Found out my cutterhead is 15% less efficient when the suction screen is only 1/4 clogged

Was digging through the maintenance logs last week and noticed my production numbers were slipping even though everything looked fine on the surface. Pulled the screen after a hunch and it had maybe a quarter of the holes blocked with gravel and roots. Figured that was nothing. Turns out the pump was working way harder for less output. Found a little study online from some university that tested different blockage percentages. 15% is no joke when you're running 12 hour days. Anyone else ever run numbers on stuff like this or just go by feel?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia8433d ago

Man that's a rough find but kind of a relief too when you finally figure out what's wrong. I've been there where everything seems fine but the numbers tell a different story. It's crazy how a little bit of buildup can mess with your whole setup like that. People don't realize how much the little things add up over a long shift. Good on you for actually digging through the logs and checking instead of just guessing. That kind of attention saves a lot of headache down the road.

hall.ruby3d ago

Three millimeters of buildup over six months and you're calling it a crisis? Seems like some folks just like having something to troubleshoot on a slow day. Logs show a pattern, sure, but is it really gonna shut the whole line down or is it just giving you an excuse to tinker?

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