Update: My cutterhead hit 10,000 hours on the clock last Friday

We were pulling sediment near Mobile Bay and the number just rolled over. Some guys on my crew think we should plan a full rebuild now, but the foreman wants to push it another 500 hours. The maintenance logs look good, but that's a lot of wear on the bearings. What's the longest you've run a cutter before a teardown?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_hall913mo ago

Check your service manual, the clock usually tracks cutterhead motor hours, not the actual cutterhead itself.

wesley_fox923mo ago

My buddy ran his cutter to 11,200 once, pushing it for a job finish. The whole gearbox seized solid a week later, cost way more downtime than a planned rebuild. He always said the logs looked fine right up until they didn't. Alex_hall91 has a point about the clock tracking motor hours, but all that vibration still goes through the head assembly. I'd lean toward the crew on this one, 10k is a good round number to stop and check things properly.

oliver_fisher17d agoMost Upvoted

...but honestly, if the maintenance logs are clean and the vibration readings are normal, I'd side with your foreman on pushing it another 500. Those last few hundred hours before a rebuild are usually where you get the best bang for your buck, long as you're not ignoring warning signs.