My old boss told me to never run the cutter head above 45 rpm in dense clay. He was dead wrong.

This was on a job clearing a channel near Mobile. We hit a thick layer of blue clay. Boss said keep it slow, 45 rpm max, or you'll shake the whole rig apart. After two days of crawling, I bumped it to 55. The whole machine settled into a smooth rhythm. Cut time dropped by a third. The extra speed let the teeth clear better, less packing. No extra vibration at all. He was going by an old rule from smaller dredges. On a modern 16-inch cutter, the torque handles it fine. Anyone else find old speed rules don't apply to newer gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark_fisher489d ago

Man, I feel that. I spent a YEAR babying a new pump because the manual from the 90s said to. Turns out the new seals could handle way more. Felt like a real idiot when the foreman showed me.

finleybutler9d ago

Ugh, manuals are basically ancient history now.