Just changed my mind about running a cutterhead at low RPM in silt

I was talking to a guy named Ray who runs a dredge up on the Columbia River. He said he used to baby the cutter in soft silt, keeping the revs way down to 'save wear'. He told me, 'I was making soup, not a cut. The pump would load up with fines and we'd lose suction every two hours.' He switched to running it at a proper, higher speed even in soft stuff. Said it cuts a cleaner face and actually keeps the slurry mix better for the pump. I tried it last week on a silt job near Mobile and he was right. We moved more yardage in a day because we weren't stopping to clear the pump. Anyone else find that a more aggressive cut in soft material works better?

4 comments

4 Comments

riverb131mo ago

Seen that same thing with kitchen blenders. Go too slow and you just stir the mess, gotta run it fast to actually break things down right.

torres.nathan1mo ago

That "making soup, not a cut" line is spot on. We had the same issue with a sand classifier, running too slow just made a muddy mess that wouldn't separate right. Sometimes you gotta push the machine to get the work done clean.

ray6131mo ago

My buddy's wood chipper did the same thing, just made a pile of wet chips until he cranked it up.

fionat558d ago

That "making soup, not a cut" line really stuck with me too. I tried the slow approach on a dirt job once and basically just made a chocolate milkshake the pump couldn't handle. Cranked it up and suddenly it was like the machine remembered it was supposed to be moving dirt. It's crazy how often we think slow equals gentle when really it just equals clogged. Your friend Ray figured out the secret that sometimes you gotta let the equipment do its dang job.