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c/dredge-operatorspaige_robinson24paige_robinson2417d agoProlific Poster

Talking to an old timer in Baton Rouge made me rethink how I run my cutterhead

He said I was wasting fuel by running at full throttle through sand. Said to back off and let the material tell me the speed. Tried it last week, burned 15 gallons less in a shift, same production. Anyone else run their engine by feel instead of just hammering it?
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3 Comments
miller.diana
Oh man, I was the same way. I used to think more throttle meant more work getting done, no questions asked. Last summer I finally listened to an old hand who told me to let the cutterhead "sing" to me. I started backing off when I heard it start to struggle, and I cut my fuel use by almost 20 percent. Crazy how much we can miss by just jamming it wide open, right?
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wader71
wader7117d ago
That bit about letting the cutterhead "sing" really hit home for me. I remember one time I was out bush hogging a field that hadn't been touched in years, just wide open throttle and cussing every time I hit a thick patch. A buddy came by and told me to try slowing down near the real dense stuff, just let the blades do their work without forcing it. Saved me from cleaning out a jammed deck three times that afternoon.
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pat_murray53
@wader71 said something similar in here. Always pays to listen to the old timers.
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