Top 10 uses for a hydrovac

Most people are familiar with garbage, tow, and pickup trucks, but these aren’t the only trucks that deserve their day in the sun! Hydrovacs, a lesser-known but useful vehicle, serve multiple purposes and provide several benefits. Using high-pressure water, hydrovacs break up soil and remove debris. These trucks are also equipped with powerful vacuums that remove dirt and soil while the water feature liquefies it. If you’re eager to learn more about exactly what hydrovacs can do, read on to learn about their wide range of uses. 

1. Installing signs

Signs are an essential part of any community’s landscape. They tell you what to do and what not to do, generally keeping drivers and pedestrians safe from harm. Hydrovacs are used to create holes in the ground where signs are then placed. Hydrovac trucks clear space where signs can sit by distributing high-pressure water into the dirt. You may not have considered it before, but hydrovacs eliminate the need for human labor when digging holes. Hydrovacs are also used to install fences and utility poles.

2. Debris removal

There’s no place too grimy for a hydrovac. Armed with pressurized water and powerful vacuum equipment, hydrovacs remove dirt, sludge, and other kinds of debris. Whether inside a sewer or an underground tank, hydrovac trucks can clean out important places without damaging surrounding areas. These impressive trucks can even remove tougher debris like rocks or clay.

3. Daylighting

Though many people are unfamiliar with hydrovacs, they’re practically a holy grail for a critical section of society: construction workers. Members of this industrious group utilize hydrovacs for many reasons, and chief amongst them is daylighting. Daylighting is the process by which pipes installed underground are exposed, allowing them to be worked on. Hydrovacs break up the soil around pipes, disturbing the dirt to make them visible without compromising their integrity. For this reason, using a hydrovac truck is safer and more efficient than working by hand. 

4. Cold-weather digging

Just because the temperature drops, the work day doesn't have to stop. Cold conditions often make digging and excavation difficult, as the ground sometimes freezes and hardens. The high-pressure water from a hydrovac is the perfect solution for this problem, using its remarkable power to break up frozen dirt and make digging possible. Hydrovacs transform chilly days that might have otherwise been wasted, allowing workers to continue performing necessary tasks even in the cold. 

5. Backfill restoration

After exposing utility lines or digging holes, hydrovacs don’t just leave a mess of soil in their wake. Hydrovacs can easily restore a site to the way it was before, refilling holes or trenches and eliminating the need for clean-up.

6. Soil trenching

If you think we’re nearing the end of our list, then you’re underestimating the value of hydrovac trucks. Soil trenching, or the process of creating narrow trenches in the dirt, is yet another job easily accomplished with hydrovacs. Soil trenches are necessary for installing cables and pipelines, and because they’re narrow, they require a very exacting tool. Fortunately, hydrovacs are precise and capable of working in tight spaces. Without hydrovacs, soil trenching is a much messier and more tedious task.

7 . Sewer repairs

Sewers may not be glamorous, but they are an infrastructural necessity. Hydrovacs use vacuum technology and high-pressure water systems to clean them out. Hydrovacs remove debris like dirt and sediment, preventing eventual blockages down the road. Hydrovacs are also used to clear the way for maintenance workers, carefully exposing sewer lines so they can be repaired. Without hydrovac trucks, our sewers would be much filthier and less functional. 

8. Landscaping

It’s no secret that landscaping projects are arduous and time-consuming. Whether you’re landscaping a single yard or a larger tract, hydrovac trucks simplify the process and help move things along more quickly. Hydrovacs are used for digging holes swiftly and easily, so landscapers can dig space for and plant several trees in one afternoon. Next time you pass by a large-scale landscaping project, don’t be surprised to see a hydrovac or two helping out.

9. Remote digging

Hydrovacs deliver results where other kinds of equipment cannot. Excavation isn’t always easy, and this is especially clear when working in cramped or crowded areas. This is where remote digging comes in handy. When access to a site is restricted by narrow streets, crowds, or other inconveniences, workers can use a hydrovac’s long hose to excavate without getting in the way. For hard-to-reach spaces, hydrovac trucks are lifesavers. 

10. Line installation

We’ve already covered the relationship between hydrovacs and sign installation, but signs are far from the only thing hydrovac trucks help to install. Hydrovacs are also used to install utility lines, exposing existing lines for replacement and making room for brand new ones to be put in. By using hydrovacs, widely known for their precision, workers avoid damaging existing utility lines. Hydrovac trucks make line installation safer and less complicated.

Transform your workflow with a hydrovac

At Summit Truck Equipment, we aim to make hard work easier. If any of the items on this list caught your attention, view the high-quality hydrovac trucks available on our website or stop by one of our locations today for a better look.