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I chose a cutter suction dredge over a clamshell for my lake job in Minnesota

Most guys told me to go with a clamshell for this shallow weed-choked lake up near Bemidji. I picked a small cutter suction setup instead because I hate dealing with weed mats clogging up the bucket every five minutes. Took about three days longer than I planned, but the end result was way cleaner and I didn't have to stop and clear junk every hour. Anyone else run into situations where the unpopular pick actually worked out better?

4 comments

4 Comments

murphy.aaron1mo ago

Up near Duluth I did a small harbor job with a clamshell and it was a nightmare with the weeds, so I get your logic. But three extra days is a lot of money and time on the water, especially if you're paying crew by the hour. I guess it depends if the cleaner result was worth the schedule slip or not.

milam481mo ago

I read an article that said those weed buckets cut cleanup time in half once you're set up.

jade5171mo ago

milam48, that article you mentioned about cleanup time being cut in half really got me thinking. I remember reading something similar a while back from a contractor up in Wisconsin who said the same thing. He was talking about how once you get the technique down with those buckets, the time savings are crazy because you're not constantly stopping to clear out weeds like with a clamshell. I mean, I guess it makes sense that the setup time is the slow part, but after that it's just smooth sailing. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather spend a couple extra days messing with the learning curve if it means I'm not fighting the machine all day long on a weed-choked job. That cleaner finish and less downtime seems like it would make up for schedule slips in the long run, especially if you can avoid those frustrating clogs.

tessa_murray1mo ago

Well shoot, I did something similar last summer on a small pond job down near the Cities... went with a long reach excavator and a specialized weed bucket instead of the usual clamshell. Yeah it took me a couple extra days too, but I didn't have to fight with that constant clogging nonsense. That clean finish and not having to stop every hour was totally worth the extra time on site for me.