Saw a stat about how much material a big cutterhead can move in an hour

I was looking at some old project specs from a dredging job in the Mississippi Delta. The sheet said their main cutterhead could process over 3,000 cubic yards of material per hour. That's like filling a whole football field a foot deep every 60 minutes. I never really pictured the scale until I saw that number on paper. Has anyone here ever worked on a machine that big?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellyr181mo ago

Just trying to picture that makes my back hurt. The biggest thing I ever ran was a mini excavator, and I felt like a king until I saw a real one. My "big" project was digging a trench for a downspout, lol. That kind of scale is just a whole different world.

anna_singh1mo ago

Wait, you used a mini excavator for a downspout trench? That's like using a fire hose to water a houseplant! I've done those with just a shovel and a whole lot of sweat. Those minis are serious machines, even if they look tiny next to the real deal. You must have had the smoothest, most perfect trench ever. I'm kind of jealous, not gonna lie.

mason.cole23d ago

Rentals are cheaper than back surgery.