Underground Construction - August 2021 - 31

as there is fuel in the tank, an air unit can work. Once a hydro-vac
has exhausted its water supply, it must leave the job site to dump
and refill the water tank. "
Bell describes air as the safe form of vacuum excavation.
" Air is compressible, once it hits a utility it will flow around it,
not causing any damage, " Bell said. " On the other hand, water
does have the potential to cut or damage the utility being located.
The Vacmasters Air Lance also is insulated to increase safety when
digging around electrical conduit. "
What about soil limitations?
Air penetrates through small cracks and fissures in the soil, and
hard compact clay or caliche can slow the digging times when using
air, said Bell.
" Vacmasters has a system for every application and soil
conditions, " Bell said. " It is important to remember that there are
different operating techniques when digging with air or water.
" We have found that operators having difficulty digging in sticky
clay environments, generally are not allowing the blower time to
recover, or they are bottoming out the vac hose. This slows the rate
of material moving throughout the vacuum hose, allowing clay to
build up on its inner walls potentially causing clogging.
" Vacmasters has dedicated many hours to developing automatic
purge filtration, preventing 'carry over' to the filters, that would
otherwise limit blowers performance. "
Vacmasters has addressed dust concerns when working in dry
climates with a dust-proof digging shield that contains the dust
and vacuums it into the system.
The company's product line includes the trailer-mounted System
1000 with 150 psi output; System 3000 that comes standard with
4x4 capabilities185 psi output; and System 4000 with 220 psi out
and mounted on a non-CDL chassis. The newest addition to the
product line, System 5000, produces the highest hose velocity of
any Vacmasters system; System 6000 with 250 psi, is the most
powerful model in the lineup. *
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Vacmasters, (800) 466-7825, vacmasters.com
Vacall, (800) 382-8302, vacall.com
What's Better for Your Vacuum Application:
Truck or Trailer?
Whether a vacuum excavator's digging
system is high-pressure water or highpressure
air, equipment buyers must
consider whether the equipment is best
mounted on a trailer or a truck.
Each offers advantages and limitations,
and ultimately the decision is based on the
primary application of its planned use.
Smaller vacuum excavators mounted
on trailers are common for utility
construction. Relatively compact, they
take up less space than a truck-mounted
version. When in the same general area
for a period of time, a trailer unit does not
keep a costly truck sitting idle while its
vacuum excavator works.
Size and weight of many trailermounted
vacuum excavators allow them
to be towed by a vehicle that doesn't
require a driver to have a commercial
driver's license (CDL).
Compact vac-ex units also can be
mounted on trucks - some not requiring
CDL license - and they obviously are
more mobile than one mounted on a
trailer. But including the price of the
truck, they also cost more.
Larger vac-ex equipment usually is on
trucks. With industrial cleaning power,
many large models primarily are used as
vacuums for cleaning out sewer lines. The
digging capability of a large unit may be
used to soft-dig potholes, excavation to
access a point needing repair on a sewer/
water main or other type of pipeline,
and many other purposes
More applications
Municipalities use vacuum excavators to
clean sewer systems, and access water
valves and jetting lines. They also use them
for soft digging when repairs are being
made to existing utilities.
Ring-O-Matic Director of Sales and
Business Development Tony Bokhoven
said most of the company's vacuum
excavators are available on trailers or skids
for truck or other mounting. He added
that benefits of trailer modes are they can
be pulled by small trucks (no CDL needed),
can access areas where larger equipment
can't go, have lower profiles and capacity
requirements.
Advantages of truck-mounted vacuum
excavators include a dedicated vehicle to
the unit, potential for larger capacities and
CFM options, and access to areas where a
trailer is difficult to pull.
" In our experience, " Bokhoven said,
" markets are not really what drives the
truck-versus-trailer conversation. It is more
about application and job requirements
UCONonline.com | AUGUST 2021
31
that lead contractors to trailer or truck
mounted units. Capacity typically is what
starts the truck conversation so use and
application is a factor.
" The demand for vacuum excavators
continues to be strong and growing,
and we are seeing more residential work
using vacuum excavators rather than
mechanical methods, such as backhoes and
excavators, " he added. *
http://www.vacmasters.com http://www.vacall.com http://www.UCONonline.com
Underground Construction - August 2021

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