Chain Driven Excavator Wheel

Our cutting wheel excavator system is a ” Disrupter system.”  Compared to current offerings from our competitors, a totally new rethink from a system that dates back to the 50’s and has had no innovation till now. Chain ladders from the past have solved the problem of nesting in rock and the ability to move large rock from the suction area. Also dealing with floundered trees and clay.  The chain ladder can move clay, rock , shale and floundered trees from fowling the suction profile. Chain ladders are necessary in certain deposits but also lead to lower production potential due to it’s limited excavation.  Currently the only attempt to solve the lower production potential of the chain ladder was the bucket wheel excavator. Although the bucket wheel has enhanced excavation, fowling with rock, clay and nesting in rock is still a problem. The bucket wheel application is similar to a rotary cutter, the wheel just rotates vertically and not horizontally. Our system is totally unique and achieves all the advantages of a chain ladder, but also solves the limited production of the chain ladder. Our system has higher excavation due to it’s unique rotating wheel. The wheel increases the open area for material to enter suction. The benefits of the wheel is increased excavation. This is the key to its increased production. This = PROFIT. Our system is more productive than a rotary cutter system in deposits to difficult for the rotary bit cutter to work properly. We had two producers install a chain ladder systems. Both felt they would increase production with a chain ladder. Both producers eventually went back to the rotary cutter to achieve higher production. For this reason we reimagined the chain ladder design. We addressed the weakness of current chain ladder design.  Now with our new chain driven excavator wheel all of the advantages of the chain ladder are achieved and the deficiencies of the past chain ladder systems are eliminated.

There are several advantages with our system:

1. Ladder hang up is eliminated

2. A moving continual screen provides much less chance for plugging with rock or clay.

3. The biggest drawback of current chain systems is the limited excavation due to a small excavation profile. “No cutter wheel” Usually only a few feet of chain sliding in front of the suction mouth. This is just a moving screen with little or no excavation potential. Our system aggressively agitates and excavates material. The excavation wheel has easily 250% more feed potential over a few feet of chain sliding in front of the suction mouth.. This is where it all starts and being able to bring excessive material to the pump is the first key to maximum production and profit for our customers.

4. The system is 120 horsepower with 35-foot ladder section. Size 14–16″ suction.

5.  We manufacture a larger chain ladder for dredges with 18-24 suctions . The pictured cutter is the 14-16 model.    System has current PATENT PENDING

  DREDGE WORKS = RELENTLESS INNOVATION