There was another story in the news recently highlighting the danger of unsafe excavation 
and the much needed changes with how to locate and dig around gas and utility lines. In Fresno County, CA, county workers were using a front end loader when a gas line was struck by the equipment, killing one man and injuring a dozen workers. It’s no question that if the line was properly located and a vacuum excavator was used to dig around the line then a life could have been spared. States and cities should require a vacuum excavator on all underground projects.
Vacuum excavation is defined as the process of using air or high pressure water to break apart soil and then debris is sucked up into the tanks. This method of excavation is commonly referred to as soft excavation technology and accepted as being much safer than traditional digging around underground facilities.
Vac-Tron Equipment has been the industry leader for vacuum excavation for over 20 years, innovating new ways of safer digging for companies globally. It is much less invasive in nature when compared to other traditional methods of excavating, has higher precision, and is leading to decreases in the amount of disposal of materials and accordingly much less surface restoration.
Vac-Tron’s equipment is made in the USA and distributed by over 40 nationwide dealers and 110 dealer outlets with new dealers being added internationally.
Vac-Tron recently announced 12 new innovations for vacuum excavation at the ICUEE show this year in Louisville, KY that will continue to keep the industry pushing ahead for safer digging. Here are a few highlights of new vacuum excavation innovations that were announced.
Vac-Tron HTV 573 PTO Truck: A NEW series of PTO truck driven systems available on Ford or Freightliner chassis. The full line of the HTV (Hydro Truck Vac) series has debris tanks ranging from 300 gallon to 1500 gallon in size. The Power Take Off of the truck drives positive displacement vacuum blowers that produce 1,000 to 3,000 CFM. These units are standard with a high pressure water system, full hydraulic rear door, reverse pressure, and the patented “Big Red” filter housing that cleans the air down to 0.5 microns (best in the industry) before it passes back through the vacuum pump. Air compressors and Hydraulic booms are also available on most of the HTV series units. Patent Pending.
Vac-Tron MT Series (Mud Trucks): New Series with 6 debris tanks sizes of 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500 and 4000 gallons. Over 45 degree hydraulic tilt, full open hydraulic locking door, PTO powered rotary vane vacuum pump, 25 inches of mercury, and reverse pressure, your chassis or ours. Great for cleaning up drill mud slurry.
A Wobble Head PROTOTYPE which is an innovative digging tool. Use a 6” hose head to dig a 24” hold by swiveling the end of the hose. Patent Pending.
For more information about safer digging with vacuum excavation, contact Vac-Tron Equipment at 888-822-8766 or visit vactron.com.