Vegetation Dredger & Aquatic Weed Harvesters

As lakes and other waterways experience an increase in nitrogen levels from fertilizer runoff or high nutrient levels, vegetation can start to appear in mass quantities and result in a state of eutrophication. This process results in a decline in oxygen and the eventual death of the local fish and wildlife population, which depend on the lake to sustain life. Vegetation dredging is used for waterway maintenance to alleviate this problem.

If you would like to speak with someone about Versi-Dredge equipment and your weed harvesting and vegetation dredging needs, call (866) 483-0014 or click “Get Started” below to tell us about your project.

WeedMaster Cutterhead

Invasive vegetation species can get into rivers and other bodies of water when foreign vessels introduce seedlings. In these cases, constant removal of the vegetation is required to slow down regeneration and protect fragile ecosystems from harmful chemical solutions, which are not proven to eradicate the invasive plants.

IMS holds the patent for the WeedMaster cutterhead, which is the only cutterhead in the world proven to effectively cut and pump rooted, floating and emergent vegetation types from 6 in. (152mm) tall to 12 ft. (3.7m) tall. The WeedMaster bolts directly to the dredge ladder and turns the Versi-Dredge into an aquatic hydraulic weed harvesting machine that can cut and pump hyacinths, milfoil, cattails, reeds and other vegetation, and pump it up to 3,280 ft. (1km) distance.

Most weed and vegetation dredges cut the weeds down to a maximum depth of 6 ft. (1.8m) and store them in a hopper that must be periodically emptied on shore. This requires unloading barges or pier and shore conveyors, all of which increase labor and diesel fuel costs. The WeedMaster is much more efficient because it chops weeds into 3-5 inch (76-127mm) pieces and pumps them to the shore, up to 1km away, using the vegetation dredge pump.

The WeedMaster cutterhead will operate differently in every application. Unlike dredging sand or mud there is no uniformity in cutting vegetation. There are different densities, different stem circumferences, and depending on the season different fiber strengths.

IMS Dredges has put together the following estimates based on customer feedback from the field. These estimates are conservative and are for clearing and removing extremely dense vegetation. IMS estimates that you will achieve between 1-2.5 acres of production per day (more with floating vegetation like water hyacinths).

Removing Floating Vegetation (Hyacinths):

Equipment Utilized: IMS Versi-Dredge, IMS WeedMaster Cutterhead, IMS Weed Rake Feeder Attachment, IMS Winglet Impeller
Duration: 1 hour
Surface Area Cleared: 202.5 m2/hr.+
Height of Vegetation: 0.3 meters

Removing Dense Rooted Vegetation (Grasses, Cattails, Reeds, etc.):

Equipment Utilized: IMS Versi-Dredge, IMS WeedMaster Cutterhead, IMS Winglet Impeller
Duration: 1 hour
Surface Area Cleared: 50-100 m2/hr. + depending on stalk thickness, root mass, and depth at which the vegetation sits in the mud.
Height of Vegetation: 1m – 3m

An IMS Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge^® with patented WeedMaster removes floating islands of dense vegetation from a lake in Florida.

The WeedMaster chops up and pumps away dense bushes that form an island. No other dredge in the world can do this.

An IMS Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge^® with patented WeedMaster tears through dense reeds and pumps them over 500m to shore in Ecuador.

A Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge clears a lake of invasive submerged / rooted vegatation.

A Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge® in Mexico utilizes the Weed Rake to convey 2 ft. tall hyacinths mats to the Weedmaster Cutterhead which chops them into 2-3 inch pieces.