August 2021 Vol.76 No. 8
Features
Vacuum Excavators: Today's Do-It-All Machines
By Jeff Awalt, Executive Editor
It’s little wonder that vacuum excavators have grown to become one of the fastest-growing equipment categories in the underground construction industry.
Whether they’re being used for directional drilling or sewer cleaning, soft excavation or potholing, modern vac units have evolved into some of the most versatile and efficient machines in the fleet for a wide range of underground applications.
In this special section, Underground Construction provides an updated view of how vacuum excavators are being used today, along with guidance from experienced users on how to choose the best equipment for your individual needs.
We also surveyed our readers to learn more about the equipment and features they find most productive on their own jobsites, and their responses proved to be as diverse as the capabilities of these multi-use machines.
Highly valued
One of the clearest messages to come out of our survey is that the vast majority of respondents believe their investment in vacuum excavators was money well-spent.
When asked if vacs add value to their equipment fleets, more than two-thirds (67.5 percent) answered, “Yes.”
The survey also revealed that vacuum excavators are on the job a lot. When describing how often they use vacs, 16 percent of underground construction pros said they’re at work on every job and 22 percent said they’re used on most jobs. More than a third of respondents (39 percent) said they use vacuum excavators at least “occasionally.”
Mixed mounts
Asked whether they use trailer or truck units, the survey showed a balanced mix with 18 percent deploying trailer units and 14 percent opting for trucks. Meanwhile, 33 percent of respondents said they use both trailer- and truck-mounted vacuum excavators.
Underground construction contractors are finding a variety of uses for their vacs. Asked about primary usage, 27 percent said they use vacuum excavators for sewer mainline cleaning. Another 21 percent said they’re using their units mainly for potholing. About 12 percent said they primarily use them for soft utility excavation and another 12 percent use vacs mostly for mud removal. But crews are finding lots of applications for their vacs, with 27 percent citing “other” primary uses.
Rental trends
Even with vacuum excavators in their permanent fleets, the majority of readers who responded to our survey said they rely on rental equipment to varying degrees. About 44 percent said they rent vacuum excavators “sometimes” and 12 percent said they rent them “frequently.” Just over 2 percent said they rely solely on rental vacs, while 42 percent said they only use their own machines.
Our survey not only indicates widespread usage of vacuum excavators and accessories, but also a healthy competitive landscape in which users find merit in a variety of equipment brands.
Read on for an in-depth look at the variety of options available from today’s vacuum excavator suppliers and find out which may fit the individual needs of your company.
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