Hydrovac Excavating thoughts?

[Brute_200]

I have read that some parts in Canada require hydro excavating within certain distances of underground utilities. It is also big in the oilfields but still a bit unheard of to many contractors in construction. It was recently new to the company I've been working for as it was an option we never knew about when it came to setting post for a baseball backstop near underground infrastructures. So what are your guys thoughts on these pricey trucks that offer different alternatives, no spills and less risk. Think it will continue to be on the rise with the wide open markets for it in many areas of the country?

 

[CM1995]

Welcome Brute!

I have been looking pretty seriously into getting a truck and starting a separate division or entire company to provide hydro vac services. We spent over an hour at the Vactor booth at Conex where they had the Prodigy single axle vacuum truck. The truck we looked at was on a Freightshaker single axle chassis, had air and water excavation capabilities and runs around $250K. Pricey..

I liked the size of the truck for construction and utility excavation. Personally I think the market is wide open for innovative uses of these type trucks.

The power company has been replacing poles on the street I live on. As luck would have it they had two large vacuum trucks (tri-drives, first time I have seen those trucks in person) digging the holes for the new poles. The pole by my drive was slated to be replaced so I got the best demo I could get, right in my driveway.

Two guys per truck - lead man and helper. From when they pulled up to when they were rolling to the next hole is was 35-40 mins. They dug an 8' hole about 20" wide. There was a cable and conduit running down the pole and to an old TV box that has been removed. The cable and conduit was cleanly excavated around at the edge of the hole - an auger would've ripped it out. The cable and conduit were no good but it shows what the machine can do and what can happen doing it conventionally.

I've got a lot of thoughts on the subject.

 

[Tradesman]

We use it them in my area a lot, no locates. You would think the hole would be wet and caving but every one I've been around left a nice clean hole to work in. This won't mean much to you CM but they're great in frost.

That's a fine looking short hair on your profile, does he hunt?

 

[CM1995]

This won't mean much to you CM but they're great in frost.

True Tradesman we don't get much frost but it does show the capability.

The hole they excavated was in loose chert fill and I was impressed how easily it went through. I would like to see it go through chert in a natural state.

 

[Ronsii]

We also use them a lot... however there are still a lot of cases where it is very slow because the vactor crew has to do a lot 'root removal' or large rock >6" removal by hand, this slows things to a crawl with the co's we use as they don't like to do hand work very fast...

The main downside we have is not being able to reuse the spoils as everyone around here is water only for the jet other then that it is great being able to dig inside of six or more different utilities without risking breakage!!!... or all day with a shovel under water or worse when it's a sewer break

 

[Tradesman]

When I was looking at my crane, at the same time I was looking at a used vactor, it was about 5 years old and had all the wear components replaced, if I remember right it was around $ 100 k. Around hear the water holding tank has to be heated and the preasure system is a diesel fired preasure washer. In the end I bought the boomtruck I was looking for something to do that was a bit easier on the bones as I get older and spending most of the day wet wasn't it. But they do fascinate me, I have even seen the smaller ones in housing developments pot holing fence post in. Again no locates no mess.

 

[Brute_200]

Welcome Brute!

I have been looking pretty seriously into getting a truck and starting a separate division or entire company to provide hydro vac services. We spent over an hour at the Vactor booth at Conex where they had the Prodigy single axle vacuum truck. The truck we looked at was on a Freightshaker single axle chassis, had air and water excavation capabilities and runs around $250K. Pricey..

I liked the size of the truck for construction and utility excavation. Personally I think the market is wide open for innovative uses of these type trucks.

The power company has been replacing poles on the street I live on. As luck would have it they had two large vacuum trucks (tri-drives, first time I have seen those trucks in person) digging the holes for the new poles. The pole by my drive was slated to be replaced so I got the best demo I could get, right in my driveway.

Two guys per truck - lead man and helper. From when they pulled up to when they were rolling to the next hole is was 35-40 mins. They dug an 8' hole about 20" wide. There was a cable and conduit running down the pole and to an old TV box that has been removed. The cable and conduit was cleanly excavated around at the edge of the hole - an auger would've ripped it out. The cable and conduit were no good but it shows what the machine can do and what can happen doing it conventionally.

I've got a lot of thoughts on the subject.

Yeah CM, it seems like a nice market to get into since it is relatively new and doesn't have much competition, though it carries that hefty barrier to entry with the price of one of those rigs. Wonder what the up keep runs on those? I think in my area the main use for it would be for utilities.

View attachment 172350 We use it them in my area a lot, no locates. You would think the hole would be wet and caving but every one I've been around left a nice clean hole to work in. This won't mean much to you CM but they're great in frost.

That's a fine looking short hair on your profile, does he hunt?

I could go all day about how good of dogs GSPs are man. I don't do any waterfowl because I spend majority of my time bow hunting. There aren't any pheasant where I am from and the quail population is hurting but we've made a few trips out. Other than that, he goes everywhere with me and is very loyal.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Yeah CM, it seems like a nice market to get into since it is relatively new and doesn't have much competition, though it carries that hefty barrier to entry with the price of one of those rigs. Wonder what the up keep runs on those? I think in my area the main use for it would be for utilities.

Around here pretty much every good size job involving dirt work they first call for USA to mark out with paint. Next thing you will see is a vacuum excavator come out and do potholes over each place where the marked utility crosses some proposed excavation. On a long dig you will see a whole lot of potholes.

I have started to notice a lot more very small trailer mounted vacuum rigs for this potholing. Not the giant behemoth vactors. Maybe that would be a way to break into the business, or an F450 size truck.

 

[DMiller]

The old power station I worked at had the inevitable buried EVERYTHING from full excavate/backfill construction. Everything from abandoned cables, unidentified shoring, unidentified thrust blocks, absolutely miles of SOME abandoned conduits and water? piping from the 8 years of serious site work. We used them ALL the time.

 

[mjt]

Hello I went with air instead of hydro.
I use an air knife that can inject water mist and air at the same time.
There is no carting away slop from the hole.
All material can go back into the hole and be reused.
No mud.
I also use a vacuum that I made up.
Only need a 185 ft per min compressor.
See videos

 

[Bumpsteer]

A friend used hydrovac a number of years ago to "dig" holes for support piers in the crawlspace under his house. Worked great, then had a pump truck for the concrete.

Ed

 

[Steve Frazier]

The town I work for has a large Vactor on a ten wheel long International chassis. I'm good friends with the mechanic, this truck is a maintenance nightmare. It's great for cleaning basins but the water department calls on it often to dig up water and sewer lines without risk of damage to the those lines or nearby utilities. It works well for exposing the pipes without damage but the coarser earth is wearing out the tank and baffles quickly. He's spending about $10,000 per year in repairs on a 2010 truck. It does what it's designed to do but there's a high maintenance cost that will have to be factored into the business plan.

 

[DIYDAVE]

My brother had one come out and dig his old hand dug, sandstone rock lined well, about 15 feet deeper. Worked great, but then the county banned the practice, so nobody else could do it...