Making an investment in a large hydrovac truck may not be an appropriate economic choice for contractors who aren’t specializing in that type of work. But the popularity of hydroexcavation continues to increase, and if sewer contractors want to compete, having hydroexcavation capability can be an additional path to profit. That’s where a unit like the T-70 Twister trailer-mounted hydrovac from Tornado Global Hydrovacs can make sense.

“The T-70 Twister was designed to be operated by one person and is operator friendly,” says Terry Rawn, hydrovac field and operations specialist for Tornado Global Hydrovacs. “The T-70 has most of the capabilities of a large unit in a small, economical package. It was also designed to allow the operator to tow it with a multiuse vehicle.”

The trailered units can be used to expose damaged waterlines or other more delicate utility lines — including electric and gas — and it comes in multiple configurations specialized for the job at hand.

“This unit can actually be built on a trailer, chassis or skid,” Rawn says. “The slope tank eliminates the lift hazard and creates more cubic feet per minute while the larger boom, wireless control and remote make it operator-friendly. It even has light flushing capabilities and can be used for cleaning out catch basins.”                     

The T-70 Twister has a 6-cubic-yard debris tank and is capable of holding 720 gallons of freshwater. It is powered by a Tier 4 Final, 74 hp Cummins diesel engine and has an industrial positive displacement blower capable of 1,200 cfm at 15 inches Hg. The water pump is capable of up to 5.6 gpm at 3,500 psi. The trailered unit has operator controls on the rear and is capable of wireless operation. It can also be easily hauled with vehicles that require a CLD to operate.

According to Rawn, Tornado Global Hydrovacs designed the unit as an answer to customer requests for a compact, easy-to-operate hydrovac option. Feedback from users in the field has been excellent.

“I’ve had so many customers say, ‘It’s about time someone built this’ and that it outperforms the competition,” Rawn says. “We designed it to be comparable to the small to midrange truck units but with a much lower overhead.” 877-340-8141; www.tornadotrucks.com.