The McLaughlin MEGA VX200 6-inch truck-mounted vacuum excavator, introduced at ICUEE, is designed to give utility contractors a productive yet affordable potholing machine. With spoil tank capacities ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 gallons, and an option of 800 gallons of fresh water, the VX200 has a 6-inch hose diameter with a 3,200 cfm blower at 18 inches of mercury.
Powered by a 200-horsepower Tier 3 John Deere engine, the VX200 has a tank, power pack and water system in a modular design, and can be mounted on a new or existing truck in a contractor’s fleet, says Cody Mecham with McLaughlin.
Positioned between smaller trailer mounted vacuum excavators and large truck-mounted units, “all of the functions of the VX200–including the engine, blower and tank–can be operated with a hand-held or belly-band remote,” Mecham says.
McLaughlin also used ICUEE to introduce two additional vacuum excavators:
VX50 Gen 3
This update of McLaughlin’s most popular excavator includes what it calls a no-hassle hose design, where the hose hangs on the side of machine as potholing crews move from hole to hole, reducing hose handling.
With spoil tank capacities of 500 and 800 gallons, the excavator has a 4-inch diameter hose and a flow rating of 1,025 cfm at 15 inches of mercury. Powered by a Tier 4 Final Kubota engine, the unit uses the company’s three-stage cyclonic filtration system for both wet and dry vacuum excavation.
VX30-300
Featuring a cam-over rear hydraulic door, a cyclonic 3-stage filtration system and an optional revere flow for pressure offloading of materials, the VX 30-300 has a 9,999-pound gross vehicle weight rating, alleviating the need to transport it with a truck requiring a CDL-licensed driver.
With a 300-gallon spoil tank, the unit is powered by a 31-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine, and offers a portable and compact way to pothole and manage fluid on horizontal directional drilling project. The VX30-300 has room for a water heater, beneficial in cold weather, digging in frozen ground or in soil conditions where grease is present.
