Perfectly optimized civil engineering processes with the suction excavator
“We are not a civil engineering company that also has a suction excavator. We work with suction excavators and also carry out civil engineering work with them – among many other things.” Oliver Schapfel, Saugbagger Hochrhein
A classic pipe rehabilitation is planned in Bad Säckingen. For this, the existing gas and water pipes have to first be exposed. Instead of using manual digging, the contracted company Saugbagger Hochrhein GmbH relies on a sophisticated process using a DINO VARIO suction excavator with 12 m³ collecting container from MTS Mobile Tiefbau Saugsysteme GmbH.
Perfect task for a suction excavator
The suction excavator company’s task: Expose the connections to 15 buildings with a total of 110 housing units to renovate the pipes.“ This is a perfect job for a suction excavator,” says entrepreneur Schapfel. “With our DINO VARIO from MTS, we are perfectly equipped to tackle it.The suction excavator is not just the only sensible alternative to manual digging but with the right process, we have been able to make the entire construction site much more efficient.”
Suction excavator saves time and resources
Oliver Schapfel describes the process: “When working in the vicinity of gas pipelines, mechanical excavation is permitted up to a maximum of 30 centimeters above or to the side of the pipelines. To work as efficiently as possible, we divided the construction process into two successive work steps. In the first step, our team dug a 300-meter-long trench with an excavator to gain access to the pipes. For access to the house connections, we also cut out 1 m wide shafts and removed the upper asphalt layer in these areas.”
Pipe rehabilitation made efficient
Instead of time-consuming manual digging, the DINO VARIO from MTS takes over the second stage in the pipe rehabilitation process. The suction excavator with its 12 m³ suction container is mounted on a truck with tridem axles, steered trailing axle and offers a permissible total weight of 32 tons.“ An employee used a compressed air spade to loosen the earth around the pipes,” Oliver Schapfel describes the process. “A second employee controls the suction excavator’s suction pipe using a remote control. The loosened material was quickly and safely suctioned out between the pipes – without us having to risk damaging a pipe.” The air flow is generated in the vacuum excavator by a twin fan with four turbines. A suction force of up to 130 kg is generated with a vacuum of 55,000 Pascals.The suction power is impressive. The patented MTS suction system even sucks up larger chunks of rock with ease. Once a connection is exposed, the truck is remotely controlled to the nearest house connection by the hydrostatic drive.The construction team saves time again, since the suction mode does not have to be interrupted.
Two employees and the DINO VARIO
"Two employees and the DINO VARIO – that’s all we need to expose the house connections quickly and easily,” adds the suction excavator entrepreneur.“As a result, we can manage up to two house connections in one day instead of two days with manual digging.”
The DINO VARIO with a collecting container capacity of 12 m³ is the best-selling suction excavator from the MTS Mobile Tiefbau suction systems.It can collect the excavated material from two to three house connections.The suction container can easily be emptied into a container on site.This also eliminates time-consuming trips by truck to the landfill site.By the way, every customer can choose their preferred brand as a carrier vehicle.
From idea to thriving company
Saugbagger Hochrhein is a young company. Oliver Schapfel came into contact with suction excavators from MTS a few years ago when he was employed as a construction manager in Switzerland and he was impressed. “My initially vague idea to start my own business with a suction excavator company quickly gained momentum after a thorough consultation with an MTS account manager. ”On a Friday evening, he had sat and planned starting his own business with a suction excavator. On Saturday morning, he realized:“It’s not even worth starting with less than two.” That was 2020. “Today we have 9 DINOs from MTS in our fleet and employ 31 people.”
Specialized in suction excavation services
“Our specialization in suction excavation services is what makes us so successful,” says the entrepreneur.“We are not a civil engineering company that also has a suction excavator. We are a suction excavation company that carries out civil engineering work – along with many other things, such as house and flat roof renovations, industrial cleaning, and jobs to do with energy production.”
The suction excavator in this story
DINO VARIO
Powerful suction and heavy loads.
The DINO VARIO suction excavator combines power and maneuverability.
