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Thread: Protective grates for intake?

  1. #1
    mud duck
    Where can I see a variety of intake grates used to protect your pump? Meaning, they will keep the big sticks and/or rocks out. I know loader grates load the top of the pump with water by channeling more water into the pump. But what about the nasty stuff you do not want up there. :eek!: And, can I use my loader grate in conjunction with some type of protective grate? Also, are there any performance reductions by using such a grate? Are some a bit better and less restrictive than others?
    Any info would be great. Thanks.

  2. #2
    Drunk tank
    I'm interested in this as well.... ever since that incident with a big fawkin rock, ended up having to get a new impellor put in.

  3. #3
    American Turbine Man
    It has been my experience that unless you run over 65 mph you don't need a loader. We have a standard six bar grate that has loading fingers, it works fairly well. If you run over 65 mph and you want to keep the rocks out you can work the bottom (create a spoon) and can run a grate.

  4. #4
    quiet riot
    I made a rock grate(standard legend 9-bar) into a loader from talking to a local jet guy and looking at one he had for a berkely. I did this by welding in angle iron like he had on the berk. My alum boat saw no gains (70 n/a and 80 on the juice.) I couldn't tell you if it was from my inexperience with loaders or just the setup was already there for my boat/speed.
    I then made a 5 bar grate (just more open) just to try it and the only difference I noticed was that it was better at keeping weeds and small debree from getting caught up at slow speeds and causing cavitation over the 9-bar. Basically I could hammer it from a stop even around debree and weeds and not have an issue with cavitation as I often did with the 9-bar. I didn't have any problems with rocks causing pump damage with the 5-bar, but I don't push it as much as the river racers do for shallow rock sucking.
    I then talked with MPD and looked online at his loaders and made one similar to one of his (nobody makes a loader for my particular style of intake.) This was a seperate loader/shoe that much of you perf jet guys use. I didn't have much testing (adjusting shoe angle/depth, etc.) but again I didn't see any improv over the open 5-bar.
    I tried a ride plate and my boat absolutely didn't like it at any setting, especially with a droop. The back end felt like it wanted to start passing the front, the best way I can think to explain it, at 65+ mph. With my new motor and jet setup I'm gonna try and experiment some more as legend and many others say I should see some good improvements with a loader at speeds of 70+, just haven't been able to find it yet.
    I wonder what the river racer crowd has found with this stuff as I haven't been to a race in a few years but don't remember seeing anything but standard type rock grates in there setups before, no rideplates I can remember.
    Maybe Jungle Boy, Aluminum Squirt or some of these guys could chime in with any experience they've had in this area. Their setups (and maybe mine too) could possibly be different enough to not be much help to drag racers/lake jets, I don't know.
    Any takers with info?
    jd

  5. #5
    Aluminum Squirt
    JB is probably going to help out more on this as I haven't experimented much with it. I have a rock grate, no loader, and a ride plate. I'm just a bit over 70 MPH. I have no idea what the fast guys are running. I do like my rock grate though. I've run over plenty of rocks, sticks, etc learning the Yuba River and never had anything break. Basically I was told if it can make it through the grate, then the pump will just process it and shoot it out the back. I did beach it bad enough one time (see Eagle Racing's Wall of Shame) to get rocks stuck in my grate so bad I couldn't get it back on plane. I idled back to the ramp, pried the rocks out using the bigger hammer method, and was back in business in no time. I'm just guessing here, but I think it would be easy to incorporate a loader into or in conjunction with a grate-Aluminum Squirt

  6. #6
    Jungle Boy
    We run a 7 to 9 bar grate. The bars are made of 1/8" x 1" flat iron. They keep out all but the small rocks, which just get spit out the other end. It's still a good idea to carry a big screwdriver to pray out rocks, if you planning to run some skinny water. Squirt, I've found that if my grate is partcially plugged off, I aim for a nice little gravel bar and skid over it at speed. This will generally knock out any rocks that are lodged in the grate.
    Like was mentioned by ATM, for higher speed boats, a spoon is required to help load the pump. Making a spoon can be a time consuming process if you are starting from scratch. I'm lucky to have Rob from Eagle as a buddy and he does this for me. This photo shows the grate from the inside (just need good eyes!)
    http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...re_007-med.jpg

  7. #7
    fullwood
    take my word for it "LISTEN TO ATM" he knows what he is talking about!!

  8. #8
    victorfb
    has anyone ever tried sharpening the bars of a stock grate? those bars are like 1/4" and flat. you would think by sharpening them a bit, it would allow the water to flow a little faster and through the intake a bit smoother, but still block the larger rocks and such from entering the intake. i am still undeciced on wether to run the full loader or a stock type grate with angle iron welded to the bars. i have both. i normally boat the upper river (laughlin to park moabi area), but i plan on going down to blyth this season. ive heard too many people hurting thier pumps down there and am affraid to do the same with mine.

  9. #9
    Jungle Boy
    Originally posted by victorfb
    has anyone ever tried sharpening the bars of a stock grate? those bars are like 1/4" and flat. you would think by sharpening them a bit, it would allow the water to flow a little faster and through the intake a bit smoother, but still block the larger rocks and such from entering the intake. i am still undeciced on wether to run the full loader or a stock type grate with angle iron welded to the bars. i have both. i normally boat the upper river (laughlin to park moabi area), but i plan on going down to blyth this season. ive heard too many people hurting thier pumps down there and am affraid to do the same with mine.
    We sharpen ours, but it really don't make much difference untill you are running 100 mph plus.

  10. #10
    mud duck
    After searching online for a bit, I found a grate for a Berkely intake and a grate for a Legend intake. However I am not sure these will work with my current top loader. I did not know that top loaders are really only useful after 65 mph. My boat was running a little over 70 mph (speedo) with the old engine last September. I know that maybe actually (probably is) slower on a GPS, but I like my little fantasy of a 70+ mph boat. Forgive my ignorance, but a spoon is a small bubble protruding down into the water just in front of the intake, right? And at speed this spoon forces the water down and then right up into the intake following up the back side of the spoon, right?
    Berkely intake grate (They call it a Rock Grate).
    http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...50-L-03767.jpg
    Legend intake grate (They call it a White Water Grate).
    http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...take-grate.jpg
    Thanks for all your help.

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