Hot take: I ran my cutterhead at max rpm for years thinking it was the only way to move material fast.

A guy I worked with on a job in Mobile Bay pointed out I was burning through teeth and fuel for maybe a 5% gain, and he showed me his logs where he ran 15% slower with the same output. So is chasing that last bit of speed just a waste of money, or is it still worth it on some jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_barnes24d ago

My old foreman in Galveston called that "paying for noise." I did the same math and felt like an idiot.

hannahmurray24d ago

Wait but sometimes the noise is the whole point though? Like if you're paying for a brand name or a fancy looking tool, that extra cost isn't just for nothing. It's for the feeling you get, or the look, or even just knowing you bought the "good" one. I see what @noah_barnes is saying about it being dumb, but maybe his foreman was only thinking about pure function. People buy stuff for more than just function all the time. I mean, I've definitely paid extra for something just because I liked the way it made me feel, even if a cheaper one worked the same. That's not always being an idiot, it's just wanting something different.