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PSA: Running a cutterhead dry cost me 8 hours on a job in St. Louis last month
I was dredging a small pond near the Meramec River and didn't check the water level before starting up. The suction line clogged with mud and the cutterhead spun dry for maybe 20 seconds before I caught it. Has anyone else had bearing damage from a dry run, or am I the only one dumb enough to make that mistake?
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thomas.piper15d agoMost Upvoted
Honestly, I gotta push back on the "dry run ruined the bearing" thing. I've accidentally spun a cutterhead dry for a solid minute on a job near the Mississippi back in '21, and it was fine after a good grease job. More likely, that 20 seconds of dry run just exposed a bearing that was already on its way out from sand or grit getting in there. Ngl, I think the real lesson here is keeping those seals tight and greased, not just watching water levels.
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That '21 Mississippi job had tougher bearings than most rigs, probably.
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gonzalez.wesley15d ago
You said it "just exposed a bearing that was already on its way out," but I see it differently - a dry run for even 20 seconds can cook the grease in a healthy bearing and start the damage from scratch.
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