Trenching

Track trencher used to bust through Kentucky limestone

Problem: G&W Construction, based out of Morehead, Kentucky, bid on a municipal waterline project, which called for 48,000 feet of 24-inch ductile iron pipe to be installed in Winchester. The trench needed to be 42 inches wide and 7 feet deep. Owner Darrell Alderman knew he’d have to upgrade his fleet because of the limestone that’s prevalent in the area.

Solution: Alderman purchased a Vermeer T1255 Commander 3 trencher. The work is ongoing, but Alderman says the track trencher has been a difference-maker in getting through the limestone, which is typically 2 to 5 feet deep, with clay on top.

Result: “When you are cutting a trench that is 42 inches wide and 7 feet deep, it’s a lot slower in limestone than other ground, and you’re wearing out a lot of teeth,” Alderman says. “But this big track trencher does a very nice job.” G&W Construction bought the Vermeer T1255 trencher specifically for this job. An alternative would have been hoe ramming, but that wouldn’t have given the company the production it needed to get the project done on time. “With the trencher, we can cut 400 to 600 feet of trench a day, and there’s some cross-country work that we might get 800 feet in one day.” 641/628-3141; www.vermeer.com. ▼