Just realized everyone's wrong about using the old cutterhead on soft silt.

We were working the soft bottom near Mobile Bay and the standard advice to run it slow just made it pack solid. I had to reverse the rotation and pulse the throttle to clear it, which felt wrong but saved the day. Anyone else had to go against the book on a soft dig?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.daniel7d ago

Yeah I read a thing about that in one of the dredging forums last year. Some guy was talking about how the old rule for soft material can actually cause more problems, like you said. He had a similar story about a job in Louisiana where running slow just made a big plugged up mess. They ended up doing almost the same thing, basically running it backwards in short bursts to break the suction. Seems like the book needs an update for that specific bottom type.

emma6847d ago

Read a case study from a contractor working the Mississippi Delta. They had the exact same problem with silt just turning into a solid plug. Their fix was running the cutter in reverse at a higher RPM for ten second bursts, then going forward to move the slurry. Said the old slow-and-steady method is for harder material and just doesn't work in that soft, sticky stuff.