Suction excavators are used in roadside repairs and will remove the waste materials – saving the transportation and use of a normal excavator or backhoe loader, as well as replacing the grab loader that would have to clear up after the dig. The Suction excavators – also known as ‘Saugbaggers’ (from the German saug – or suck) can carry out the work of a traditional excavator in limited room and at speed with little mess and worry. Expensive to buy new, these machines could save money in the longer term as the number of people needed to operate is lower than with traditional methods.
Popular manufacturers of these truck bodies are German RSP with a UK division based in Bedfordshire. Not to be confused with vacuum excavation pumps that are typically used only for liquid or semi-liquid materials. A powerful suction excavator can suck up material from a depth of 40 m and most suction excavators work with a suction hose diameter of 250 mm
To the uninitiated, a suction excavator enables the operator to dig around existing pipes and cables in the road where a traditional ‘digger’ could easily damage them. These impressive truck-mounted machines are not cheap but are becoming increasingly familiar sights on the UK’s roads. Civil engineering contractors W M Donald has added another suction excavator to its fleet – taking delivery of a new Volvo FMX 540 Globetrotter, mounted with a triple fan suction excavator from MTS. The striking 8x4 Tridem rigid, decked out in the firm’s deep blue livery, will be used to help the Aberdeen-based business in its…