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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 |