Tips for Buying Milling Drum

Tips for Buying Milling Drum

One of the main tools for the road milling machine is the milling drum or the cutter drum. Apart from being the largest tools in the machine, it is also one of the critical wear parts in that it carries all cutting tools. In addition, the cutter drum determines the performance and the overall productivity of the milling machine. That is the reason why it is important to have right cutter drum for your cold planer. But what should guide you while buying milling drum? Well, there are key features that you should always look out for when buying cutter drum. These are tips for buying milling drum:

Material Used for Construction

Quality is very important when it comes to buying a cutter drum. And it is not difficult to discern the quality of this tool since all you need is to check the material used for its construction. It is recommended that you get the best grade material. A good milling drum should be made from the highest grade steel. Alloys of steel are highly recommended due to the abrasive and wear resistance properties. Note that the cutter drum will be subjected to high stress and strain and sometimes abrasive conditions. Therefore, you need to have tools that can withstand all these conditions.

Number of Teeth and Pattern

The number of cutter tools and their pattern is two critical features to consider. Each drum comes with different designs, and that includes the number of milling teeth and teeth pattern. These two things have a direct impact on the machine performance and productivity. There are teeth patterns that make it difficult for the machine to work efficiently due to the trapping of the milled particles on between the teeth.  The number of teeth can also make the machine efficient or vice versa depending on the type of the material that you are working. Therefore, you need to check what works for you.

Size of the Milling Drum

Three things should determine the size of the cutter drum. First, you must check the cutting width of the drum. The second thing that you must take into account is the milling depth of the machine. Third and the last is the power source. It is important to ensure that your power source or prime mover has the capacity to drive the drum.

These are 3 key features that you must take into account while buying a milling drum.