Old timer told me to run my dredge pump at 75% instead of full throttle

Guy named Hank down at the Port of Baltimore docks saw me burning through fuel and said I was wasting power. He told me to drop the RPMs and let the suction do the work, not the speed. Tried it on a 3 hour job last Thursday and actually pulled more material with less wear on the impeller. Anyone else get schooled by a seasoned operator on pump settings?

2 comments

2 Comments

joel_mason221mo ago

Honestly that old timer knew what he was talking about. I read a similar thing in one of those dredging trade magazines my buddy left at the shop, they said running pumps at max RPM just creates more turbulence and cavitation, which actually kills your suction efficiency. Plus the wear on the impeller is no joke, I heard someone say it can cut blade life damn near in half if you're constantly wringing it out. Tbh I think a lot of guys just assume more throttle equals more material, but it's really about finding that sweet spot where the pump pulls steady without fighting itself.

averym821mo ago

Did you ever try backing off the throttle and see if the pump actually loads up better? I know it sounds backwards but I swear I picked up more material when I dropped my RPMs by about 400. My buddy runs a dredge in the gulf and he told me the same thing, those pumps are made to pull a steady load not scream at max all day. It also makes sense with what you said about cavitation, once you hear that rattle you know the pump is eating itself and not moving anything. I've seen guys burn through impellers in one season because they just hammer it wide open every time. It's hard to break old habits but once you find that sweet spot it just feels right.