Found out my cutterhead was running 40% empty this whole time

Was watching a guy from Louisiana swap out his ladder dredge setup at the yard and he asked what rpm I was running. Told him 1200 and he laughed, said I was throwing more water than mud. Checked the flow gauge after he left and sure enough my suction was way off. Been digging like that for 6 months in Mobile Bay guessing by feel. Who else has had a stupid simple fix like that boost production way more than they expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliviabennett7h ago

@hannah_price79 got me thinking about how easy it is to miss the simple stuff... Did you check your intake screen after that jet swap? I had a buddy run his cutterhead half choked with debris for two seasons before he realized his screen was caked with shells and silt. Once he cleaned it and adjusted his water injection valve, his slurry density went way up and he stopped burning through fuel like crazy. Little things really add up when you're not looking close enough.

hannah_price7916h ago

Oh man, that hits close to home! I was running a small suction dredge up in the Pacific Northwest for almost a year feeling like I was just guessing. Turned out my jet was worn down and I was losing half my suction pressure. One new jet and a tweak to the throttle and my production nearly doubled. I felt like a fool for not checking that thing sooner, but hey, you learn by doing, right?