THE ROOD LAND DREDGE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4870, 26 August 1925, Page 2

THE ROOD LAND DREDGE

WORKING ON THE PLAINS. PECULIARITIES OF THE MACHINE. Many and varied are the kinds of dredges used by the Lands Drainage Department on the Hauraki Plains, and one of the peculiar ones is the Rood land machine. This machine has for a long time been working on the Kerepeehi block, and recently arrived near the . river at Kerepeehi, having completed digging a new 22ft top drain. It is now proceeding towards the Awaiti Canal, cleaning a small drain at the side of the Kerc-peehi-Ngarau. road eii route. The Rood is a dry land dredge, and “walks” on wooden pads somewhat as does the department’s WilsonWalker dredge. Beneath the body of tlie dredge there are two long pads carrying heavy tramrails, and alongside these are two shorter- pads. In moving forward the dredge hauls itself to the front ends of the long pads, and then the bucket arm is swung to one side so that the weight is mostly on that side and one short pad is carrying comparatively little of the burden. This pad is then pushed forward by a crank, the bucket arm is swung to the other side, and the other short pad is puhsed forward and the weight distributed bn all four pads.

The actual dredging part of the machine resembles both a drag-line and a dipper, yet is different from' both these types. The bucket, which holds about a yard and a quarter of spoil, is fixed at the end of a boom, as in the dipper type, but in this machine the bucket is dragged towards the body, similar to the action of a dragline machine. The mouth of .the bucket is then raised, the boom is swung to oneside, and the bucket tipped. .

Like a Bucyrus or other drag-line machine the Rood moves ahead of ite work. When digging a new drain it moves along directly ahead of the cut: Motive power is by a heavy fourcylindered internal combustion engine, and as in other machines of this type a big fan is used to create a current of pir to cool the water. Two men are required to operate the dredge, but three are usually employed for expeditious working.