Underground Construction - March 2018 - 30

Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Top Left: MTS Dino 8 Suction Excavator. Left and above: Bradley
Tanks Inc. uses the MTS equipment to complete excavation on a
California utility's gas transmission project, removing more than 40
cubic yards of soil per day.

Dry-Vacuum Technology

Colin Donaohue

Game Changer for Powerful, Safe, Productive Excavation

W

When Ox Equipment, of Ancaster, Ontario, discovered
German-manufactured Mobile
Tiefbau Saugsysteme (MTS)
dry-suction excavation systems,
the Canadian company knew it
was just what North American
utilities, municipalities and contractors needed.
While hydrovac systems are
the norm for excavation, they
face an increasing host of challenges. Wet slurry generated by
liquefying soils is becoming more
difficult and costlier to dispose of,
as dump sites get farther away
from the urban centers where
most utility work occurs. In
many states there are additional
requirements, such as testing the
slurry for possible contamination before its ultimate disposal.
Road authorities' enforcement of
30

MARCH 2018 | UConOnline.com

tighter axle weight limits make
overweight concerns a fact of life
for most every operator in every
state and province.
Dry-vacuum excavation can
provide a better alternative.
However, traditional dry vacuum
equipment is often underpowered, utilizes manually operated
4-inch vacuum hoses that are
prone to clogging, and is limited
in terms of capacities and productivity, compared to larger,
wet vacuums.
"Hydrovacs have become the
go-to equipment for vacuum
systems over the past decade or
so, and we have been waiting in
North America for dry vacuums
to catch up to that technology,"
said Darren Bartels, president
of Ox Equipment, the exclusive
North American distributor for

MTS. "It turns out, Europe figured it out long ago."

Class of its own

Through continuous product improvement over the past 20 years,
and high-quality German engineering, MTS vacuum equipment
is designed to deliver safe, reliable
and functional vacuum excavation performance - producing
over 24,000 CFM of air movement - all while staying dry.
"In fact, MTS refers to the
technology as 'Suction Excavation,' which makes a lot of sense
when you witness the raw power and productivity of this type
of equipment," Bartels added.
"This is definitely not your typical dry vac."
Trent Robinson, suction
excavation manager at Califor-

nia-based Bradley Tanks Inc. and
Ox Equipment customer, agrees
the MTS equipment is a game
changer. "First off, the power is
unparalleled here in North America," he said. "We were up against
hydrovacs every day when we
got our first units, and we have
successfully turned every foreman we have worked for into
a believer of MTS dry suction
technology.
"This equipment is in a class of
its own. It's really not even comparable to a hydrovac because
it completes the job in a totally
different way."

German engineered
Patented Twin Fan systems create the 24,000 CFM of air movement, which is pulled through
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Underground Construction - March 2018

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