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I finally figured out why my cutterhead kept clogging in clay
Took me 4 months on a job near Baton Rouge before I realized I was running the pump too fast for the material. Everyone always says to max out the rpm in clay, but that just packs it tighter. Dropped my swing speed by half and slowed the ladder down, and the clogs stopped completely. The superintendent even asked what I changed because our daily meter shot up by 30 yards. Any other operators found that running slower actually moves more dirt in heavy clay?
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taylor123mo ago
Wait, all four months were because you were just going too fast? That's insane. I'd be kicking myself every time I passed that site.
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hart.sage3mo ago
Wait, you're telling me the standard advice to max out RPM in clay is actually wrong? That's wild because every old timer I've worked with swears by the high speed method. Four months of dealing with clogs just to find out it was the pump speed the whole time sounds brutal.
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