I was running my cutterhead way too fast for years without knowing it
We were on a sand and gravel job up near the Columbia River last fall, and I was having a real hard time keeping my production numbers up. My pump was working fine, but the slurry was just too thin. An old timer named Frank, who was running the plant on shore, came out on the crew boat one morning. He watched my operation for maybe ten minutes, then just said, 'Son, you're spinning that cutter like you're making a milkshake. Slow it down, let it chew.' I dropped my RPMs by about a third, and the difference was night and day. The slurry thickened up right away, my pump strain was way less, and my yardage per hour shot up. I guess I always thought faster cutting meant more material, but I was just making soup. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where a simple speed change made a huge difference in your output?