Blue Diamond Miniature Cold Glider Review [2022]

If you’re looking for a Blue Diamond brand miniature cold milling machine accessory, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll review how Blue Diamond cold milling machines work and look at some of the features and benefits of the different models.

A miniature cold milling machine is among the most expensive accessories on the market, so it’s very important to make sure you’ve done your research. After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of Blue Diamond cold glider accessories.

What is a cold glider and why would you need one?

Starting with the basics, a cold milling machine is an attachment used by road construction crews to remove concrete and asphalt.

Concrete and asphalt may need to be removed to repair potholes, recycle pavement, mill asphalt surfaces prior to overlay, cut utility ditches, and widen shoulders.

A miniature cold planer achieves this by using hydraulic power to rotate a drum containing up to 90 high-strength carbide cutting teeth. The cutting teeth contact the concrete or asphalt and make the cut.

How do Blue Diamond Miniature Cold Gliders work?

Blue Diamond Accessories has several models of cold milling machines available for minicarts. Although there are several different sizes of each model, we will only divide them into Standard Duty i Hard Duty.

The severe duty cold mills only come in high flow models, while the standard duty model comes in both high flow and low flow models.

Piston engines and planetary gearboxes.

Standard duty high flow and heavy duty models

Blue Diamond’s high flow cold milling machines are designed to provide maximum torque and efficiency by using the best components in the industry. It does this with a combination of a Sauer piston engine and a Fairfield planetary hub.

If you’ve read our brush cutter article, you already know the benefits of a hydraulic piston engine. But to summarize again, a hydraulic piston motor provides higher torque and hydraulic efficiency than other styles of hydraulic motors. It’s known as a “low-speed, high-torque” motor, which is exactly what’s needed for milling concrete.

But the torque does not end at the piston motor shaft. To further increase the drum torque of cold mills, Blue Diamond cold mills have their piston motors drive a planetary gear box that is bolted inside the drum.

Just like your car’s manual transmission, the planetary gearbox keeps the drum’s rotational force in a range that produces the highest torque for the most efficient concrete milling.

Low flow standard service

The Blue Diamond Standard Low Flow Cold Planer does not use a planetary gear box, instead the piston motor directly drives the cutting drum. This creates a direct drive system that some customers may prefer.

Cold glider drum

The drum of the cold milling machine is the crucial connection between the hydraulic motor and the cutting teeth.

Both the high flow and low flow cold mills have a 5/8″ thick drum, while the heavy duty cold mill has an impressive 1 1/2″ thick drum. The thicker, heavier drum of the severe work model has less vibration, keeping the miniature operator happier and less fatigued.

To keep the drum inside the milling machine housing cold, a dead shaft is installed at the rear end of the drum which is supported by a set of bearings.

Cold glider cutting teeth

All Blue Diamond Cold Planer models come standard with carbide teeth. They are considered general purpose teeth and are perfect for milling concrete or asphalt.

The number of drum teeth depends on the cold milling machine model, but ranges from about 35 to 90.

Drum teeth have multiple functions. Primarily, they are a consumable tool used for milling, but it is important to note that they also protect the drum and tooth holders from damage during milling.

For this reason, Blue Diamond recommends checking the cutting teeth before each use, and every thirty minutes during operation. The tines should be checked to ensure that they can rotate freely within their holders.

To promote free rotation, the tines should be periodically sprayed with a water-based asphalt emulsifier to break up the asphalt emulsion.

Normally, the teeth on the outside of the drum wear before the inside teeth. If a tooth holder is damaged, it usually has to be removed from the drum and a new holder must be welded.

Lateral displacement, depth and tilt control

Sideshift low flow standard service

Each Blue Diamond Cold Planer model has a built-in system for moving the planer laterally along its mounting frame. The standard low-flow model has some unique differences from the high-flow model in how it achieves this.

On low-flow models, the sideshift function is hydraulically actuated outside the miniature with a bypass valve. While this system works very well, it requires help from outside the miniature.

The hydraulic valve is located on the left side of the attachment when viewed from the skid steer operator’s seat. When connected to the miniature, the hydraulic lines exit the miniature and enter the diverter valve assembly where lateral displacement is controlled, before being connected back to the hydraulic motor.

Blue Diamond’s low flow cold glider models have a 26″ side travel.

Standard service low flow depth and tilt control

The depth and pitch control of the standard low flow blue diamond cold planer is mechanically controlled from the outside of the miniature with two different screw jacks. Both depth and pitch can be measured with stickers and indicators installed on the outside of the glider.

Since this is accomplished manually and mechanically, it requires help from outside the miniature, but offers less expensive moving parts.

The total depth of cut available on Blue Diamond’s low flow cold irons is up to 5″, while it can be angled up to 15 degrees in any direction.

Standard duty high flow and heavy duty models Lateral displacement, depth and tilt

On the Blue Diamond Attachment’s Standard High Flow and Heavy Duty Cold Mills, lateral travel, depth and tilt are electrically actuated and hydraulically actuated. This means that lateral displacement, depth and tilt are controlled by the operator of the miniature rather than an external assistant.

It is important to note that on a 3 hydraulic line cold glider, the lateral displacement, depth and pitch must be operated with the high flow circuit on, while on a 5 hydraulic line the displacement side, depth and pitch must be operated with low flow. connected circuit.

Blue Diamond Cold Glider Maintenance

Ease of maintenance is an important consideration when choosing a cold milling machine. The cutter teeth should be inspected regularly as their function is important to ensure that the drum and tooth supports are not damaged.

That’s why Blue Diamond has created a system that guarantees easy access for replacing teeth. All Blue Diamond Cold Planers come with a hatch in the top of the drum that opens to access the cutting tines. This eliminates the need to access the cold planer from under the attachment.

Blue Diamond ships all of its cold mills with a fork tool to remove and install the cutting teeth as needed, further simplifying maintenance.

Always refer directly to the manufacturers recommendations on how and when to service a cold milling machine. However, to summarize some regular maintenance notes for Blue Diamond cold irons:

• Inspect the cutting drum every 30 minutes of operation. Never operate with damaged cutting teeth.

• Spray the cutting teeth daily with a water-based asphalt emulsifier to promote free rotation.

• Spray the sideshift bars with a graphite lubricant every week. Do not apply grease to the side shift bars as it will collect milling dust.

• Spray the left and right depth skids with graphite lubricant where they are kept once a week.

• Lubricate the dead shaft bearing Zerk grease daily or every 8 hours of operation.

• The depth cylinders have grease nipples at each end, greasing them every 40 hours of operation.

• Planetary gearbox oil should be changed at 100 hours and then every 250 hours after the initial change.

Customer video of a blue diamond high flow cold planer

Blue Diamond opened up the cold planer market to countless more customers when they developed a cold planer that would work with low flow minicarts. Features of the low flow models include:

• Hydraulic lateral displacement, actuated from the outside of the miniature.

• Manual tilt and depth control operated mechanically from the outside of the miniature.

• Up to 5″ depth of cut.

• 12″ or 16″ wide cutting width with up to 38 cutting teeth.

• +/- 15 degrees of tilt with 26″ of lateral travel.

• 5/8″ thick drum tube

• Direct drive Sauer hydraulic piston motor.

Standard service high flow cold planer

• Electronically actuated side shift, controlled from inside the miniature.

• Electronically actuated depth and tilt controls, operated from inside the miniature.

• Up to 6″ depth of cut.

• Cutting width from 16″ to 48″ wide with up to 90 cutting teeth.

• 5/8″ thick drum tube.

• Sauer hydraulic piston motor and Fairfield planetary hub.

Heavy-duty, high-flow cold planer

• Electronically actuated side shift control, controlled from inside the miniature.

• Electronically actuated depth and tilt controls from inside the miniature.

• Up to 8″ depth of cut

• Cutting width from 18″ to 48″ wide

• The 1 1/2″ thick drum has less vibration.

• Sauer hydraulic piston motor and Fairfield planetary hub.