A deckhand on my old cutterhead told me I was running the ladder too shallow

We were working a sand bar in the Mississippi near Baton Rouge, and he pointed out the wash was too muddy and we were pulling up a lot of clay chunks. He said, 'You're skimming the top layer and just mixing the good stuff with the trash. Drop it another foot and let it bite.' I was sure I had it right, but I tried it his way for the next shift. The difference was huge. The pump load evened out, and the slurry coming up was way cleaner sand. It felt like we doubled our good material without working harder. I guess I got stuck in a habit and stopped really watching the spoil. Has anyone else had a simple tip from a crew member totally change your setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_williams2d ago

My buddy's crane op saved a whole pour by spotting a cracked outrigger pad.

morgan_martinez2d ago

That's a solid save by your buddy's operator, @val_williams. I saw a pad split right down the middle on a 60-ton pick last year, looked fine until the sun hit it just right. We keep a spare set of 4x8 timbers on every site now, just in case. A quick swap before the concrete shows up beats a failed lift test any day. Good ops catching that stuff are worth their weight in gold.

phoenixb342d ago

Always thought those pads were overbuilt until I saw one crumble under a light pick. Now I check every single one.