Switched from mesh to wire rope on my drag arm and wow what a difference

I've been running a 12-inch cutterhead for about 3 years now and always used the standard mesh screening on the drag arm. Last month I had to replace it after a big rock tore through the mesh so I said why not try the wire rope style instead. The wire rope has way less clogging in the sticky clay we have around here near the Mississippi. I ran it for a full 8 hour shift and only had to stop once to clear it compared to every 2 hours with the mesh. The only downside is it's heavier and took a bit to balance the arm right. Anyone else make this switch and see better production numbers?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul_lane8012d ago

I was reading about this same thing in a drag arm forum last month. A guy from Texas was saying the same thing about clay buildup, said it cut his cleaning time by half. He did mention you gotta watch the wire rope tension though, said if it's too loose it slaps the ground and wears fast. I tried it on my 14-inch cutterhead after that and he was right about the balance issue, took me a couple days to get the arm weight right. The production difference is real though, I'm getting about 30% more run time between stops now.

beth_mitchell12d ago

Wait are you guys really saying the wire rope is THAT much better? I tried it on my 12-inch for about a week and honestly didn't see a huge difference. Maybe my clay just isn't as bad as y'alls.