Trenching Frozen Ground
Trenching Frozen Ground
With Canada’s harsh climates, utility set-ups can fail or be needed before Spring. A lot of companies will not excavate if the ground is frozen for several reasons
- Equipment motors can’t handle the force of breaking through tough ground
- Equipment attachments take too much abrasive damage.
- Harsher ground takes a lot longer to cut through and can be costly if not done with the correct equipment.
- Operators are incredibly uncomfortable in cold conditions.
Utilities can fail all year round, pipes can burst, or additional areas where utilities will need to be repaired or installed. Work will slow down but it the work never stops to keep up with the growing population.
Witch Diggers & Bobcats
When the ground freezes, frost penetrates several feet below the surface, this makes the soil more abrasive. Witch Diggers and Bobcat attachments need to be winter fitted with alligator-tooth chains to accommodate the weather. The Alligator tooth chains are made for abrasive material. The standard cup chain will be too brittle to do this work effectively.
Larger Bobcats and equipment with more HP are recommended to withstand cutting through the abrasive ground. Completing the project with a smaller motor, can increase the cost of a project, cost of maintaining the equipment, and the time spent removing the ground.
Hydrovac Services
Some might look to Hydrovac for locating utilities and small trenches in winter. Hydrovac trucks are equipped with heated tanks that use a high-powered coil. This allows the water to easily penetrate the ground and cut through frost and deep-frozen ground.
In extreme cold though, constantly running a heater overtime can cause the system stress. If the heater is left off for a period of time, the water tank can freeze. Depending on the temp, the water can also flash freeze in cold and cause a risk for the jobsite and the operator. This make Hydrovac only ideal for a limited amount of winter projects.
King of winter cutting – The Vermeer Trencher
The Vermeer trencher is one of the only pieces of equipment designed to handle a lot of cutting in cold weather conditions. The increase size on the blade, the motor, and the overall design help to speed up the rate at which the trenching takes place. This cuts down on the time the operators need to be out in the cold. This makes the Vermeer Trencher one of the safest, fastest, and most affordable method of trenching in winter.
Want to see the Vermeer in action? Click here to see some footage of the Vermeer Trencher at work in Frog Lake, Alberta. It is an incredible piece of equipment!
How CanWest adapts to Weather
CanWest is always growing our fleet of equipment and have been adapting to Canada environments for over 40+ years. With locations in Calgary and Leduc, we are while versed in all that winter can throw at us. We know our equipment, our people, and have learned ways to work around cold weather.
We keep teams all year round and gear-up for winter. Our team is constantly monitoring the weather for project conditions and scheduling in work when given the green light. Our team is on-call for emergencies 24/7 and are often one of the first calls for work that needs done same-day.
Have a winter project and don’t want to wait until spring, contact our team today to receive a FREE estimate. A specialized estimator can walk you through all of your winter options and schedule you in for work to be completed. CanWest also has a Rentals division with alot of winter equipment options available to help contractors reduce project costs and to provide additional solutions.
Winter is a great time to get projects done!
Contact us today to arrange for a free Estimate.
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