Lost a whole shift on a broken cutter head last Tuesday

Had a cutter head seize up on me around 10am out on the Missouri River job near St. Charles. Took us 4 hours just to get the backup head swapped in because the bolts were rusted solid from the morning fog. Lost a full 8 hour production day over a $60 part I should have replaced back in March. The worst part was the client watching from the bank the whole time with that look on his face. Any of you guys keep spare shear pins and bolts on board or am I the only one who learned this the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.daniel16d ago

Man, rusted solid bolts on a backup head? That stings. Did you guys at least try heat on em before you went full grinder mode, or was it already too far gone by that point? I always carry a small torch and a can of PB Blaster for exactly that reason, but I'm curious if your crew has a go-to trick for seized hardware on river jobs. Because once that fog hits and the moisture seeps in, those threads might as well be welded.

harperb4616d ago

Heat is risky on river jobs when you're near fuel lines or old wiring. A lot of guys swear by penetrating oil but they forget about the freeze trick. Get yourself a can of compressed air, flip it upside down, and hit the bolt with that cold blast after soaking it in Kroil or PB. The shock from the temperature change can crack the rust seal better than heat sometimes. I've saved more than a few heads that way without worrying about starting a fire in the bilge.