Expanding and rebuilding aging large-diameter infrastructure is a growth area for the underground construction industry. Local, state and federal governments are making huge investments to update aging water, gas and storm sewer systems, and the energy market continues to build pipelines for oil and gas, as well as electrical transmission and distribution lines.
Many of the engineering specifications for large-diameter infrastructure projects mandate contractors to do the work using minimally invasive methods. Project planners want the job done while limiting the size of the project footprint and disruption to the environment and surrounding communities. That means using purpose-built equipment designed to work efficiently during every phase of a large-diameter infrastructure project.
Vermeer has you covered
From site preparation and locating existing infrastructure to installing conduits, casings and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe, Vermeer offers an extensive line of equipment to help your team maximize productivity on large-diameter infrastructure projects.
Clearing the way
Vermeer offers one of the industry’s most robust lines of wood recycling equipment. Vermeer whole tree chippers, horizontal grinders and tub grinders quickly process downed trees and brush material. Through a distribution partnership, Vermeer dealers also offer a wide range of Fecon forestry mulching equipment well suited for clearing small overgrowth of brush material.
Vermeer right-of-way clearing equipment solutions are an environmentally-friendly way to get the job done while producing uniform organic wood chips that can be reused to support plant regrowth.
Daylighting what’s underground
On any underground construction job, daylighting/potholing existing infrastructure is an industry best practice to help avoid striking buried utilities. Vacuum excavation is the soft digging method that helps reduce the risk of damaging the buried infrastructure being located. The wide range of Vermeer truck and trailer vacs allows you to choose the right-sized vacuum excavator for your crew, the project and the work that needs to be done.
The usefulness of vacuum excavators doesn’t stop there. Vacuum excavators are essential for supporting horizontal directional drill (HDD) crews with transporting and disposing of used drilling slurry.
Cutting trenches
It doesn’t matter if the pipe you’re laying is for oil, gas, electrical lines, water or wastewater; you need excavation equipment that can cut a trench quickly while maintaining grade. Vermeer trenchers are an excellent option to consider, especially if your project is on rocky grounds. Trenchers can outpace excavators on open-cut projects and leave you with packable material that can be reused as cover material on many projects. When excavating with a trencher, the ditch also has straight sidewalls. They dig the right amount of material for the utility product going in, unlike excavators, which often dig trenches wider than necessary to achieve the specified depth.
The Vermeer trencher line ranges from 185 horsepower to 600 horsepower (138 kW to 447 kW) and can be equipped with booms sized from 4 feet to 18 feet (1.2 m to 5.5 m), as well as rockwheel or bucket wheel attachments.
Boring below
Of course, not every part of a large-diameter infrastructure project can be done using open-cut excavation methods. For installs under lakes, rivers, protected forests, wetlands and roadways, Vermeer offers one of the industry’s most extensive product lines of trenchless technology solutions.
Large-diameter and long-distance trenchless installs require powerful HDDs that bore deep, can make long shots, open wide holes and pull back heavy products. The Vermeer drill line delivers a wide range of options. It starts with the Vermeer D100x140 S3 HDD that’s quick to set up and can use standard walkover bore tracking systems or wireline systems, depending on the job specifications. From there, the line steps up to a 220,000-pound (99,790.3-kg) drill class, featuring the D220x500 S3 HDD. You can configure this machine specifically for the type of work your crew does, and it excels in urban environments as well as in rural areas.
Another standout model in the Vermeer line is the D550 HDD with its class-leading 100,000 foot-pounds (135,581 Nm) of torque, advanced telematics, and smart onboard technology and diagnostic information. It’ll help your crew excel on large-diameter utility and/or energy pipeline jobs.
In total, the Vermeer large drill line gives you nine different models to choose from.
Supporting a bore
No large-diameter HDD project can be done without quality support equipment to help you mix drilling fluid, pump it down the drill hole and recycle the returns. Vermeer offers a line of reclaimers for mixing mud and recycling the returns. But where these units really excel is filtering out sand during the recycling process to help drill pumps last.
When you need a high-pressure mud pump for large-diameter bores, your local Vermeer dealer is a phone call away. They can also assist you on shorter bores or when a project prohibits the use of HDD (under railroad tracks). Vermeer MV Solutions produces a wide range of auger boring machines, as well as On-Target (OTS) and Steerable Rock (SRS) systems, to keep your short, large-diameter bores on grade and in line.
More than machines
To excel on large-diameter infrastructure projects, it takes more than having quality equipment. You also need a trained team, service support, parts and tooling. Your local Vermeer dealer can help you with all these things. Vermeer dealers offer a range of training options from operator training to mud mixing training events. Vermeer dealers also have highly trained service technicians to work on your machinery and get you whatever parts or tooling you need to help keep your crews putting product in the ground.
As opportunities for large-diameter underground construction grows, trust Vermeer and the Vermeer dealer network to be there to support you through every phase of your next large-diameter infrastructure project.
Vermeer Corporation and Vermeer MV Solutions, Inc. reserve the right to make changes in engineering, design and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications.
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