Old timer told me to stop running the pump at full throttle on every pass

I always ran my dredge pump at max RPM thinking it was the only way to get good production. Last month a retired operator watched me work the Mississippi River and said I was just churning up water and burning fuel. He showed me how to feather the throttle based on the material type and now I'm moving 20 percent more solids per hour with less wear on the pump. Anyone else have a mentor call them out on a bad habit that was costing them?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_evan20d ago

Man, I feel that. I had a guy tell me the same thing a few years back when I was working a job on the Tennessee River. I was just like you, running wide open all the time thinking that was the only way to get any volume out of the rig. He didn't say much either, just watched me for a bit and then asked if I liked buying pump liners every season. It stung a little at the time but he was totally right. Now I pay way more attention to the feel of the material coming through and it's wild how much smoother everything runs when you actually let the pump tell you what it needs instead of just flooring it every time.

scott.grace20d ago

Hitting full throttle every time just wastes fuel and wears out parts faster.

grantnelson20d ago

Man that's honestly a solid point. I used to be the same way thinking wide open was the only way to get anything done. Someone finally broke it down for me a couple years back and it clicked. Now I pay way more attention to the load and let the pump do its thing instead of forcing it. Makes a huge difference in how long stuff lasts and how much fuel you burn through.