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I switched from a 4-inch to a 6-inch cutterhead on my suction dredge and it's been a game changer
For years, I stuck with a 4-inch cutterhead on my operation near the Mississippi, convinced the smaller size gave me better control in tight spots. Everyone around here seemed to agree. But last fall, after a job in a gravel pit took twice as long as it should have, I made the switch to a 6-inch unit. The difference is night and day. I'm moving nearly 40% more material per hour with the same pump pressure, and the bigger teeth handle the rocky bottom way better. I was worried about clogging, but with a slight tweak to the suction line angle, it's been smooth. Sure, it uses a bit more fuel, but the time saved more than covers it. Has anyone else made a similar switch and found tricks to manage the extra power?
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patricia3172mo ago
How much did you have to adjust your pump speed? I made the same jump on my old dredge and totally agree, it's a whole different machine. I was also worried about fuel, but like felix147 said, finding that sweet spot is key. I keep my revs a touch lower now and it still pulls like crazy without drinking as much diesel. The bigger head just powers through stuff that used to stall the old one.
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anna_fox72mo ago
That's awesome to hear. My cousin runs a dredge up in Alaska and he said the exact same thing after he went bigger. He found running the pump at a slightly lower RPM than you'd think actually helped with the fuel burn without losing much suction power.
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