Warning: I think the 'run it till it breaks' attitude on older cutter heads is asking for trouble.

We were on a channel job in Mobile Bay last spring, using a 30 year old dredge with a worn down cutter head. The foreman said it had 'plenty of life left' and to push it. Halfway through the shift, we hit a buried timber pile and the whole assembly seized, shearing two main bolts. We were dead in the water for 18 hours waiting on parts and a dive crew. I get not wanting to replace gear early, but that cost more in downtime than a scheduled rebuild. Has anyone else had a major failure from pushing worn equipment too far?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah2682mo ago

Ever run a piece of gear right to the edge and it paid off?

thea1431d ago

Echo everything @walker.michael said about oil changes because that mindset of pushing equipment past its prime is the same flawed logic that costs weeks of downtime and thousands in repairs down the road.

walker.michael2mo ago

That mindset shows up everywhere, like skipping oil changes to save a few bucks. The bigger repair bill always comes later, and it's never a surprise. Why do we keep pretending maintenance is optional?

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