Following a visit to NCC and Pollex in Sweden, Steve Vick International were successful in exporting a Perpetual Pipe Pusher to the Swedish company which they are using in their live gas mains insertion programme.
The Perpetual Pipe Pusher is an excavator attachment used to continuously insert PE from 63mm diameter up to 180mm. Attached to the quick hitch or standard bucket pins of an excavator, the Perpetual Pipe Pusher is designed to grip the PE, position it in the excavation and insert it into the host main in one smooth operation using hydraulically driven rubberised rollers.
The entire operation is controlled from the safety of the cab, avoiding the need for operatives to handle the pipe or enter the trench.
NCC and Pollex have inserted more than 2km of mainly 180mm and 125mm PE both in empty host pipes and by live mains insertion.
With pushing speeds of 25 metres per minute and feasible insertion lengths in excess of 300m at one time, the SVI Perpetual Pipe Pusher is a fast and efficient system for inserting PE pipe in either coils or butt fused sticks. It requires just a one-stage set up for the entire insertion operation and the pushing force can be reversed if required. No increase in normal trench size is required and shells are not required for different pipe diameters.
Erik Nilsson, Site Manager at NCC and Pollex, commented:
“We appreciate the benefits of worker safety when using the pipe pusher and the speed of insertion.”
