Had a old-timer tell me I was running the dredge pump too fast and wasting fuel

I used to crank the pump up to 1200 rpm on our Mississippi job, figured more speed meant more material. Then a retiree named Roy watched me for 10 minutes and said 'son, you're just beating up the sand and burning diesel.' He told me to drop it to 950 and watch the vacuum gauge. I tried it and my production stayed the same but I cut fuel use by 15 percent over that shift. Has anyone else gotten advice that went against your gut but worked out better?

2 comments

2 Comments

kair6510d ago

Drop that rpm down and watch the vacuum gauge, you'll save fuel every time.

clairem3810d ago

Watch your vacuum gauge and you'll see the real story. I ran a dredge for years and I learned that running at 1200 rpm actually kept the pump full and moving more water which meant I could move more material per hour. Sure you burn more fuel but you also get more cycles done before the day ends. There's a balance there that the old timers don't always see. They're stuck in their ways from a time when fuel was cheap and production didn't matter as much. Sometimes burning that extra fuel means you finish the job a week early and that's real money saved in labor and equipment rental. I'll take that trade every time.