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An old hand in Mobile told me to run the cutter head at half speed in heavy clay
We were working a channel near the port, and the clay was like concrete. This guy, Frank, who ran a dredge for 30 years, said to drop the cutter speed to 12 rpm instead of the usual 24 to let the teeth bite and clear. I thought it would slow us down, but we actually moved more yardage in a shift because the pump wasn't fighting big chunks. Has anyone else tried a trick like that in tough ground?
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richard_roberts804mo ago
Oh yeah, that half speed trick is legit.
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leor376mo ago
My old boss in Galveston always pushed for max cutter speed. We tried the half speed trick on a stiff clay bank last year and it was a game changer. The pump ran smoother and we saved a ton of wear on the drive motors.
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baker.phoenix6mo ago
Half speed seems like a big change. Did you actually measure the wear savings, or is it just a feeling the machine wasn't working as hard? Sometimes old habits die hard for a reason.
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