Mobility to and from site is often as crucial as access.
The preference for compact modes in which to transport equipment is an increasing trend across industry and especially among prominent contractors in the underground rehabilitation and trenchless segment.
No less, for exponents of non-destructive digging (NDD) who rely on vacuum excavation technology.
Ditch Witch has recognised the importance of having more capacity on board while reducing transport costs with the HX20G, a vacuum excavator light enough it fits onto a general purpose trailer that can be towed legally by a utility vehicle reducing the need for a truck and the concomitant increased overheads and compliance.
That’s a major point of difference according to CEA Brand Leader Scott O’Hare.
“The fact that the HX20G is the largest [567L] towable hydro vac on the market [on a 2.8T ATM trailer] is a major convenience in terms of where they can go and what they can do,” he told Trenchless Australasia.
Replacing the successful FX20 vacuum excavator, Ditch Witch distributor, CEA, can offer the new HX20G, which has just entered the marketplace, mounted to a trailer or on a separate skid.
With Australia regarded as one of its major markets in this class, Ditch Witch has worked closely with customers to integrate their feedback into the design and performance of the HX20G.
Flexibility is a key consideration. So too safety.
“Ditch Witch have in many ways ‘Australianised’ the product,” said O’Hare.
“They’ve fitted all controls onto the kerbside. When people are going to turn on and off different functions, clean the vac filter and use the hose reel, these are now conveniently and safely mounted on the kerbside.”
On that front, O’Hare points to the push button rear door, which he notes is a major feature of the new HX20G as it represents a major upgrade on the submarine hatch-type door historically more common on smaller vacuum excavator units.
When the debris tank is full a significant amount of weight, pressure can be concentrated behind the door when it comes time to open it.
“On competitive models, you have to get behind the machine to physically spin a lever to open it, not to mention the additional maintenance and repairs over time,” said O’Hare.
“You can imagine with the best part of 600-litres which can potentially be up to one tonne of debris sitting inside the tank, when that door pops open it can swing out. That was probably one of the main pieces of feedback that went into the new design of the HX20G. Not only is it dangerous but it’s a headache to operate. If you haven’t had your Weet-Bix in the morning, it can be difficult to open and close the rear door — not to mention the ease of access now available on the HX20G for cleaning the debris tank.”
From the standpoint of both convenience and safety having a push button to open/close and lock the door is leaps and bounds ahead of what came before and what today remains standard across parts of the industry.
Featuring a Kohler EFI petrol engine, with an output of 26.5hp, the HX20G delivers 541cfm of suction and 3,000psi water pressure.
Built with debris/pit cleanup, exposing utilities and removing slurry front of mind, the advantages it will present in weight and height for dimensional transport compliance also make it an ideal hire option for organisations and operators looking to scale up at short notice.
“It’s a single package that we can slide straight out of a container — and it’s ready to go,” said O’Hare.
“Where required, we fit the HX20G on a heavy-duty fully galvanised Australian-built trailer as well. That makes life a lot easier when it comes to machine longevity.”
From a convenience perspective, Ditch Witch opts for a high-capacity vac filter. The idea of the vac filter is to catch any of the fine debris that are sucked into the vacuum so that it protects the blower.
“The fact that we use one that is probably close to double the capacity of most of our competitors equates to higher productivity,” said O’Hare.
“That definitely gives the HX20G an edge along with the new push button operation of the debris tank door.”
For operators needing to empty the debris tank multiple times a day, removing the physical aspect is not only a serious convenience, but a huge upgrade in safety.
“Now you’re standing on the side of the machine in full view of the door but you’re not standing directly behind it to open it.,” added O’Hare.
“It’s always been a standard feature for the larger truck mounted vacs but on the trailer side, being a smaller cost-sensitive market they’ve always gotten away from that. We now offer that as standard. It’s been a long time coming for us.”
He added, “From a productivity perspective these new features are really what sets the HX20G apart. You can spend more time working and not having to mess around having to manually lift and open and close things and clean out things quite as often.”
For more information, visit https://www.ditchwitchcea.com.au/
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