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Just swapped from a 4-inch to a 6-inch suction hose on my small cutterhead dredge

The difference in slurry flow is night and day, I'm moving almost double the material per hour now. I was stubborn about the smaller hose being easier to handle, but the bigger one just doesn't clog. Anyone running a similar setup in shallow water have tips on managing the extra weight?
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2 Comments
wendy_murphy16
Yeah, my friend Mark had that exact problem with the weight. He ended up using those big foam pool noodles, the thick ones, cut into sections and zip-tied along the hose. It looked silly but it worked. It kept the suction end from just sitting on the bottom and digging in. He also said adding a simple bridle with an extra float up near the cutter took a lot of strain off the ladder. Sounds like what @the_richard's buddy went through too. Mark said it made a long day way less of a fight.
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the_richard
Heard a buddy say the same thing about his rig last season.
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