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Had a cutterhead chain snap on me during a night shift in Mobile Bay
It happened around 2 AM last Tuesday, just a loud bang and a sudden stop. The chain was only about 8 months old, which felt too soon for a full break. We had to shut down for 4 hours to get the spare links on and get everything realigned. I think the constant silt and shell mix we were moving just wore it down faster than normal sand. Anyone else run into early chain failure in shell-heavy material, and what's your usual chain life?
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henrygonzalez2mo ago
Disagree about the shell mix being the main problem. We run similar material in Tampa Bay and get over a year from our chains. Sounds more like a tension or alignment issue from the start. Check your sprocket wear patterns, that's usually the real culprit.
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kellymurphy2mo ago
Yeah but our shell mix is way more abrasive than yours, @henrygonzalez.
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ross.william17d ago
Over here in Mobile we had the same headache until we dialed in our tension just right. Took about three months of tweaking but once it clicked those chains started lasting a good 14 months easy.
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