Track It Out
Mighty Tracked Trenchers Tackle Utility Installations
By Jason Morgan
 Its presence is undeniable. Casting an intimidating shadow over the jobsite, the tracked trencher hungers for productivity, as it chews up earth and rock. You’re likely to find these ditch-digging beasts on utility, pipeline, mining and wind farm installation jobsites, but to pigeon-hole the tracked trencher would be folly.
“Track trenchers can be used in most any application,” says Jason Zylstra, Solutions Specialist, Utility Products for Vermeer, a Pella, Iowa-based manufacturer of tracked trenchers. “[The jobs] can range from on-grade sewer to cross country pipeline. Unless you are working in congested cities or established neighborhoods, where open cutting is not an option, trenching is a cost-effective way to put in the product, be it water, gas, sewer or footings.”
Though it may seem like an excavator is a more common sight on a utility installation jobsite, the tracked trencher offers many benefits compared with its boom-arm digging brethren. For example, a trencher only excavates the amount of ditch determined by the depth and width of the cutters. You are not over excavating with a trencher like you do with an excavator. In some applications, you are able to re-use the spoil as pipe bedding. If you use an excavator, you typically have to bring in a foreign material to back fill with. In today’s market, any potential cost savings means more money in your pocket.
“Tracked trenchers can offer faster excavating cycles, from trench bottom to spoil pile for more controllable results, less backfilling and reduced project completion times,” says Kris Phillips, Sales Representative for Tesmec, a manufacturer based in Texas that offers a wide variety of tracked trenchers. “The material that is removed from the trench can often be used for select fill without running it through a crusher. In some instances, a tracked trencher also eliminates the need to blast therefore eliminating the danger and expense associated with explosives.”
In the current cost-cutting environment, you might be able to save on job costs using a tracked trencher. Depending on the application, the calculator can determine the cost per foot of a tracked trencher compared with an excavator, or multiple excavators if the job calls for it.
“The increased average daily trencher production in rock or dirt vs. an excavator is an advantage,” says Kelly J. Ralls, Trench-Tech International’s Vice President of Sales. “An excavator is better for loading and unloading pipe from truck to projects, and for safety precautions, exposing existing lines and pothole ditch, before a trencher begins working. But a trencher can work in a narrow right of way, because there is no swing movement in the trenchers operation. And it tends to stay on grade better while providing a more consistent square-bottom ditch for back fill and the laying of the pipe.”
Tracked trenchers are commonly categorized by weight and engine horsepower. For larger installations, tracked trenchers typically range from 220 to 900 hp, with digging depths up to 24 ft and widths up to 48 in.
The most common manufacturers are Vermeer, Tesmec, Trench-Tech and Trencor. Of course, there are miniature versions of tracked trenchers that start around 42 hp and have cutting widths starting around 5 in. The method of trenching can also be a categorizing factor. The most typical being chainsaw, rocksaw, bucket or drum cutter trenching.
As the name would suggest, the undercarriage is a major component of the tracked trencher. “The main purpose of the undercarriage is to provide a solid and stable platform to work from,” says Phillips. “The tracked undercarriage provides that solid base that would be impossible to get from a wheeled undercarriage. Tesmec does offer a tilt undercarriage on several of its models to maintain a vertical wall while operating on a slope.”
For many manufacturers, tracked trencher undercarriage manufacturing is an important focus. Vermeer, for example, builds the complete undercarriage to use CAT-spec track chains for its line of track-mounted trenchers. The benefit to building them in house is that Vermeer is able to build them more robust to accommodate the difference in machine models, says Tony Bokhoven, Solutions Specialist — Tracks for Vermeer. Each model’s undercarriage is specifically engineered and designed with a certain weight machine and application in mind.
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| In the current cost-cutting environment, you might be able to save on job costs using a tracked trencher. Tracked trenchers can offer faster excavating cycles, from trench bottom to spoil pile for more controllable results, less backfilling and quicker project completion times, compared with excavators. |
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One of the most innovative track designs in the past few years has been Vermeer’s quad track system. Available on its 75- to 125-hp class of trenchers, the system offers great flotation and side hill stability, compared with rubber tire machines. The quad track system also has relatively no breakover point, according to Vermeer. Compared with dual track trenchers, the quad track system keeps full power to the ground at all times.
Innovations don’t stop at the undercarriage. The most recent technology developments have been in the grade control field — both in GPS machine control grading and 2D grading systems (laser and sonic). Though laser and sonic systems have been around since the 1970s, laser, sonic and GPS grade control systems are becoming commonplace on jobsites to control and monitor the depth of the digging chain.
Laser systems are able to dial in a grade and have it projected by the laser in a 360-degree dome light stream that the machine sensors can pick up, and sonic systems use sonic sensors to sense the ground and allow machines to work in both vertical and horizontal grades. GPS systems, on the other hand, utilize triangulated points from the global positioning system satellites to create a 3D mock-up of the jobsite to control the grade.
“We typically see Topcon or Tremble brand units [installed on machines],” says Zylstra. “They are used for grade and depth control in situations where you are installing on-grade sewer and cutting flat floors for mining applications.”
Beyond technological jobsite advances, the tracked trencher’s churning chain is a modern construction marvel. The teeth that cut into the ground are changeable to match the soil you’re digging in. In dirt, most chains are equipped with cup cutters, while a conical bit, with tungsten carbide inserts, are used for rock applications. There is also a steel cutter with impregnated carbide hard facing on the outside to reduce wear. Depending on the application, there are different sizes available.
Long hours spent cutting into the ground can be taxing on both you and your machine. These days, manufacturers are taking the time to make sure that the cab is nice and comfortable. The ever important A/C and heat are offered in the operator’s station by most manufacturers, and the cabin is pressurized in order to reduce air contamination and enhance air quality. Manufacturers, like both Tesmec and Vermeer, have made great strides to reduce the noise and vibrations that are felt and heard by the operator, which is important when you are putting in those long hours.
Your machine keeps you comfy and gets the job done, so be sure to return the favor when it comes to daily and long-term service checks. While it’s always important to check your owner’s manual for the machine’s exact maintenance schedule, the basics typically include monitoring the air filter monitoring system, servicing the grease points on the machine and monitoring the tension of the digging chain and undercarriage track chain.
“As with any heavy machinery, daily maintenance is the key to the lifespan that you will get out of your equipment,” says Phillips. “The machine must always be thoroughly greased and all fluid levels maintained. In addition, trenchers must be checked daily for any loose bolts or hardware due to the environment in which they work.”
After all, when you invest from $400,000 to upwards of $1.7 million into a tracked trencher and rely on it day in and day out, you want to make sure that it keeps pulling its weight. To dig into the trencher market and find the right trencher for you is a matter of balancing your needs with your budget and figuring out the best long-term solution for your outfit.
Jason Morgan is Associate Editor of Utility Contractor.
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