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I ran a 12-inch suction dredge against an 8-inch cutterhead for a month on the same stretch of river
Everyone said the bigger suction line would move more material, but after 30 days, the cutterhead moved 15% more cubic yards. The key was it broke up the hard clay bottom near the bank that the suction line just skimmed over. My boss in Mobile thought I was crazy for pushing the smaller rig. Anyone else find that sometimes the 'bigger is better' rule just doesn't hold up on certain bottoms?
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kevin_sullivan6mo ago
So what did your boss in Mobile say after you showed him the numbers?
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ben_lopez257mo ago
Classic case of the boss in the office not believing the guy with muddy boots lol. Sounds like your boss in Mobile was too busy looking at spec sheets to understand the actual river bottom. That hard clay just laughs at a suction line, it needs to get chewed up. Bet he changed his tune when you showed him the numbers. Sometimes the fancy, expensive gear is just the wrong tool for the job.
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the_william7mo ago
Ngl, that's a perfect example of the right tool beating the bigger tool. I've seen the same thing happen with different gear on tough ground.
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