BUILDING THE BEST MINING DREDGES IN THE WORLD
- Family owned and oriented business! Every customer and employee becomes a member of our extended family
- Founded upon the commitment to build the best dredges in the world!
- 102 Employees! Expert Designers, Engineers and skilled Metal Fabrication Specialists utilizing cutting edge Metal Fabrication technology and machines
- Customization is our Fine Art! Our Customers are part of our Design Team
- “Built like a tank” Construction and Design!
- Longevity! Maintained properly, our dredges are designed and built to provide a productive functional lifespan of up to 40 years
- Accurate and Predictable Production! Our dredges are very carefully custom designed for each client and application
- Minimize Unscheduled Shutdowns! We employ key strategies that anticipate, avoid or shorten shutdowns
- Extensive options for Dredge Controls, Automation, Remote Monitoring, and Reporting
- The Best GPS, and SONOR Technologies
- Redundant non-electric Analog Gauges & Hydraulic Controls: Allows continued pumping should computer systems fail
- Use “Best-in-Class” O.E.M. off-the-shelf parts!
- Hydraulic Systems that Run Clean!
- Historically The Highest Resale Value In The Mining Dredge Market
- Excellent Support! As a member of the CDW Family, you’ll have direct access and support from our expert staff
- Excellent Service! A fleet of Seven (7) service trucks with skilled crews that are available to travel to your location for repairs or special projects
- A-to-Z Replacement Parts, with Fast Deployment
- Experts in Electric Powered Dredges
- Custom Dredge Designs from 10″ Discharge Up To 22″
- Optimum Designs For Production & Safety
OUR NUMBERS SPEAK VOLUMES
Years in Metal Fabrication
Years designing and manufacturing Dredges
120+ Custom Dredge Projects Built
- Advanced CutterChain design with 7″, 8″, 9″, or 11″” pitch
- Modern European CutterHeads with replaceable teeth
- Straight Suction and Powerful Water Jets
- Underwater Ladder Mounted Pumps
- Underwater Electric Motors
- Production Control Gate Valve and Venturies
- Extra Strong, stable ladders and Trunions
- Dig with power and confidence up to 150 feet
- Touch Screen Displays
- Display and Record all variables and activity
- View and Record Production Remotely, Data Logging
- Automate Dredging Plan
- Depth, Pump Speed, Density Meter
- GPS & SONOR
- Automate Pump Speed and Ladder Control
- Control of Boosters from Cab
- Many Automation Options Available
- Choose favorite make Pump, Engine, Winch, etc.
- Configure your Cab size, controls, lights, cranes, etc.
- Request unique designs, components and features
- Personalize the color scheme and logos
- Three-wire
- Five-wire “Christmas-Tree”
- Rear Spuds and/or Forward Spuds
- Walking or Push Spuds
- Traveling Spud Barges
- Self-propulsion options
- Swinging Ladders
OUR MANUFACTURING FACILITY
Topeka, Kansas

DESIGN & ENGINEERING
After Custom Dredge Works got its start in the Aggregate Mining industry it expanded into the Dredge Contracting industry with hearty innovative designs that demonstrate an affinity for the maxim: “….Dredge designs that Increase production while Reducing downtime”
At Custom Dredge Works dredge design customization is our Fine Art!
- We have a deep bench of Engineering/Design specialist, including Electrical Engineers, Hydraulic Engineers, Structural Engineers and CAD specialists.
- Our Customers play a very active role in the design phase of their new Dredge. We engage our Customers in a series of Dredge Design Review meetings and conference calls. Each discussion is proceeded with a concept drawing that reflects the current design, including the most recent modifications.
- These Design Review calls typically occur in two-week intervals until everyone is fully satisfied with every detail of the dredge engineering and design prior to green lighting production and cutting steel.


FABRICATION & BUILD
Custom Dredge Works’ manufacturing facility boasts the following:
- Twenty-acres of property with 180,000 sq. foot under roof with Manufacturing, Corporate Offices, Parts Warehouse and storage facilities.
- Upper management is directly involved in all aspects of design and fabrication.
- We utilize the latest cutting edge steel fabrication technology and computer controlled plasma cutters, lathes, presses and other hi-tech machines.
- Custom Dredge Works carefully selects and staffs our manufacturing facility with highly skilled metal fabrication craftsmen, expert industrial welders, and specially trained technicians that operate our high-tech computerized manufacturing equipment.
- Within the fabrication and build process we employ experts in a wide variety of disciplines including hydraulics, electrical, paint, dredge automation, plant management, and quality control.
- One hundred percent of our employees and departments are encouraged to work cohesively and synergistically together at our one location to achieve excellence for our customers.
- After production begins our Customer conference calls morph into Manufacturing Updates, and continue on a bi-weekly schedule until dredge completion. We also encourage our Customers to make personal visits to our facility to view first-hand the various manufacturing stages of their dredge.





BUILDING THE BEST MINING DREDGES IN THE WORLD
Success Stories
“There is genius in simplicity. Custom Dredge Works understands and exemplifies that concept in its dredge designs. Our CDW dredge is brilliant in its power and effectiveness while at the same time our crew finds it simple to operate and to perform maintenance on.“
“Custom Dredge Works converted our booster pump from diesel to electric, added a jet assist to our dredge, and fabricated badly needed parts for us that we couldn’t locate anywhere. They have done excellent work on time and at a very competitive price. Whenever we decide to buy a new dredge, it will most likely be from Custom Dredge Works!”
“John Jones and his team are top notch. They know their stuff. They have given us plenty of fresh ideas and assistance when we’ve gotten into a pinch at our sand mine, which has really helped. They have been very responsive to our needs, especially when were in a tight spot for a badly needed part.”
“I think that we’ve owned and operated at least one dredge from every US dredge manufacturer at one time or another, but now we are sold on CDW. It is unlikely that we will buy another dredge from anyone other than Custom Dredge Works. ”
“We’re so glad that we made the time and effort to tour the Custom Dredge Works manufacturing facility. We were impressed in every way, and we learned a lot, and had a great time. This is a top notch company. We now understand the difference and what makes these guys unique and the best dredge value on the market.”
“We have been a loyal customer to another dredge manufacturer for several years. Now we are glad that we gave CDW a look and ultimately made the switch. It’s just made great sense to us on many levels and for many reasons. I would encourage anyone to seriously consider Custom Dredge Works.”
“We recently took delivery of a new chain-ladder dredge from Custom Dredge Works. The superior quality, workmanship and design of the dredge was immediately visible and obvious to us, especially in comparison to dredges we’ve acquired from other manufacturers in the past. We are pleased with our new dredge from Custom Dredge Works and it meets or exceeds our expectations.”

Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear from you
If you have an idea of the type of dredge you may want, or the nature of your deposit and how much production you would like to achieve, please fill in the DREDGING QUESTIONAIRE.