wide and two passes will generally cover the entire width. If the road is wider, then more passes will be required. After this pass, all the material that was cut and pulled in from the sides should be windrowed in the center of the road. Hopefully the ruts or washboards were cut to full depth during these passes. If they weren't, then another trip down the road may be necessary. Our road required only minor dressing, so after we turn the grater around, we're ready to feather out the windrowed material. Position the grater so it straddles the windrow. Straighten the tires back up. Angle the blade so it is 90 degrees to the grater frame. This angle will allow the material to spread evenly under the blade in the center portion of the road where most of the traffic travels. If the material needs to be spread more on one side of the road than the other, angle the blade in that direction. Lower both ends of the blade until they are approximately an inch or two above the ground. Blade height will depend on how much windrowed material you have to spread and how thick you want to spread the material. Move the grater forward and into the windrowed material. Watch both ends of the blade closely as you continue to move forward. Materials should flow out and under the blade close to each end of the blade as you feather the windrowed material. If one end of the blade starts creating another windrow, simply raise that end of the blade a little. Take your time. Sloppy feathering can ruin an otherwise good job. Continue to feather the material for the entire length of road just graded. Don't worry about how good a job you've just done, you'll find out on the return trip. With the feathering complete, travel back down the road to determine how well you've done. A good operator will be able to tell by sight and feel. Other people traveling the road will be able to tell also. Operating a grater to level an area or maintain an unpaved surface takes years of experience to really be proficient. The operator and the grater must become one to feel what's happening while grading. Coordinated sight and blade control movement must be automatic to ensure smooth and level grading. The only way you'll ever get proficient with a grater is get out there and grade. They'll make a lot of mistakes, but if you learn from these mistakes, you'll become a better grater operator. A special thanks to the Silver Flag Exercise Site Rapid Runway Repair Padre for their enthusiastic support in this effort.