I finally tried running the cutterhead at half speed in that tight sand and gravel spot

We had a job up near the Klamath River last spring, real tight quarter with old sand and gravel mix. Foreman told me to slow the cutterhead down to like 50% of normal. I thought he was crazy, figured it'd just gum up and stall. Well, I tried it and the stuff came through way cleaner, less wear on the pump too. Anyone else ever drop speed way down for a specific material mix and get surprised by the result?

2 comments

2 Comments

henry_palmer241mo ago

Pulled that same trick on a job once and felt like a genius for about five minutes until I hit a rock.

elliot_miller221mo ago

Wait... you actually hit a rock? Like a real one, buried in the ground?... I did the same thing once with an old stump I thought was rotted all the way through. Took the shovel to it and must have hit a piece of iron or something... nearly broke my wrist, sent a shock right up my arm. Felt like a total idiot standing there holding my hand...