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I was sure that new polymer cutterhead teeth were just hype, but they lasted a full season on the Columbia River. | Dredge Operators - Vivisector

troyknight•5mo ago

I was sure that new polymer cutterhead teeth were just hype, but they lasted a full season on the Columbia River.

My boss insisted we try them on our 14-inch cutter suction dredge, and I figured they'd be chewed up in a month. After moving over 200,000 cubic yards of gravel and sand, they still have solid bite with way less vibration. Anyone run these on a bigger scale and have tips for getting the most life out of them?

4 comments

4 Comments

ryant505mo ago

I hear you on that polymer tooth snapping clean off, that's a rough day when you're pulling pieces out of the pump. @colethomas brings up a good point about the rock and clay, because our Columbia River mix is mostly sand and small gravel with nothing much over an inch. It sounds like these teeth only work in the right conditions, and if you're dealing with any real material they're not worth the risk.

adams.vera5mo ago

Hear you but I think it depends on the material more than anything. Our mix on the Columbia is mostly sand and small gravel under an inch, and the polymer teeth held up great with way less vibration than steel.

colethomas5mo ago

Hold on a minute. I ran those polymer teeth on a 6-inch dredge up in Alaska and they were a complete disaster. After about 30,000 yards in glacial silt with some pea gravel, they started chipping and cracking. One tooth actually snapped off clean at the base and we spent half a day fishing it out of the pump. I went back to the standard steel teeth and got almost three times the wear life, plus the vibration was actually worse with the polymer because they flexed too much. Maybe on pure sand they work, but throw in any decent sized rock or heavy clay and I think you are asking for trouble. You got lucky with that Columbia River gravel, but I would not bet a season's production on them again.

wader714mo ago

Over in the Gulf they tried those polymer teeth on a big cutterhead in pure sand and had the same luck as you until they hit a buried log and sheared three off in one pass. @adams.vera is right about material making all the difference, your Columbia River mix sounds like it was made for them.