Noticed a big change in how the Mississippi River sand came out after we switched to a different cutterhead

We had been running the same straight-blade cutterhead for about two years on the lower Mississippi. Around last March, we switched to a serrated one on a whim. The sand came out way cleaner with almost half the clay clumps we used to get. Has anyone else seen that kind of difference switching cutterheads, or was it just our specific setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

patking7d ago

Well hold on now, straight blades aren't actually slower in every situation. I've seen them outrun serrated heads in heavy clay because they don't clog up as fast. Maybe you're thinking of the old timers who swore by the serrated ones for speed.

theabarnes7d ago

Oh boy, I gotta call this one. I've seen the exact opposite happen on the upper river with a different crew I know. They switched to a serrated head and had clay clumps like you wouldn't believe, plus the sand was getting torn up way worse than before. It might be that your setup is just right for that change, but I've watched enough dredging to know that serrated heads can make a mess out of mixed material. Straight blades are boring and slow, but they're consistent. I'd bet money your results are more about the specific conditions in your stretch than the cutterhead itself.