Tried running my dredge pump at 75% speed for a full shift instead of wide open, got a totally different result

Last Tuesday on a job near the Missouri River I decided to experiment. Usually I run my 6-inch pump at full throttle to move as much material as possible. But a older operator told me once that running at full bore all day actually recirculates a lot of fines instead of pushing them through. So I dialed it back to 75% for an 8 hour shift. The material I pulled was way cleaner and my pump temp stayed lower the whole time. But the tradeoff was I only moved about 80% of the yardage I normally would. So now I'm wondering if cleaner material is worth the slower pace or if you guys figure speed is king. Has anyone else tried throttling back and seen better spoil quality?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.hayden28d ago

Tbh I read an article in a dredging magazine a while back that talked about this exact thing. It said running at full throttle creates more turbulence in the suction line which pulls up a ton of fines and silt that just get mixed back into the water column. The slower speed lets the pump settle into a more efficient flow pattern and you get heavier material that actually stays in the line. I think the cleaner spoil is worth losing some yardage, especially if you're getting paid by material quality or if the disposal site charges by volume. Plus your pump running cooler means less wear long term, so you might trade a little time now for a lot less downtime later.

hugo_hayes28d ago

Funny how we spend all that money on big pumps just to run them slower, huh. I saw @walker.hayden mention the cooler running temp and yeah, that part alone might save me from another "why is my pump smoking" phone call to my buddy. Guess I should try the 75% setting before I blow up another pump bragging about full throttle.