- Trencher (machine)
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A wheel trencher in South Africa
A trencher is a piece of construction equipment used to dig trenches, typically for laying pipes or cables, or for drainage. Trenchers may range in size from walk-behind models, to attachments for a skid loader or tractor, to very heavy tracked heavy equipment.
Contents
Types
Trenchers come in different sizes and may use a different digging implement, depending on the required width and depth of the trench and the hardness of the surface to be cut. Trenchers must be handled with extreme care because they are very dangerous equipment.
Wheel Trencher
A Barber-Greene trencher. Barber-Greene is now a division of Caterpillar
A rockwheelA wheel trencher or rockwheel is composed of a toothed metal wheel. It is cheaper to operate and maintain and can cut harder ground than chain-type trenchers. Thanks to the wheel it is possible to work in hard or soft soils, either homogeneous (compact rocks, silts, sands) or heterogeneous (split or broken rock, alluvia, moraines). This is particularly true because a cutting wheel works by clearing the soil like a bucket-wheel does but not like a rasp (chain trencher). Consequently it will be less sensitive to the presence of blocks in the soil. They are also used to cut pavement for road maintenance and to gain access to utilities under roads.
Due to its design the wheel may allow to reach with the same tool variable cutting depths while keeping a constant soil working angle with a relatively small wheel diameter (which allows to reduce the weight and therefore the pressure to the ground and the height of the unit for transport purposes in particular).
Last but not least advantage is offered by the cutting elements. These segments (6 to 8 depending on the diameter) which are placed around the wheel, bear the teeth which will more or less densified depending on the ground that they will encounter. These tools which can be easily changed manually allow to adjust different cutting width on the same wheel. The teeth are placed in a semi spherical configuration in order to increase the removal of the materials from the trench. The teeth on a rockwheel are removable and made of high strength steel (HSLA steel, tool steel or high speed steel) or cemented carbide. When the machine is under heavy use, the teeth may need to be replaced frequently, even daily.
A system of spacers and ejectors makes possible to move the excavated materials away from the edges of the trench and therefore to avoid a possible “recycling”. Wheel trenchers may be mounted on tracks or rubber tires.
Chain Trencher
A track trencher with a digging chainA chain trencher cuts with a digging chain that is driven around a rounded metal frame, or boom. It resembles a giant chainsaw. This type of trencher can cut ground that is too hard to cut with a bucket-type excavator. This type of trencher can cut narrow and deep trenches. The angle of the boom can be adjusted to control the depth of the cut. To cut a trench, the boom is held at a fixed angle while the machine creeps slowly.
The chain trencher is a great tool for trenching for large diameter networks (telecommunication, electricity, drainage, water, gas, sanitation....) especially in rural areas. The excavated materials can be removed by conveyor belt reversible either on the right or on the left.
There are various methods for excavating trenches in rock – principally drill and blast, hydraulic breakers and chain trenchers. Selection of trench excavation method must take into account a range of rock and machine properties. It is suggested that the advantages of using chain trenchers in suitable rock outweigh the limitations and may have cost benefits and fewer adverse environmental effects compared with alternative methods.[1]
Micro Trencher
A Marais micro trencher machineA micro trencher is a "small rockwheel" specially designed for work in urban area. It is fitted with a cutting wheel that cuts a microtrench with smaller dimensions than can be achieved with conventional trench digging equipment. The trench dimensions are widths ranging from about 30 mm to 130 mm, and a maximum depth of about 500 mm. These machines are sometimes radio-controlled. With a micro trencher, the structure of the road is maintained and there is no associated damage to the road. Owing to the reduced trench size, the volume of waste material excavated is also reduced.
Micro trenchers are used to minimize traffic or pedestrian disturbance during network laying. It may also be used to install FTTx connections. Indeed, a Micro Trencher can work on sidewalks or in narrow streets of cities, can cut harder ground than a chain trencher, including cutting through solid stone. They are also used to cut pavement for road maintenance and to gain access to utilities under roads.
Portable Trencher
A portable trencher machine in operationLandscapers and lawn care specialist may use a portable trencher to install landscape edging and irrigation lines. These machines are lightweight (around 200 pounds) and are easily maneuverable compared to other types of trenchers. The cutting implement may be a chain, or a blade similar to a rotary lawn mower blade oriented so that it rotates in a vertical plane.
Applications
A Ditch Witch trencher in operationA trencher may be combined with a drainage pipe or geotextile feeder unit and backfiller, so drain or textile may be placed and the trench filled in one pass.
See also
- Bucket-wheel excavator, a larger cousin of the trencher.
- Plate compactor, a type of trench compactor.
References
- ^ [1], Advantages and limitations of using chain trenchers in rock, Pipelines International September 2009
External links
Notable Manufacturers
Categories:- Engineering vehicles
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