PSA: That time on the Mississippi proved longer boom arms aren't always better

Out near Vicksburg last fall, I was running a 12-inch cutterhead and switched to a longer boom arm because everyone swears by the extra reach. First day on the job, I hit a snag where the arm flexed too much and threw off my cut depth, costing me a solid 4 hours of rework. I swapped back to the standard arm and finished the rest of the project in 2 days flat without a problem. Has anyone else had a similar experience where the popular upgrade actually made things harder?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellat8720d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back on this one a bit. Longer booms have their place, you just gotta know the limits. I ran a 14-footer on the Arkansas River for two straight months and it was a game changer for sandbar work. The flex issue is real though, you're right to be mad about that. But I think the problem wasn't the arm itself, it was the setup or the ground conditions that day. A lot of guys skip the extra bracing or don't adjust their cutting angle for the longer reach.

nancy15420d ago

Did you brace it at the midspan or just run it stock and hope for the best?