Can we talk about the push for all-electric cutterheads on new builds?

Caleb Bennett · 2026-03-20T17:55:04.703426+00:00

After seeing the power draw and maintenance logs on the new electric model at our Port of Tacoma site for a full year, I'm convinced the fuel savings don't offset the downtime from grid issues and the insane cost of those drive motors, so has anyone else run the real numbers on this?

wood.zara6mo ago

Yeah @the_seth, but our grid's been solid, so maybe it's a local power issue.

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the_seth6mo ago

Totally agree! We had a similar thing happen with the electric pumps at a local water plant. The utility couldn't keep a steady voltage during peak summer demand, and the whole system would just trip offline. The repair bills for those specialized drives were absolutely brutal, way worse than any fuel cost we ever saw. It felt like we were just trading one set of problems for a much more expensive one. The hype doesn't match the real world headaches at all.

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jesse_west4mo ago

Yeah man, preach. We saw the exact same nightmare with our electric hopper drives.

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