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FEATURE SUCTION EXCAVATION Game Changing Technology By James Stieva Director Marketing Communications Super Sucker Hydro Vac Service Inc T o continue to provide the very best solutions to the damage prevention industry and to complement their extensive fleet of hydro excavation equipment Super Sucker recently invested in the latest suction excavation equipment through Ox Equipment Inc www ox equipment com the North American distributor for MTS Suction Systems a leading German manufacturer Super Sucker s Dino 3 suction excavators rely on air to excavate and extract 8 EAR TO THE GROUND material without the addition of water and have been in operation since early 2016 Built to specification on a North American vehicle chassis these suction excavators allow Super Sucker to take advantage of proven European suction excavation innovation and design while remaining consistent with a familiar North American vehicle for ease of operation and integration with the existing in house fleet maintenance programs and procedures Equipped with patented twin fan technology capable of generating 24 000 cfm and a fivejoint Power Arm with a 10 in dig tube these suction excavators add a new dimension to their vacuum excavation division and to the damage prevention industry in Ontario HISTORY A forward thinking safety focused approach has always been an integral part of Super Sucker Hydro Vac Service Inc Since its inception in 2001 with one hydro excavation unit the Ancaster

Equipped with patented twin fan technology capable of generating 24 000 cfm and a five joint Power Arm with a 10 in dig tube these suction excavators add a new dimension to their vacuum excavation division and to the damage prevention industry in Ontario Ontario based operation has stayed on the leading edge of the industry by combining innovative technological solutions with ongoing training industry best practices and continuous quality improvements Through integration of complementary service divisions such as keyhole technology and mobile mix concrete with a growing fleet of hydro vac excavation units Super Sucker has transitioned to becoming a total solution provider of choice with operational facilities throughout Southern Ontario Over the last several years the hydro excavation industry in Ontario has encountered significant challenges After years of operating with an uncertain and inconsistent regulatory enforcement framework the Ministry of Transportation and the Government of Ontario has now proceeded to enact legislative changes which will no longer define vacuum excavation equipment as Road Building and Maintenance RBM Consequently after July 1 2017 all vacuum excavation equipment operating in Ontario will be subject to a variety of operational compliance issues including weight limits Super Sucker adopted a two pronged strategy in response to these sweeping changes First as a long time supporter and sponsor of the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance Super Sucker has always been committed to working together to the benefit of the entire industry In conjunction with other prominent hydro vac operators Super Sucker was a founding member SPRING 2017 9

of Hydro Vac Alliance of Ontario HVAO an organization formed in an attempt to work with Ministry officials to assist in the development of this new industry framework based on years of operational experience Secondly Super Sucker began investigating available technological solutions including using air instead of water Not satisfied with available North American equipment which was simply not powerful enough to meet the needs and expectations of their damage prevention professional clients Super Sucker decided to partner with Ox Equipment Inc to further develop existing German technology already in use around the world specifically for the challenges of the North American market Recognizing the importance of vacuum excavation to the damage prevention industry and the lack of industry knowledge relating to suction excavation methods and equipment former ORCGA President and CEO Jim Douglas joined the Ox Equipment team as Director of Safety Compliance Congratulations to the ORCGA Member M em of the Year Jamie Bradburn A graduate of Guelph University Jamie is a geophysical technician with over 20 years experience In his current role as a Operations Manager of T2 Utility Eng Engineers he is responsible for the over overall eld operations and training of the company across Canada and internationally He has managed numerous Subsurface Utility Engineering SUE projects across Canada written several articles and papers and has been a guest 10860403_Editorial indd EAR 1TO THE GROUND speaker regarding SUE at several events both in Canada and internationally T2ue became a member of the ORCGA in 2005 Jamie was a part of the initial group that developed the ORCGA Damage Prevention Technician DPT training course and is currently the Co Chair for the GTA East Geographic Council Jamie also plays a key role for the ORCGA Locate Rodeo held each year including preparation setup and Master Judge 3 8 17 4 35 PM

Through extensive field demonstrations and trials suction excavation is rapidly becoming a preferred method of safe digging in a variety of situations OPERATIONAL SUCCESS By keeping all excavated materials dry suction excavation equipment allows original native extracted material to be dumped on site either in a bin or in a designated area This simple approach offers several important benefits including cost savings by maximizing on site productivity facilitating material re use and minimizing environmental impact while maintaining regulatory compliance especially as it relates to weight allowances On a recent project a Suction Excavator was put to good use during the installation by horizontal directional drilling of a 6 polyethylene main for a regional natural gas distribution company The contractor required a series of 4 feet by 16 feet by 4 feet deep pits running down the middle of the roadway to complete electro fusion connections In less than two hours the Suction Excavator had excavated the first pit which amounted to 10 cubic yards of spoils leaving a perfectly dry excavation for the fusion equipment and operator Utilizing the side tipping feature of the Dino 3 the spoils were dumped on site and consequently used to back fill the hole once the electro fusion connection was completed With no need to travel to special dump sites during the day nor make separate trips to fill with water like a typical hydro vac would be required to do the Suction Excavator stayed on site all day completing a total of four tie in pits and moving close to 40 cubic yards of soil in just one day The contractor noted that a hydro vac completing the same job would have done less than half the work required as well as requiring an additional 4 truckloads of backfill to be brought to the site and would have been overweight travelling to the local dump site due to the volumes required to be excavated On another project Super Sucker utilized the suction excavator to excavate a trench approximately 250 feet long by 10 inches wide and 2 feet deep at a pipeline pumping station Additionally two 12 foot deep holes where required to be excavated to facilitate the installation of large anodes The team quickly completed the project scope using a variety of onboard tools maintaining safe digging practices in alignment with site conditions The anode installation contractor expressed amazement at the speed and versatility of the equipment commenting that the time to excavate the anode pits was a tenth 845741_Trenchless indd 1 of what he is used to receiving from other service providers In consideration of the environmental condition of the excavated materials the spoils were offloaded on site into bins negating the travel time requirement associated with offsite disposal Moving forward Super Sucker truly believes that Ox Equipment and MTS suction excavation technology is a game changer in the vacuum excavation industry SPRING 2017 11 14 02 17 3 26 am