excavator versus bucket wheel excavator

[EARTHWORM]

Which is faster and more accurate to put in drainage tile? An excavator or a bucket-wheel excavator? Thank you!

 

[JDOFMEMI]

I can't say for drainage tile, as I have never done it, but an excavator hasn't been made that can keep up with a bucket wheel trencher. pipeliners digging with them measure ditch in miles per day.

 

[sheepfoot]

We had a Cleveland machine years ago that we used to run water line, depending on the soil, depth, it moved at a fast pace, there are a lot of moving parts that take grease and service along with adjustments. The nice thing is when the material is good it makes backfilling better with less large chunks of material. Most had a fixed width, seem like ours had a 20" cut for the 8" water line. You have to have a backfill machine, and they are heavy, ours had crane pads, slick and would not pull well on wet ground. Their is a nice one on govdeals that would make someone a good machine. The trackhoe can do it all, dig, backfill, load material, get thru wet spots, etc. Most use a pull plow and crawler/large 4wd tractor. Sometimes you can contract it done cheaper depending on the acres involved.

 

[heavylift]

Excavators are faster in the city, when you dozens of utilities to cross daily. But in the wide open spaces, trencher is hands down faster.
We did have to hook a dozer on the front of trenchers to pull thru mud, ice, snow and steep hills. Hook up a winch, help them thru the tough spots.

we had a trencher job, first two day we cross a river, solid rock. Third day was the river bottom land, almost a mile and one half that day. Top of the hill. LOL we were lucky to get 12 feet a day. Two days equaled one joint of sewer pipe.
Oh! The 1 1/2 mile day the boss was majorly pe'od because we messed up his production totals. Which was 500 feet a day. He wouldn't comment on the 12 feet a day totals

 

[JDOFMEMI]

Don't worry, a week of those 12 foot days and you will be right back on schedule.

 

[heavylift]

Yeah, that company bit the dust about 30 years ago. Several bad bids on major projects. One of them left 5 million dollars on the table, I had talked to the second bidder later. He said they would have lost money if they had won. Their bid total was 13 million.

The job had 150 miles of water line, which was a trenched. 800 Vermeer. At least 50 miles of roads, camp grounds, rv parking areas, restrooms/showers and picnic areas