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“ Conversely, too shallow or small foundation can lead to failure or may necessitate a rebuild if inspectors deem the foundation inadequate. This is particularly important in high volume or large scale developments where labour would previously have been employed for several days just digging foundations, may now be redeployed to more skilled positions such as brick and mortar preparation and building, or even as an operator of the Ditch Witch.
“ On smaller construction sites, it is still possible to use a Ditch Witch and contractors should plan carefully to find a hire company that has a Ditch Witch in stock and hire it for the foundation work.
‘’ Machine hire for one day is far cheaper than paying wages. In addition, the workers can rather be put to work in the actual construction of the house albeit“ fetch-and-carry” or preparation work as understudies to builders,” states Smith.
Infrastructural mind shift
Phillip McCallum, ELB Equipment product manager agrees, adding that in the course of modernising the building site, the Ditch Witch RT-45 has far wider applications where it can equally revolutionise the way work is currently being carried out on applications such
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as laying of water, electric, fibre optics and gas utilities. These can also be done more quickly and accurately with a Ditch Witch.
“ At this moment, there is a massive call for trenches to be dug to lay fibre optics and with the addition of a Ditch Witch, contractors can lay more metres per day with a single machine. In addition, it can even be set to cut narrow trenches( about half the width of a spade), which minimises disruption of sidewalks and pathways etc. If the need arises the Ditch Witch selection includes a range of different machines for a wide range of trenching requirements including small pedestrian trenches from 16-30hp, as well as ride on / heavy duty trenches from 40-120hp,” says McCallum.
He concludes that Ditch Witch has a long and proven track record in Southern Africa where it has been distributed and supported by ELB Equipment for more than 25 years.“ It is good to know the product has a reliable track record locally and enjoys great aftermarket care and support from our in-house team at ELB Equipment. But finding out which solution would best help your next project move faster, more accurate, profitable and smoother it would always be best to speak to a specialist about your requirements first.”
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Minimising road disruptions
A new micro trenching system available from ELB Equipment allows utilities to be laid below the road surface with only minimal disruption.
The Ditch Witch MT12 MicroTrencher is a fast and precise attachment system, which is designed to reduce damage to the road and avoid lengthy traffic disruptions. It’ s specially designed saw blades are designed to quickly and precisely cut asphalt surfaces to a preset depth to allow fibre and other utilities to be laid above existing utilities.
The cleanness of the cut and ability to cut narrow trenches enables the contractors to rapidly repair the surface and reopen roads in a fraction of the usual time.
With variable depth settings and the ability to maintain exact levels, the new system prevents uneven installations that may reduce the efficiency of utilities being laid. In addition to crossing roads, the MT12 can also be used to trench 610mm transversely in order to be able to trench parallel to kerbs and gutters.
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The Ditch Witch MicroTrencher reduces damage to roads |
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14 | HIRE SA | MAY 2017 |