Underground Infrastructure - May 2023 - 15

Trenchers
Seabolt: The trend toward underground
power installation (or " undergrounding "
existing power lines)
continues to accelerate, thanks to a
desire among community members,
legislators and service providers to
avoid power outages, fires and the other
challenges experienced with overhead
power distribution.
Savage: There are several exciting
opportunities for contractors doing
electrical installation work. Many public
utility companies have announced
plans to " harden " (underground) thousands
of miles of electrical transmission
and distribution lines, and trenchers
will have a significant role in making
that happen.
There is also a lot of work for electrical
contractors in the renewable energy
market, including solar and wind farms.
A major part of these projects involves
connecting each site to the electrical
grid. On solar farms, electrical lines
need to be installed under each row of
panels to transport captured energy.
And finally, as more electric vehicles
(EVs) take to the highway, the world
will need more recharging stations.
Fast-charging stations and the ability
to charge several vehicles at one site
often require larger electrical lines than
what's currently running to these sites.
This is another area where there is potential
growth in the coming years.
Has HDD limited the need
for trenching?
Seabolt: Traditional open-cut trenching
is a very complementary tool to the HDD,
so each has its own place and benefits.
Savage: HDD hasn't limited the volume
of trenching happening in the
world. It has simply given contractors
an alternative method of performing
underground work that may have been
limited in the past. In many environments,
the costs of restoration and/or
access to the area may have prevented
a utility from being installed underground
before HDD. Trenchless methods
have expanded the volume of utilities
installed underground, and the two
methods (HDD and trenching) are often
used together to get the work done.
What range of equipment
does your company manufacture
for electrical?
Seabolt: Ditch Witch manufactures
small walk-behind trenchers, stand-on
mini skid steers, and ride-on " utility "
tractors. Most of the bigger units are
available with a variety of purpose-built
attachments, including vibratory
plows, chain trenchers, rock saws, and
microtrenchers.
The newest Ditch Witch micro-trencher,
MT26, digs 26 inches deep and
was developed to answer the needs
voiced by electrical and telecommunications
contractors installing power and
fiber for 5G towers, since the national
electrical code requires 24-inch of cover
over the power in those situations.
Savage: Vermeer manufactures a full
range of equipment for installing electrical
lines
underground.
Vermeer
trenchers
come in a wide range of sizes
- from 13-horsepower pedestrian trenchers
up to massive 600-horsepower
trenchers that can cut a ditch 15 feet
deep and 48-inches wide.
The company's HDD line for electrical
work starts at the 8,000-pound class
utility-sized Vermeer D8x12 horizontal
directional drill, ideal for doing short
bores in urban areas, and extends to the
500,000-pound class maxi rig for making
long-distance electrical transmission
and distribution installations.
In addition, Vermeer offers utility
locators, vacuum excavators and core
saws to assist with utility locating. UI
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ditch Witch, (800) 654-6481,
ditchwitch.com
Vermeer Corp., (888) 837-6337,
vermeer.com
Field tested and proven for over 34+ years.
Wherever extensive corrosion conditions exist, the
SewerGard® 210 System
can offer long term asset protection.
info@sauereisen.com | sauereisen.com
UndergroundInfrastructure.com | MAY 2023 15
http://www.ditchwitch.com http://www.vermeer.com http://www.sauereisen.com http://www.UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Underground Infrastructure - May 2023

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