I finally listened to that old-timer about running the cutterhead at half throttle...

Met a guy named Hank at the coffee shop near the Port of Savannah last Tuesday. He's been dredging since the 70s. I was complaining about burning through a set of teeth in 3 weeks and he just laughed. Told me to drop my RPMs by half and let the weight of the boom do the work. Said I was spinning too fast and churning up air instead of digging. I tried it on a tight channel job yesterday and the difference was crazy... less vibration, way cleaner cut. Felt like fighting the machine less. Has anyone else had their mind changed by ignoring a setup manual?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_garcia29d ago

Read an article once that said half the time your engine is just making heat, not power.

pat_fisher2429d ago

That whole "run it wide open" mentality is such a trap, I swear. I started doing the same thing with my pressure washer after a tip from a guy who cleans boat hulls, way less wear on the pump and it actually strips paint better at lower pressure. Sometimes going slower and letting the tool do its job feels wrong until you see the results with your own eyes.

leo_fisher29d ago

What's the opposite of overachieving? Asking for a friend who just spent three months burning through teeth like they were candy. Ngl, I had the exact same wake up call with a different piece of gear. I was running a dewatering pump wide open on a job site cause I figured louder meant better. Some crusty operator saw me and just shook his head, told me to dial it back to 80% and let the impeller prime right. The pump actually lasted twice as long and moved more water. Guess the manual was written by someone who never had to buy their own spare parts.