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Steel vs. poly cutterhead on the Chehalis job, here's where I landed | Dredge Operators - Vivisector

Steel vs. poly cutterhead on the Chehalis job, here's where I landed

Last month I was running a 12-inch cutterhead on the Chehalis River and had to pick between the worn steel teeth we usually run or swap in the new polyurethane set the crew bought. I went with the steel because the material was full of buried logs and rocks, figured poly would just shatter on the first hard hit. Worked out okay, but it chewed through fuel like crazy, about 40 gallons over three days. Has anyone else tried poly on mixed debris and had it hold up better than I'm expecting?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan811mo ago

Huh, have you checked the poly ones after the job? I used to be a steel guy through and through, figured poly was just for light dirt and would turn to confetti the second it hit a log. But I ran a set on a pipeline job last spring with mixed gravel and broken up concrete, and I was shocked how they held up. They didn't shatter like I expected, they more like flexed and bounced off the hard stuff. Fuel burn was noticeably better too, maybe 15 percent less over the week. I mean, I still grab steel when I know it's pure rock, but for that Chehalis mix you described, I'd give poly a shot next time.

olivia6701mo ago

susan81 brings up a good point about the flex thing. Steel is hard and just takes the hit, but poly has that give to it, so it kind of shrugs off stuff instead of eating the whole impact. I saw a guy run poly in a ditch full of busted up asphalt and old fence posts, and the teeth looked almost new after, just some scuffs. Maybe the trick is the mixed stuff where you get a little give and take, not the constant pounding. Fuel savings you saw is enough to make me want to try it on my next muddy job just to see the difference on the meter.