Got told my swing wire tension was way off by a guy who's been running a cutterhead in Mobile for 30 years.

I was working a small channel job near Biloxi last month, just doing my thing, when this old timer from another crew came over. He watched for maybe five minutes and then just said, 'Kid, you're fighting that ladder all day. Your swing wire is tighter than a drum. Let it breathe a little.' I was running it at about 12,000 pounds because I thought more tension meant more control. He explained that with the silt bottom we had, I was just making the whole rig shudder and wear out parts faster for no real gain. I dropped it down to 9,500 the next day and the difference was night and day. The whole operation smoothed out, the cut felt cleaner, and I swear I used less fuel. It was such a simple fix, but I never would have figured it out on my own. Anyone else have a piece of basic advice that totally flipped how you run your machine?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.stella2mo ago

Man, that's a solid lesson right there.

sandra_black2mo agoMost Upvoted

I learned that the hard way when my car battery died in a grocery store parking lot. Always keep jumper cables in your trunk.

allen.ruby19d ago

Sandra makes a great point about being prepared, and the same applies to running a cutterhead. Keeping some spare tension wire or a backup sheave block in the truck can save your whole shift when something snaps. It is one of those things you don't think about until you are sitting dead in the water watching the tide change.