Hydraulic vs electric cutterhead on a 12 inch job in Tampa

I ran a 12 inch hydraulic cutterhead for three weeks on a marina project in Tampa and the torque was incredible, but the hydraulic oil temps kept creeping up by noon every day. My buddy swears by the electric drive on the same size rig and says it runs cooler with way less maintenance, so I'm weighing a swap before my next contract starts in two months. Anyone here made that switch and regretted it for mud and sand conditions, or is electric the better call for shallow draft work?

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1 Comment

thomas.river48m ago

Hydraulic is the right call for that Tampa mud, the electric will bog down when you hit the thick stuff and you'll be babysitting batteries instead of just topping off oil. You'll trade a hot afternoon for a dead rig at the worst possible moment, and shallow draft means you need that instant torque more than you need cool hydraulics.