September 2015 Vol. 70 No. 9
Features
VAC For HDD Work Site Clean Up
“The MV800 is perfectly suited for fluid clean up on horizontal direction drilling (HDD) work sites,” said Ditch Witch Product Manager Jason Proctor. “However, its usefulness certainly isn’t limited to that – it’s good for about any in-the-field clean-up task requiring a vacuum.”
However, the MV800’s primary use is expected to be cleaning up drilling fluid, and if necessary, containing and transporting used drilling fluids for disposal.
Drilling “mud” is an essential element in making an HDD installation, lubricating inside walls of the bore hole and carrying away cuttings as the pilot hole is drilled and then when it is enlarged during backreaming. Today, fluid clean up and removal are required on most jobs.
Over the last decade, the standard equipment for these jobs have become the dual-purpose vacuum excavator, a vacuum and “soft” excavating machine, able to make precisely controlled excavations with high pressure water or air.
Proctor said many customers expressed a strong need for an economical vacuum-only unit without the excavating capability.
“They were keeping their vacuum excavators busy potholing and making other types of excavations,” he explained, “and didn’t want to take them away from those jobs to clean up drilling fluid.”
“We listened, and the result is the MV800. We developed a less expensive vacuum to fill that need. After all, we’re in this together.”
Mounted on a dual-axle trailer, the MV800 has the same heavy-duty components of Ditch Witch vacuum excavators. Powered by a 31-horsepower gasoline engine, the MV800 has a belt-driven 2-lobe blower with maximum displacement of 543 cfm and maximum vacuum of 15 inches of mercury. The filtration system includes an integrated carryover chamber that eliminates contaminants before they reach the blower. It has an 800-gallon spoil tank, and curbside controls of all functions for operation by one person away from the traffic side of the machine when working along roadways.
Although the MV800 is targeted primarily for clean up, an optional water excavating system is available to expand the machine’s capabilities for potholing and washing equipment. The water system utilizes a 100-gallon water tank and is capable of 4 gallons per minute with adjustable pressures to 3,000 psi.
“Keeping cost down was an important consideration in development of the MV800,” Proctor said. “However, we didn’t compromise quality to achieve a lower price tag. The MV800 is built with proven Ditch Witch quality components that provide durability for a long service life. We’ve combined competitive initial cost in a solid long-term investment.”
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