Working the Columbia River last fall changed how I think about pump speed

We were pulling gravel near Astoria and the old hand running the show kept the pump at a steady 1200 rpm, saying it saved wear. I pushed for 1500 to move more material, arguing time is money. We hit a clay layer and his slower pump handled it without clogging once, while I saw a newer rig downstream fighting a jam every hour. Do you guys run slower for tricky bottoms or just go full throttle and deal with the stops?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.sandra2mo ago

My buddy learned that lesson the hard way last season.

parker_campbell2mo ago

Tell your buddy he's not alone, @kim.sandra. I saw a guy try to use regular extension cords for his whole holiday light setup and it was a total meltdown. He fried two strings and tripped the breaker for half his block. Some lessons just cost you a trip to the hardware store.

lewis.diana13d ago

So did he start with maybe a single string just to test the setup, or did he go all in and plug everything in at once? That's the kind of detail that makes the difference between a minor hiccup and a full block party disaster. Guessing from how bad it sounds, he probably had no idea about the wattage on those cheap lights either. What kind of shape is his garage breaker in these days... still holding up after that mess?