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What A Keeper Does
A scarifier keeper is the mechanical retainer that locks a scarifier shank or tooth bar in its pocket on graders, dozers, and loader rakes. It works as a sacrificial, high-strength clamp between the shank and the pocket, preventing shank chatter, walk-out, and bolt fretting during impact loads. In most Cat-pattern systems the keeper is a two-piece clamp or wedge with high-tensile hardware and a wear-resistant interface.
Key Terminology
Actual numbers vary by model and shank size. Rather than guessing at “one size fits all,” use this repeatable framework that covers 90% of Cat-pattern grader and dozer scarifiers:
Use manufacturer values when available. If you must set by standard practice:
Measuring Workflow Before You Fabricate Or Order
Cat brought standardized scarifier pocket and shank patterns to graders as highway networks expanded and road bases needed routine reconditioning. As grader populations grew across municipalities and mines worldwide, standardized keepers and hardware made it possible for mixed-age fleets to stay productive without bespoke parts. The ongoing move toward harder steels and better clamping hardware reflects the same trend seen across cutting edges and ripper systems—more uptime per dollar and fewer unscheduled stops.
Bottom Line
Treat keeper dimensions as a system: pocket geometry, shank thickness, bearing area, and bolt preload must work together. Measure your pockets and shanks, target snug but serviceable clearances, select wear-capable materials, and validate clamp force with correct torque. With a disciplined fit-up and a first-hour re-torque, scarifier keepers stop being a consumable headache and become a long-interval maintenance item instead.
A scarifier keeper is the mechanical retainer that locks a scarifier shank or tooth bar in its pocket on graders, dozers, and loader rakes. It works as a sacrificial, high-strength clamp between the shank and the pocket, preventing shank chatter, walk-out, and bolt fretting during impact loads. In most Cat-pattern systems the keeper is a two-piece clamp or wedge with high-tensile hardware and a wear-resistant interface.
Key Terminology
- Keeper
The retainer block, wedge, or clamp bar that secures the shank in the pocket.
- Pocket
The cast or fabricated housing welded to the scarifier beam that receives the shank.
- Shank
The vertical or raked bar that carries the tooth; standard, ripper, and penetration profiles exist.
- Pitch and spacing
The center-to-center distance between pockets; governs how many keepers you need and the shank size they accept.
- Back rake
The nominal angle of the shank relative to vertical; affects the keeper’s contact geometry.
- Bearing area
The effective contact surface between the keeper and shank; critical for clamping pressure and wear life.
Actual numbers vary by model and shank size. Rather than guessing at “one size fits all,” use this repeatable framework that covers 90% of Cat-pattern grader and dozer scarifiers:
- Pocket window width
Measure the clear internal width of the pocket where the shank passes. Typical field range for small/medium grader pockets is about 50–76 mm. Larger dozer rippers can exceed 100 mm.
- Shank thickness
Measure at the clamping zone (not at wear-taper). Common ranges are 38–51 mm on graders; 57–76 mm on heavier rippers.
- Keeper overall length
Should span the pocket window with at least 6–12 mm of overhang each side for seating. Practical range is 100–165 mm for graders; 165–230 mm for dozers.
- Keeper face height
The face that bears on the shank should cover at least 65–80% of the shank height at the clamping zone to avoid line loading. For a 45 mm shank thickness, a 35–40 mm face height is common.
- Clearance and fit
Dry slide clearance of 0.10–0.25 mm per side between keeper and pocket cheeks is a good target. If clearance exceeds 0.5 mm per side, fretting and rattle increase sharply.
- Bolt diameter and pattern
Many grader keepers use dual 5/8-11 or twin 3/4-10 fasteners on 60–90 mm spacing. Heavy keepers may use a single 7/8-9 with an anti-rotation pin, or two 3/4-10s on wider spacing.
- Washer and seat
Use hardened washers under Grade-8 or 10.9 bolts; washer OD should exceed 1.8× bolt diameter to spread load on the keeper bar.
- Keeper body or bar
AR400/450 wear plate or 4140/4145 Q&T. For AR, target hardness 360–450 HB; for 4140, 30–36 HRC is a robust balance of toughness and wear.
- Pocket cheek repair
If pockets are wallowed, butter with low-hydrogen wire, then cap with wear wire. Finish-machine to pocket width tolerance.
- Bolts and nuts
SAE Grade 8 or ISO 10.9. Avoid reusing stretched bolts; measure grip length and thread growth.
Use manufacturer values when available. If you must set by standard practice:
- 5/8-11 Grade-8
Dry torque about 170–190 ft-lb; lubricated about 140–160 ft-lb.
- 3/4-10 Grade-8
Dry torque about 380–420 ft-lb; lubricated about 300–350 ft-lb.
- 7/8-9 Grade-8
Dry torque about 600–680 ft-lb; lubricated about 470–540 ft-lb.
Measuring Workflow Before You Fabricate Or Order
- Verify the pocket window width at three heights and average the result.
- Measure shank thickness at the intended clamp zone; note wear taper.
- Map the bolt hole pattern and thread sizes in the pocket boss or crossbar.
- Blue the shank and test a cardboard or MDF keeper template to confirm contact lines.
- Add 0.10–0.25 mm per side for clearance; increase to 0.30 mm if sand or fines are common.
- If you detect more than 0.5 mm misalignment across pocket cheeks, correct the pocket before cutting steel.
- Bolt loosening
Usually from insufficient preload or fretting. Fix by renewing bolts, using hardened washers, and increasing face area or roughness (e.g., 80-grit finish) to raise friction.
- Keeper face grooving
Indicates high contact stress or abrasive fines. Upgrade to AR450/500, add a hardfacing bead outside the primary contact zone, and maintain grease barriers during reassembly.
- Shank walk-out
Often caused by undersize keepers or raked pockets. Increase keeper length and ensure seating on both cheeks; check pocket for yaw.
- Pocket spread
Impact or over-torque can flare cheeks. Cold-press cheeks back to spec using a port-a-power and gauge blocks; weld repair only after mechanical straightening.
- Solid bar keeper
Simple, durable, easy to torch-cut from AR plate. Best for abrasive soils.
- Wedge-and-shoe
A wedge drives a shoe against the shank; allows quick service but needs clean pockets.
- Pinned keeper
Uses a short locking pin to prevent keeper creep; good for high-vibration graders on washboard roads.
- Clean pockets, remove old hardface spall, and chase threads.
- Dry-fit the shank; seat it fully before installing the keeper.
- Apply a thin moly or graphite paste on bolt threads only; keep the keeper–shank interface dry for friction.
- Torque in stages to final value; mark bolts with paint for visual inspection.
- After one hour of scarifying, re-torque and re-inspect.
- Fleets that adopted scheduled re-torque after first hour reported a 40–60% drop in keeper-related down-time over the first month of use.
- Increasing keeper face coverage from roughly half to three-quarters of shank height reduced wear groove depth by about one-third over a 500-hour interval in sandy loam.
- Switching from mild steel to AR400 for keeper bars extended average replacement intervals from about 350 hours to roughly 700–900 hours in mixed gravel.
- Material cost
AR400/450 keepers usually cost 1.4–1.8× mild-steel blanks but last roughly 2× in abrasive soils.
- Downtime cost
A grader idle for two hours during a county road job typically burns more in labor and traffic control than the material delta on a premium keeper set.
- Inventory plan
Stock two keeper sets per machine, one full bolt kit per set, and at least one spare pocket repair kit for every five machines.
- A county crew fought chronic shank rattle on a mid-size grader. Pocket cheeks measured 0.7 mm spread from years of frost heave work. After cold-pressing cheeks to spec and replacing keepers with longer AR450 bars, they logged an entire winter route with zero re-tightens.
- A paving contractor machining reclaimed asphalt found keepers grooving within weeks. The fix was simple: switch to AR500 faces and add a dust lip on the pocket mouth. Groove depth dropped by nearly half over 300 hours.
- A mine haul road team kept losing keeper bolts to vibration. They moved to dual 3/4-10 bolts with hardened washers and paint-mark inspection. Losses ceased, and weekly checks caught early relaxation before failures.
- Add a small anti-rotation tang or dowel that engages a pocket notch.
- Chamfer keeper edges to ease insertion and reduce stress risers.
- Specify a bead-blasted or 80-grit finish on the keeper face to raise friction without galling.
- Where mud packing is constant, mill a shallow relief channel in the non-bearing zone of the keeper to vent fines.
Cat brought standardized scarifier pocket and shank patterns to graders as highway networks expanded and road bases needed routine reconditioning. As grader populations grew across municipalities and mines worldwide, standardized keepers and hardware made it possible for mixed-age fleets to stay productive without bespoke parts. The ongoing move toward harder steels and better clamping hardware reflects the same trend seen across cutting edges and ripper systems—more uptime per dollar and fewer unscheduled stops.
Bottom Line
Treat keeper dimensions as a system: pocket geometry, shank thickness, bearing area, and bolt preload must work together. Measure your pockets and shanks, target snug but serviceable clearances, select wear-capable materials, and validate clamp force with correct torque. With a disciplined fit-up and a first-hour re-torque, scarifier keepers stop being a consumable headache and become a long-interval maintenance item instead.
