FAQ's

Mechanical excavation is fine for removing overburden on greenfield construction sites, but in areas where buried pipes and lines may be present, the risk of a costly and dangerous utility strike is too high to dig this way. Hydro excavation is a fast, cost-effective, and repeatable alternative to hand digging, the only other viable utility-adjacent option. Some states and municipalities, in fact, have already made “soft digging” a legal requirement.

Air excavation is an option on all X-Vac units. Air excavation is an alternative to hydro excavation, using high-pressure air to break up soil. This technology has the advantage of producing dry spoil that can be returned immediately to the dig hole. It is, however, slower than Hydro excavation, and typically less comfortable for the operator.

There are several key points to consider. Power comes first. Will the unit have the water pressure and vacuum draw to effectively break up and remove whatever material operators encounter? X-Vac trucks are built with the biggest available pumps and blowers, all driven directly off the transfer case for minimal power loss from chassis powerplant. Payload comes next. Does the unit have both the water capacity you need to keep digging, and the spoil capacity to carry away the resulting dirt, all without producing a truck that’s too long and heavy to be practical? X-Vac’s units provide a range of size options, each of which has class-leading capacity for their footprint. Then consider safety. Are there built-in features to protect your trained operators and technicians while using and servicing the unit? X-Vacs feature standard tank and door prop rods, out of stow boom alarms, and dual e-stops on both control panel and wireless remote. Finally, look into unit reliability and maintainability. This can be difficult to assess, but if a hydro excavator is loaded with complex proprietary systems requiring specialized equipment to diagnose, and featuring parts only available from the manufacturer, it could be difficult to keep running. X-Vac is designed to defeat downtime, with simple and robust systems, built with high-quality commercially available components.

X-Vac’s are all built with an insulated mechanical enclosure protecting major water system components from the weather. A wide range of additional cold-weather options are also available, including insulated and heated water lines, water recirculation systems, antifreeze systems, and enclosure heaters and boilers. These systems will keep your water lines from freezing during use and provide the flexibility of hot water for digging in frozen soils.

Naturally, we also recommend that you winterize your units, using the standard air blowout system, whenever they’re parked and not in use. See your manual for instructions.

X-Vac collaborates with all major chassis suppliers. Contact us for more details.