vacuworx? any one know about these

[briscoetab]

Don't know if this is the proper place to post this but I figured since this system is mainly used on excavators this was the best place for it. I was just wondering if anyone has experience using the vacuworx lifting system. The vacuworx system seems awesome but I haven't really talked to anyone who has one. The only person I have talked to it about was a truck driver delivering pipe to us on one of our jobs and he said they seemed very problematic and dangerous because when he delivered pipe to a job that had one they kept have to adjust the pad and they dropped a joint while taking it off his truck.

Is what this truck driver said normal for this system or was that just an occasion that those people didn't know what they were doing. We would really like to change the way we string pipe, right now we use stringing cables and it takes 6 guys to do it. Two guys on the truck to put stinging cables on pipe, two guys on the ground to hand stinging cables to guys on the truck, one more guy on the ground to help with skids and one operator to run trackhoe.

With the vacuworx you could cut it down to 3 guys or even two in a pinch. The vacuworx also would be way safer, I hate stinging pipe the way we do it now because it is so dangerous and stressful having to pay attention to everyone and make sure you don't hit them with the boom or the stringing cables or get somebody's fingers stuck between the pipe and the clamps.

We have thought about renting one and trying it out but don't know anyone around here who has one to rent. Also it is a lot of money to spend on something like this 80,000 dollars but if it works good it would be worth it. Here is the address for their website http://www.vacuworx.com/product_detail.html?product_id=7

 

[buckfever]

I have never worked with one of these but have seen them used a lot. One of the yards in my area that stores pipe for the gas wells has miles of pipe all loaded and unloaded with these.

 

[PAcattech]

We rent dozens of Vacuworx And I service several customers that own them and I have never herd of anyone dropping pipe . they are very reliable . easy to change pads for different sizes of pipe. and there parts avalibility has been very good when needed.

 

[briscoetab]

Thats good to hear PAcattech. Everything I have read and seen on their website makes them sound great. I have only seen one company that has had one and didn't get to see it in action. I really want us to get one, they look so much easier than using stringing cables, plus way safer. The other thing that I heard is you have to continually realign the pad, not that it took long but you had to make sure it was aligned right.

 

[JenniferB]

briscoetab, I would encourage you to shop around and compare before purchasing so you can make an informed decision. If you speak with people who own any vacuum lifting system I think they will tell you that it can save time, money, and increase safety on the job. In the U.S. vacuum lifting has been used to move line pipe since about 2000 I believe. Long enough to prove that it can contribute a lot to your job and your company.

this is my shameless plug and disclaimer: My company manufactures vacuum lifting equipment so we are a competitor to VW. I think you would find that our machine will last longer and takes less time and money to maintain, saving your company money. Depending upon your location we would be happy to put you in contact with someone who is using our equipment and has used both so you can judge for yourself. My website is www.lifttechnologiesinc.com. We would be happy to answer any questions.

 

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums JenniferB!:drinkup

this is my shameless plug and disclaimer: My company manufactures vacuum lifting equipment so we are a competitor to VW.

Thanks for being honest, we get a lot of spammers who think they are crafty but it's rather easy to see right through it.

Take a minute to read the Forum Rules - https://www.heavyequipmentforums.co...Equipment-Forums-Rules-and-Posting-Guidelines

Specifically this section -

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Your post is your "Freebie", feel free to discuss it in this thread and this thread only. If you would be interested in becoming a sponsor here on HEF, please contact Steve Frazier, the site founder.

 

[JenniferB]

Thank you CM1995. I do apologize. I did read the short version of the terms that came up when I signed up, to see about this issue. I do confess that I did not look any farther until after I had posted my comment! Thank you for your understanding. I will definitely check into sponsorship. Thanks also for the welcome, I've looked around a bit and look forward to exploring the forums more. Take care, Jennifer

 

[briscoetab]

JenniferB, what is the pricing on your company’s Lifting system? What makes it more durable and cost less for maintaining than Vacuwox's? What is the pipe diameter range this machine can lift? How long does it take to adjust the machine for lifting different diameter pipe? How long does it take to install and uninstall on most trackhoes? How long will the vacuum hold a joint of pipe if the engine shuts off? Does the machine have a rotor on it that will turn the machine from the cab, I assume it does but I can't tell? How much are the different pad's for different size of pipe? Can you lift flat pieces of material like steel plate? I do not see any of this information on your website and I would suggest y'all put some of it on the website because there is not much information on it. I am really interested in this technology and would be interested in trying one of your company's out, do you have any company’s in west Texas that rent your equipment?

I’m sure you would rather I call but I hate talking to sales people or company reps because they would rather sale a product than answer my questions and then I just want to get off the phone, so maybe you can answer my questions. One last thing, to be honest, based on the websites and what I have read about vacuwox in oilfield industry magazines their product is marketed way better. That doesn't mean your company's product is inferior but that is the one I would buy right now based on what I know and have read. I'm just giving you some constructive criticism, let me know why yours is better.

 

[Pipelinemech]

After having worked in the pipeline industry for fifteen years i can offer a little opinion on pipe vacs. I can tell you a many a night being on the phone at midnight with david when he worked for vacuworks trying to work the kinks out of an rc-12 or rc15. Myself i prefer the lift tech vac. The fella that started lift tech used to be the lead tech for vacuworks. The vacuworks has to be put in the stand if removed from the hoe whereas the liftech can sit on a pair of skids. Make sure whichever vac you demo that you ask them about maintenance parts. If its your firsttime using a vac you will go through a lot of shoe gasket. Get a few spare engine to vacpump couplers. Get you a few cans of gasket glue. Make sure u keep ypur rotation lines clear of pinch points. Be gentle on the rotation till you get used to the weight of the pipe in the air. Ill share more when i think of the list of problems we had with them.

 

[Pipelinemech]

Briscoe. If they were dropping pipe it was because they let the shoe gasket get bad and wasnt watching the pressure gauges or safety lights. If you center mark your pipe and shoe them set the machine straight onto center without sliding the shoe on the pipe you shouldnt have any problems. It doesnt take but about 10-15 minutes to swap shoes to a diff size. Just two pens and a hose. Your string will speed up immensley over using a boom and stringin cables. You can have them spare laborers up ahead chunkin skids.

 

[JenniferB]

wow, all good questions! and I totally understand not wanting to talk to SALES PEOPLE! I really do appreciate your feedback. We are in the process of upgrading our website so we should soon have more information as you noted. You are correct, we are not a marketing machine but we are also working on ways to get more exposure in the field.

I am happy to answer some questions here, others I would rather do privately. I will send you an email through the system and then you can reply to me and we can continue our discussion if you still want to. I will also be happy to work with you to find a customer's jobsite that you might be able to visit.....

Pricing and a time limit of vacuum holding the pipe with engine off are questions I would rather "discuss" privately. Since we are one of only 3 companies in the US who sell vacuum lifting equipment, this type of information is not usually displayed by any of us publicly. I believe we are competitive, but you can be the judge.

On to your other questions:
---Our equipment was designed to be more durable by the design of the structure itself ("the beam") and selection of the components that are put into it (diesel engine, vacuum pump, switches, electrical components, etc.). Our oldest machines are now 7 years old and we have seen some with upwards of 5,000 hours on them (running time).
---Our vac can be started/stopped by radio remote control from the cab of the excavator. If you're loading trucks this can save a lot of running time on the vac when your sitting and waiting on the next one.
---The cost of maintenance on our machines is lower mostly for 2 reasons. 1. You won't have to replace anywhere near as many parts on our machines as frequently as you might on others. Usually routine maintenance on our vacs is just that, fluids and filters and fix any parts broken in the field (the equipment does get well used!) Any part on our vac that costs big money is most likely going to last you a very long time. Our pumps and engines are heavy duty and the way our drive train is set up makes a unit that can go several thousand hours without major component replacement (without accidents or abuse). As I mentioned, our oldest units are 5-7 years old and most of them have NEVER had a pump or engine replaced. (I'll work on some statistics for you.)
---The diameter of the pipe you can lift is determined by the shoe, pad, or cup size. We call it a shoe. We make shoes that will lift from 6 inch to 54 inch pipe.
---The weight of the load you can lift is determined by the machine itself AND the capacity of the shoe. Our machine is rated to lift up to 30,000 lbs but each shoe has it's own limit too. You need to know the weight or sidewall of the pipe you intend to lift.
---Just to take one shoe off the machine and change to another size shoe should take about 5-10 minutes. There are two pins (about 12" long by 2.5" in diameter) that are pulled to release the shoe once it is set on the ground. Then you would move the hoe to put the machine over the second shoe. As you lower the machine over our shoes they have a self-aligning mechanism that allows them to drop in line to insert the pins back in so you can pick up the second shoe. It can be a one person operation with our equipment. I"m not sure about the others.
---Our machine installs/uninstalls in about 10-15 minutes. You slide the excavator pin provided with the machine through the end of the stick (bucket has to be removed, no quick hitch attachment). You take the "pin clamps" which are on the top of our yoke off (they are bolted on). Lower the stick over the machine and "sit" the pin down in the bottom half of the yoke. Then bolt the pin clamps back on the top of the yoke, connect to the hydraulic system on the hoe, and you are ready to start.
---You want to start to rotate the machine slowly, yes it will rotate from the cab a full 360 deg. The machine uses the bucket circuit so you just use the joysticks to turn it. As you turn it slowly to start you want to check for leaks and turn it several turns to clear any air that might have got in when you attached the quick coupler fittings.
---In general you can lift any material that is strong enough to withstand the vacuum, that is not too porous to hold the seal, and that is not going to tip or slide sideways putting a sideways force on the vacuum seal.

briscoetab, I really want to thank you for your questions and constructive criticism. I will send you an email shortly and maybe we can discuss your other concerns. Have a good night, Jennifer

 

[JenniferB]

Hi Pipelinemech, it's always fun to find someone who knew David "way back when".

 

[Pipelinemech]

He probly wont remember a vacum pump on am rc12 that was shimmed with the sidewall of a beer can late one night to get it to quit eating lovejoys lol

 

[JenniferB]

How much do you want to bet! He's got a memory like an elephant for that stuff. I'll ask him when I get home.

 

[briscoetab]

Thanks for the information JenniferB. I would love to see one in action on a job site. I have no experience with this type of equipment, all I know is what I have read and heard. I have been watching every pipeline job in the area hopping to see one but like I said the only one I have seen around here was just sitting on the job site and I didn't get to see it in action. I know right now I want one and I have been trying to talk the owner into looking at renting one for the next big job we do, if we could find one to rent. The upside to this equipment is enormous to me, if it works like advertised. I hate stringing pipe, it’s probably the most dangerous thing we do.

 

[Pipelinemech]

Briscoe another plus for lifttech is that if you have skips in your rightoway theres is easier to get on and off the machine for movement. I cant tell you how much pipe we have strung without ever having a accident with a vac. I can also tell you i have personally set in the seat of a 345 cat swinging 80' 42" .500 wall coming off a barge 14 hours a day for two months and never had a pressure loss incident. One trick is to show your operator between joints to loft the vac high enough he can see down the length of the bottom of the shoe from his seat. He will be able to see if the shoe seal has slipped out on a joint.

 

[briscoetab]

Pipelinemech, thats awesome and what I want to hear. I don't think we will me messing with anything that big ever but it's good to know. We don't really have the equipement to handle anything over about 20" diameter pipe depending on the wall thickness. I'll probably be the operator if we get one of these. I do most of our stringing, we don't have an operator we trust enough to do it any more. Hopefully we will get a couple good operators in the near future.

 

[Pipelinemech]

Runnin a vac is just like anything else. Itll take a little time to master. When i started i had the guys mark center of every joint in the yard so when it got to the row it was easier on me. After a while you get to where you can tell center just from experience. When you hook up the rotation lines for the vac to the bucket curl hoses, there are color coded flow control valves. Most have a chart for where to set them for different aizes of pipe. Try to start with the proper settings so your not fighting the pipe. Depending on pipe length and row width you can string from the rear of the trailer or beside it. There are two gauges. The one on the machine is amount of vaccum in the machine. The one on the shoe is shoe vaccum. Make sure you keep an eye on them so you dont ever risk dropping a joint. Dont lift any higher than needed. Dont swing over the truck or any person. Be patient and dont fight it and it can be a very handy tool.

 

[camtrans]

Briscoetab: Hello , I just joined this forum reading all the vacuworx threads .. I just want to let ya know I have been running and operating a Vacuworx RC10 series vac on and off for the past 8 years and have been around them since they where born or built ! Here are a few pointers for ya on the running of these tools . Always expect the unexpected :
Pre Inspect that machine before during and after , always expect the worse case scenario and have some type of plan in play , your in control of that machine and you need to be aware of the machine and the safety of your crew . This is some of the thing s I do running the vac
1) Always check your turret bolts inside the engine compartment above the engine , I've seen thebolts break in rough terrain and just loosen up over time
2) always check your air cleaners because of the dusty environment when we are stringing or in the cold with the snow and ice / I carry spare air cleaners for just in case .
3) Cold environment use a wind screen to keep the engine compartment warm for the Vacuum controls and actuaters - they do freeze up now and then - AND NEVER USE A WEED BURNER ON THOSE CONTROLS - IT COULD CAUSE A SUDDEN LOSE OF VACUUM AND DROP PIPE .
4) Set your turret hydraulics to the diameter/wall thickness/ length of pipe your lifting and spinning
5) Always try to keep the seal moist or damp during hot months - You can use a garden sprayer or the good ole water breaker as ya go ..
6)Cold months use the water sprayer too but with a 50/50 mix of rv antifreeze to prevent the seal from sticking like ralphy in the movie christmas story .
7) Never lift with the ropes on the pipe under the seal area - that will cause a possible vacuum break - not good at all .
8) Always use the caution factor also - people do get complacent during the same job scope , remember - the rules - suspended loads , pinch points , and always expect the unexpected .

This tool once you get comfortable using it , will make your production soar and put pipe on the ground in an efficent mater along with setting your stringing trucks up to be easily unloaded . When I am stringing I usually set the truck and trailer up 1/2 - 3/4 distance of the truck and trailer on the working zone side , track up center grab or offset grab depending on the terrain and lift , keeping the pipe away from the cab of the truck , bringing it to the straw and lowing into the scotch's of the skids and setting the pipe . truck has moved forward in location for the next pick .

Hope this helps ya , and good luck