Got a wakeup call about swing clearance on a job in Baton Rouge

For two years I was cutting my dredge swings way too tight, thinking I was saving time by keeping the ladder close to the cut. Then an inspector pointed out I was leaving a 3 foot ridge between passes and my production numbers were actually lower than if I took wider swings. Did anyone else get humbled by something you thought you had dialed in from day one?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_mitchell28d ago

Hold on a minute. Tight swings are the whole point on certain ground conditions. On the Atchafalaya a few years back, we had to run the ladder practically kissing the previous cut just to keep the dredge from sliding sideways into the bank. Slower production beats losing the whole day to repositioning, every time.

wendy_clark14d ago

Nail that first cut tight and save yourself the headache of dragging the rig back into position all day lol.