Question about switching from cable to hydraulic dredge controls

I was real skeptical when my buddy in Baton Rouge told me to swap my old cable controls for a hydraulic setup on my 12-inch dredge. Figured it was just another way for manufacturers to sell expensive parts. Then my cable snapped mid-run on a job near the Mississippi river last month and I borrowed his rig to finish. Man, the precision on that hydraulic system was NIGHT and day different. I could feather the suction with almost no effort and the cutterhead response was instant. Made me wonder if I've been fighting my equipment for no reason all these years. Has anyone else made the jump and seen their downtime drop?

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2 Comments

mark_green2mo ago

Hell no, I'm keeping my cable controls thank you very much. I've fixed that same cable maybe twice in ten years and it cost me about forty bucks each time, versus watching a buddy drop five grand on hydraulic repairs after a seal blew out on his barge. Give me the simple setup any day, less stuff to go wrong when you're miles from a parts store.

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paul_ramirez2mo ago

That reminds me of when my uncle switched from a manual auger to a powered one for digging post holes. He swore he'd never give up the old way, said it built character. Then he hit a rock the size of a small dog and the auger tried to throw him across the pasture. The hydraulic setup on the new one just hummed through the same spot like butter. He still grumbles about it but I see him smiling when he's done in half the time.

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