Question about switching from old school bucket lines to suction dredges
For the first ten years on the river, I ran a 12-inch bucket ladder dredge. We'd move maybe 300 cubic yards a day on a good run, but the downtime for chain repairs and bucket maintenance was a killer. About three years back, after a job in Mobile where we lost a week to a snapped sprocket, I switched to a 10-inch cutter suction setup. The production jump was huge, we're hitting 500 yards a day now with way less wear and tear on the gear. The big change was learning to manage the slurry mix and pump speed instead of just digging power. Anyone else made this switch and have tips on keeping the suction head from clogging in real silty bottom?