Small Excavator · 4th of 5

Small Excavator Bulldozing Cylinder

Shortest stroke. Highest force. The dozer blade cylinder needs only 250 mm of travel — just enough to raise the blade above grade — but 453 KN of thrust to push 10 tonnes of machine through compacted soil. No other small excavator cylinder combines such extreme force with such minimal motion.

50–140mmBore

453 KNHighest Thrust

≤250mmShortest Stroke

29.4 MPaPressure

Four Jobs from One Blade — Grading, Backfilling, Stabilising, and Travelling

The dozer blade on a small excavator is not a bulldozer — it is a multi-purpose rear attachment that the bulldozing cylinder raises, lowers, and floats across the ground surface. Despite its small size, the blade serves four distinct functions that make the excavator self-sufficient on most job sites:

Backfilling trenches

After the excavator digs a utility trench and the pipe is laid, the blade pushes the spoil pile back into the trench — eliminating the need for a separate backfilling machine. The cylinder holds the blade at a controlled depth, and the machine drives forward, pushing the soil ahead.

Rough grading

The blade in "float" mode (the cylinder is depressurised, allowing the blade to follow the ground contour under its own weight) can spread soil, gravel, or crushed stone to a rough grade — preparing a surface for a concrete slab or pavement base without bringing in a grader.

Machine stabilisation

When digging at maximum reach, the blade is lowered to the ground behind the machine — acting as a third support point (with the two tracks) that prevents the excavator from tipping backward. The cylinder pushes the blade into the ground with the full 453 KN thrust, anchoring the machine.

Self-loading onto trailer

The blade, when lowered against the ground, can lift the rear of the machine — tilting it enough to climb a transport trailer ramp without the steep approach angle that would ground-out the machine's undercarriage. The cylinder extends, the blade pushes, and the rear lifts.

Korea Ever-Power manufactures the bulldozing cylinder as the fourth of five small excavator hydraulic cylinders.

Technical Specifications

Parameter	Specification
Product	Small Excavator Bulldozing Cylinder
Function	Control the action of the dozer blade (raise / lower / float)
Bore Diameter	50 mm – 140 mm
Rod Diameter	25 mm – 80 mm
Stroke	≤ 250 mm (shortest in family)
Max Thrust	453 KN (bore 140 mm / 29.4 MPa) — highest in family
Application	Small Excavator (1–10 tonne class)
Certification	ISO 9001 · 100% hydrostatic tested

140 mm Bore — Why the Blade Cylinder Is Larger Than the Boom Cylinder

The boom cylinder (#3) has a 125 mm maximum bore and produces 361 KN. The bulldozing cylinder has a 140 mm bore and produces 453 KN — 25% more force. This seems counterintuitive: the blade is a small, simple attachment, while the boom lifts the entire arm assembly. The explanation lies in how each cylinder uses its force:

The boom lifts components — moderate gravity load

The boom cylinder lifts the arm assembly (500–3,000 kg). This is a gravitational load — the cylinder only needs to overcome weight × lever arm. The force requirement is moderate and predictable.

The blade pushes the machine — total resistance force

When backfilling or grading, the blade pushes the entire 5–10 tonne machine through compacted soil. The resistance is not just gravity — it is soil shear strength × blade width × cutting depth + track friction + inertia. This total resistance force can exceed the gravitational loads on the arm assembly by 20–50%. Contact the Korea Ever-Power engineering team for bulldozing force calculations.

Small excavator dozer blade in backfilling operation

Manufacturing Process

Korea Ever-Power bulldozing cylinder manufacturing

The 250 mm stroke produces a compact cylinder — overall retracted length approximately 400–450 mm. The short, thick proportions (140 mm bore × 250 mm stroke) create a barrel that is stronger per unit length than any other small excavator cylinder, which is appropriate given the 453 KN thrust force and the ground-impact loading the blade experiences during grading and backfilling.

Bore honed to Ra 0.2–0.4 µm. Chrome plating 80 µm (the blade operates at ground level, exposed to soil, rocks, and abrasive contact). The blade's pivot pin connection is forged and machined — not welded — because the short, heavy cylinder experiences high bending moments at the mounting points when the blade hits buried obstacles during grading. Seals rated -30 °C to +80 °C, polyurethane + NBR + double-lip wiper.

Every bulldozing cylinder is hydrostatic tested at 1.5× rated pressure (44.1 MPa) and drift-tested (the blade must hold its set height without creeping downward during grading operations).

OEM & ODM

What You Provide

Excavator model and weight class, blade width and weight, required lifting force, required pushing force (backfilling mode), stroke, bore/rod or force requirement, system pressure, float-mode valve specification, pin diameters, and the blade linkage assembly drawing.

What the Factory Delivers

Engineering drawing with bore, rod (forged eye), 250 mm stroke, impact-rated barrel, float-mode port provisions, double-lip wiper, chrome plating 80 µm, and mounting dimensions. Hydrostatic + drift test certificate. Seal kits. Browse the mobile machinery hydraulic cylinder family and the Korea Ever-Power catalogue.

Workshop

FAQ

Why only 250 mm of stroke?

The blade only needs to move from ground level (its working position) to approximately 200–250 mm above grade (its travel position). There is no benefit to lifting the blade higher — it would increase the cylinder length and weight without adding functionality. The short stroke keeps the cylinder compact and reduces the hydraulic oil volume required per cycle.

What is "float mode" and how does it affect the cylinder?

In float mode, both cylinder ports are connected to the tank — the cylinder is free to extend or retract under the blade's own weight. The blade rests on the ground and follows the terrain contour as the machine drives forward. This mode is used for rough grading and surface spreading. The float valve is mounted externally on the machine's valve block — the cylinder itself requires no special internal features for float mode, but the rod seal must handle the rapid pressure fluctuations that occur when the blade bounces over uneven surfaces.

Do all small excavators have a dozer blade?

Most do — particularly in the 1–8 tonne class, where the blade is standard equipment. On larger small excavators (8–10 tonnes), the blade is sometimes optional. Some ultra-compact micro-excavators (under 1 tonne) omit the blade due to weight and width constraints. When present, the blade and its bulldozing cylinder add self-sufficiency — the excavator can dig, backfill, and grade without secondary machines. Browse telescopic cylinders and forklift cylinders.