I finally switched from a 12-inch cutterhead to a 4-blade on my dredge

Used to run an old-school 12-inch cutterhead for years on the Mississippi, but swapped to a 4-blade impeller last season after getting tired of clogging on sandbars. Anyone else find the smaller setup cuts fuel way better or is it just my engine tune?

2 comments

2 Comments

patriciam2219d ago

Swapped to a 4-blade on my Columbia River setup last year and saw a big drop in fuel burn per hour. It also handled gravel beds way better without stalling out every time I hit a soft spot. Sticking with it for sure.

palmer.zara19d ago

Patriciam22 you're singing my song. I did the same thing on a smaller setup in the Willamette last season and it was night and day difference. The fuel savings alone made me wonder why I didn't do it years ago. And yeah, the gravel bed thing is huge. I used to dread hitting soft spots, now I barely even notice them. It's one of those changes where you kick yourself for not doing it sooner.