PSA: Just learned that silt buildup can reduce cutterhead efficiency by 30% in under a week

I was going through one of the old manuals from the 80s that my dad left in the shop. Found this surprising stat buried in the maintenance section that says even a quarter inch of silt on the cutterhead blades can drop your production by almost a third. I always thought it was just a minor issue but I guess the extra friction and drag really adds up. Been running a job near Biloxi last two weeks where the water is pretty silty and I noticed my cycle times creeping up. Now I check the ladder every shift and give it a quick rinse with the deck hose. Has anyone else seen that kind of drop off from something as simple as silt buildup?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.diana27d ago

Oh I have to respectfully disagree with @anthony127 on this one. Ive been running dredges in silty conditions down here on the Gulf Coast for almost 15 years and 30 percent sounds right to me if not a little low. When that silt packs in between the teeth and along the cutterhead body it basically turns your blade into a spoon instead of a cutting tool and you lose all that bite on the bottom. What really gets you is it builds up uneven too so you end up with one side dragging harder than the other which just makes everything worse. The 30 percent number from that old manual matches what Ive seen in the field time and time again especially on those days when the water is real thick like chocolate milk.

anthony12727d ago

30% seems steep for just some mud on the blades. Would be curious to see if he was using worn out teeth or running low pressure before blaming the silt.