Swore by my old 12-inch cutterhead for 8 years until a buddy made me try a 14-inch

Ran a 12-inch on my bucket ladder for almost a decade. Thought bigger would just bog down the hydraulics and burn more fuel. Then a guy I know from the Port of Houston job said to swap out for a 14-inch for a week on a tough clay job. First dig I could feel the difference. Less cavitation, more bite per pass. Ended up finishing that job 2 full days early. Anyone else had a tool change they fought against but turned out to be right?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica33112d agoMost Upvoted

Hard to argue with two extra days off work.

faith2711d ago

Is saving two days really that huge though? I mean, if you plan right, a couple days off doesn't change much in the grand scheme. Sounds like a win, but idk if it's worth making a whole big deal over.

carr.luna12d ago

Wait, you're telling me you ran a 12-inch on a bucket ladder for 8 years and never once thought about going bigger? That's wild, man. I feel like I'm the one who needs to hear this story again. So the 14-inch didn't bog down the hydraulics like you thought? That two day early finish is no joke, @jessica331 hit it right - hard to argue with that kind of time saved. But what about the fuel burn? I've always heard bigger cutterheads eat more diesel. Was it really not a problem on that clay job? Sounds like you got lucky with the right swap, but I'd need to see the numbers before I'd believe it's always a win.