Hot take: Cable operated dredges beat hydraulic ones for river work

I've run both types for 3 seasons now on the Mississippi near Baton Rouge and I'll take cable every time. Hydraulic gets clogged way too easy with all the debris we pull up after floods. Anyone else deal with constant suction line blockages on hydraulic rigs?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_murphy391mo ago

Tbh you're not wrong. Every time I see a hydraulic rig try to punch through a logjam I just laugh. It's like watching a kid try to drink a milkshake through a coffee stirrer. Cable dredges might be slower but at least they don't turn into a billion dollar paperweight every time the river coughs up a tire.

david371mo ago

Actually sam, those billion dollar price tags you're throwing around are way off. A big hydraulic dredge setup runs maybe 5-10 million tops, not a billion.