Trenchless equipment demand keeps growing

Upgrading ageing infrastructure and the installation of high-speed fibre solutions throughout the country has dramatically increased the requirement for all types of trenchless technologies.

With its extensive Southern African footprint and world-leading plant, ELB Equipment is at the forefront of supplying the contractors who are responsible for the installation of these utilities. Whether the requirement is to drill servitudes underneath the span of a major highway, send a small piercing tool below a residential driveway or undertake major pipe replacement projects without disrupting surface activities, the equipment distributor has it all.

Keith Smith, national sales manager: Ditch Witch, ELB Equipment, says the company has the technical expertise to assist municipalities and contractors to find viable trenchless solutions for infrastructure delivery headaches. With operations across the region, even the smallest and most remote municipalities should have access and support nearby.

Safe option

“Trenchless technologies represent the safest and easiest means of placing utilities such as water, electricity and data infrastructure in urban areas, especially where blueprints are inaccurate, in sensitive areas or where high volumes of surface traffic are encountered,” Smith explains.

“The popularity of our trenchless equipment in recent times is due to the rapidly growing demand in our major centres, but also demand from contractors in outlying areas where our branch and dealer network gives us the unique ability to service clients countrywide and across borders. In addition, our field service technicians are on the ground and provide coverage for most regions to ensure proper support for our equipment,” he continues.

Commonly purchased equipment includes Ditch Witch’s range of Hammerhead piercing tools, or moles as they are referred to in the industry, which are commonly used in fibre installations. They are also increasingly being used to minimise disruptions in the installation of electricity and water infrastructure.

These tools are mainly used under roads, driveways and other obstacles and range from 50 mm to 145 mm in diameter. Models with reciprocating heads and no moving parts are becoming the tools of choice due to their efficiency and reliability.

Precise work

“Similarly, among larger contractors, horizontal directional drills are fast becoming a mainstay for larger-scale applications where drills like our powerful Ditch Witch JT 10 and 20 are being used to drill under obstacles, whether it be a large road, building, dam or river. The ability to guide the drilling head around other buried infrastructure is also invaluable when installing utilities such as gas, electricity, telecommunications, water or any other requirement,” says Smith.

He adds that ageing water and sewage infrastructure at many of our municipalities has also given rise to the popularity of another trenchless tool in the form of pipe-bursting equipment. The Hammerhead range is already extensively used in most municipalities, where it is used to simultaneously burst ageing pipes and pull new HDPE piping in behind it.

The Hammerhead range is easily able to deal with steel, clay, concrete, asbestos and other pipe material types with the addition of different fittings. Both static and pneumatic models are available depending on individual contractor requirements. Ground-penetrating radar and locators from Subsite Electronics, as well as other equipment to assist trenchless contractors, are also available.