Hydro Excavators/Vacuum Excavators commonly referred to as daylighting equipment, feature a high-pressure jetting system to loosen the soil or product prior to vacuuming the spoils. These include both hydro vacuum excavators and air vacuum excavators.
Hydro vacuum excavator units feature a debris tank, a vacuum pump and hose, and a water tank. These units use high-pressure water to loosen the soil, following which the residual slurry waste is extracted/air vacuumed into the debris tank.
Air vacuum excavators use compressed air and employ forceful injection of air instead of water to cut the earth and loosen the soil. The spoil/waste is then vacuumed into the debris tank by positive displacement blowers.
Both systems employ vacuum pumps to suck up the dry or wet excavated material. In certain cases, a truck-mounted excavator unit features both systems and is switched from one to the other during an excavation.
The debris tank is manufactured in carbon steel or stainless steel, in capacities ranging from 5 cu. yd. to 16 cu. yd. Water tanks are manufactured in aluminum, stainless steel, and polyethylene in capacities ranging from 500 gallons to 2,000 gallons.
Hydro excavators are mainly manufactured for oil/gas and utility end-users, with most mounted on heavy-duty Class 8 straight truck chassis.
