Underground Construction - March 2020 - 35

REHABTECHNOLOGY
HammerHead Unveils Small-Pipe Extractor,
Installation Systems

FR S IT
L O O K

Jeff Griffin,
Senior Editor

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HammerHead Trenchless
is introducing a small-pipe
extractor for removing old steel
gas service lines and installing
new plastic pipe in one step.
The patented HammerHead
SLX1300 was featured at the
2020 ConExpo Show and will be
available from North American
Ditch Witch dealers in May.
"The product was developed
to fill the specific need of the
gas industry to extract welded
steel pipe and install MDPE or
HDPE in its place," said Mark
Randa, HammerHead research
and development senior design
team manager. "The SLX1300
also could extract non-gas steel
pipe, but the tensile strength of
MDPE and HDPE is not sufficient to remove those types of
pipe by this process."
Randa said the product is
undergoing field trials on pipe
made of other materials, such
as copper, which have been
successful.
"We anticipate the use of this
technology for larger copper
rehabilitation projects in the
water market, pending completion of final testing," he said.

The SLX1300 package can be
transported in a pickup truck.

Extraction
To make an extraction-installation, the 660-pound extractor
unit requires a pit of approximately 4 feet by 4 feet, which
is dug about 9 inches deeper
than where the service line to
be replaced connects to the
main. In order to minimize the
footprint of the unit in the pit,
the power source for hydraulics
(a 13-horsepower engine) and
control station sit outside the
pit linked with two quick-connect hoses. It is unnecessary for
the operator to be in the pit.
Randa said after the service
line to be replaced has been
disconnected from the main
and purged, the extractor
is lowered - usually with a
compact excavator - into the
excavation over the stub of
pipe protruding from the face
of the excavation.
"A second excavation, usually
at the riser, is made where the
service line is disconnected
from the meter," he continued.
"A tap-like tool is threaded into
the inner end of the steel pipe,

and it is coupled to the new
plastic pipe to be installed. The
three-lever control station on
the surface is connected to the
downhole unit. The hydraulic
power is used to close a set of
jaws on the protruding stub of
pipe, crushing it between them.
"The pull cylinders, with 13.3
tons of pullback force, are then
engaged, extracting the pipe
that is clamped within the jaws.
As the steel is extracted, the new
plastic is pulled in behind it."
The cycle repeats clamping and
extracting 10 inches per cycle.
If space is sufficient, the unit
is capable of extracting pipe in a
single length. But in most cases,
a small excavation is preferred,
limiting the length of pipe that
can be extracted.
"For this," said Randa, "a
shearing device is built into the
machine which can be engaged
as desired to cut the extracted
pipe into segments that will fit
in the excavation and can be
easily managed."

Unique
Randa notes there are other trenchless methods for
installing new services, but the

old pipe is not removed in the
process. Leaving old pipe in
the ground can cause potential
locating issues in the future and
can be an expense when easements are leased by the owner.
According to Randa, there
is another small-diameter pipe
pulling machine on the market
primarily used for water pipes,
but it requires an excavator
or other machine to power
hydraulics, and extracted pipe
is handed differently.
"The SLX1300," Randa
concludes, "is another example
of HammerHead's Same Path
Technology that installs new
product on the same path as an
existing line, which minimizes
risk to surrounding utilities
and allows for upsizing."
The HammerHead Trenchless
product line includes piercing
tools, pipe rammers, winches,
pipe bursting equipment, reinstatement and cleaning tools,
rock hammers, and lateral and
mainline cured-in-place-pipe
(CIPP) lining equipment. *
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
HammerHead, (800) 331-6653,
hammerheadtrenchless.com
UConOnline.com | MARCH 2020

1:40 PM

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