Product Review: UCT

Full size vacuum excavators tackle big jobs
For non-destructive digging and utility location, the Vactor HXX Prodigy HydroExcavator carries a 600-gallon water tank and blasts away soil with jets that crank out 10 to 20 gallons per minute at rates of 1,500 to 2,500 psi depending on pump selection. When faced with frozen ground or heavy clay you can spec an optional on-board water heater that generates 400,000 or 900,000 BTU. The HXX Prodigy also offers an optional air evacuation system and an above deck compressor that doesn’t need a holding tank to build pressure. An optional telescoping boom gives you 320 degrees of rotation and a reach of 16.5 feet; control the boom by either the same central panel used for all other functions, by a pendant or wireless remote.


Hit rock? Keep on drilling
Having to change drill heads downhole hurts productivity, but when you hit rock, what can you do? Vermeer’s answer was to develop the Rock Adaptable Terrain Tool, a drill head that can take on rock, soft soils, gravel or cobblestone with equal proficiency. Designed for use on the company’s D18x22 through D36x50 directional drills the RATT includes a two-degree bent sub, transmitter housing, bearing housing and drill bit. In the steering mode, the RATT maneuvers with an oscillating motion of the drill string. The drill head works with conventional walk-over navigation systems and either high or low fluid rates or with high viscosity gels. On a Vermeer D20x22 the RATT achieves a bend radius of 100 feet as compared to 365 feet with a mud motor.


Pipe bursting trio offers range of capabilities
Designed for durability, simplicity of operation and productivity, the new trio of pipe bursting systems from Ditch Witch offer fully enclosed power packs and load sensing hydraulics. Models PR50, PR75 and PR95 fracture or cut most types of water, sewer or utility pipe and pull in new pipe with 50, 75 or 95 tons of pullback force respectively, replacing pipe with outside diameters of 4 to 16 inches. These pipe bursting systems can be equipped with a rod makeup device that improves operator efficiency and reduces fatigue. An optional extension frame provides additional setup flexibility and jobsite access.


Rehab pipes without bursting or relining
TT Technologies is pioneering a system of rehabilitating underground pipes without the drawbacks sometimes associated with pipe bursting or relining. The company calls it the Tight In Pipe method, and it re-rounds damaged pipe using a guide head similar to a bursting head – except it’s armed with an series of rollers around the front circumference of the head. Pull this through the pipe and it restores the pipe to its original circular shape and pulls in new product in behind. The new plastic pipe has a diameter only slightly smaller than the original. Manhole sized entry and exit pits are all that’s required to set up the equipment. A Burstfix system is set up on the trailing end of the pipe string to tension the short pipe segments before installation and insure tight connections and safe pulling. The system eliminates the need for filling annular spaces and prevents the humping of the ground above the work area that sometimes occurs in shallow pipebursting jobs.

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Tension meter warns of potential problems
Vermeer has teamed up with Digital Control to introduce the DigiTrack Eclipse TensiTrak pullback and pressure monitoring system. This device is installed between the reamer and the product before pullback and gives you real time monitoring of the tension on your product pipe and downhole mud pressure information. The system helps prevent fluid frac outs, road buckling, stuck pipe and damage to the product pipe. The TensiTrak transmits its information to an Eclipse receiver for real time tracking and records data, which can be downloaded to a computer to show you a history of the loads generated during pullback.


Vibratory plow offers multiple attachments
The new Ditch Witch 420sx vibratory plow takes its design cues from the company’s 410sx walk-along vibratory plow but offers a seat and a fold down ROPS that lets you get under tree limbs, eaves and low hanging obstacles. Designed to plow in lines up to 3 inches in depth and a 24-inch cover depth, the new unit also runs a Roto Witch boring attachment and a trencher. The operator’s console moves with the operator when the frame articulates so the controls stay front and center to the operator. Additional optional equipment includes a reel carrier, light kit and a digging attachment that opens up an 8-inch trench up to 36 inches deep.