It’s Just A Hole, Right?!

You may think an excavation is an excavation – just suck it up! However, many factors play a role in determining the best truck for your job.  

To start, having a basic job scope and understanding of the amount of materials that need to be moved will make project planning easier and allow for the most cost-effective decisions to be made.  

Choosing the right equipment from a diverse fleet may feel overwhelming but Super Sucker has a team of experts available to help you accurately assess your job scope and provide you with the best, and most efficient equipment options for your specific job.  

Here are some factors to consider about your excavation when booking a vac truck:

 

DO YOU HAVE VALID LOCATES?  

Unfortunately, word-of-mouth confirmation is not sufficient enough.  

Even though vacuum excavation is a safe way of digging, breaking any ground without valid locates is illegal. It doesn’t matter if you are digging for a fence post or a warehouse, we need to have valid locates in place (within the past 30 days).  

 

WHAT TYPE OF MATERIAL IS IT?  

The type of material will affect what truck would be best for the job.  

A hydrovac will be your best option if the material is very wet. A hydrovac will also be beneficial if the material is extremely hard, as the high-pressure water will easily cut through the material.  

An advanced suction excavator, or dry vac, will be the more productive truck if the material is sandy, soft, or full of rocks. It’s also the best option if you’re looking to reuse excavated materials or want to avoid excess soils requirements. Our dry vacs are also equipped for demolition work as they use high-powered air compressors and can be outfitted with pneumatic tool options. 

 

VEHICLE ACCESS: 

How good is the vehicle’s access to the excavation location? If it is spacious and the truck can park close by, then any truck can be used, and the digging can be done right off the truck, eliminating the need for remote hose.  

A smaller truck may be easier to maneuver and set up if it is a congested area. An MTS DINO 4.5 or Rival T-7 would be suitable for tighter spaces.  

If the closest spot to park is far from the excavation location, remote hose will be needed to complete the job. Knowing the distance from the parking and excavation locations will allow our crews to bring the proper hose length. 

 

SITE-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS:  

Do you have unique requirements on your site that would apply to our equipment or crews?  

Do crews need specific training to be granted entry into a particular area? Does the work need to be completed in a specific window? After hours/night work? Traffic Control – is there a flagger required? Or any other occupational health and safety factors that need to be communicated. 

 

EXCAVATION: 

Do crews need locks and tags? Will the excavation surpass six feet – then require fall protection? Is it a confined space? Is there concrete that needs to be broken that will require a jackhammer? Is the excavation around a tree that needs to be protected?  

  

HOLE PROTECTION:  

The excavation is complete – now what? Leaving an open hole would be unsafe and dangerous. Would you like it backfilled immediately? Do you need concrete poured on top?  Would you like it fenced off or boarded  up? Are you interested in Super Sleeves; a product that helps temporarily maintain the shape of a hole and can be locked to secure the excavation and its contents. 

 

DISPOSAL:  

It is crucial to have a plan for disposal before you start digging.  

Would you like to reuse the material for backfill or another project? Then avoiding the use of adding water and maintaining the material’s original properties by choosing an advanced suction excavator is your best option.  

Is the material contaminated, and do you want it off your site? Then using a hydro vac and dumping it at a contaminated disposal site is a good option. 

 

 

We Got Your Vac!

We have been serving Ontario’s utilities, municipalities, construction, and infrastructure industries for over 20 years, so we understand the everchanging landscape of your jobsite and we are equipped to handle just about any situation that you may encounter. Our customer support team is here to help you manage your projects efficiently, and with a better understanding of your excavation when scheduling equipment, we will most definitely improve your project’s timelines and overall costs. 

We proudly service the GTA, Burlington, Hamilton, Mississauga, Newmarket, London, Cambridge, and Tri-City areas.

If you have any further questions, contact us at sales@supersucker.ca or call our Book-A-Truck hotline.