When you were younger, playing hide and seek was fun — when you are looking for a 36 in. (91.4 cm) pipe with a 42 in. (76.2 cm) casting and a 30 in. (76.2 cm) pipe with a 36 in. (91.4 cm) casting that is causing a short on active fuel lines at a depth of 20 ft. (6.1 m), it really isn’t that fun of a game. That is what Price-Gregory International was faced with on a site in Lisle, Ill.
To meet this challenge, Price-Gregory International met with Scott Gross and Todd Larsen of Lee Jensen Sales Company Inc., Pro-Tec Equipment’s exclusive dealer in the greater Chicago area, and two of Pro-Tec Equipment’s Slide Rail staff, Josh Brown and Joshua Thorne.
“Before we arrived at the site, my previous conversations with Price-Gregory International had us thinking that this job was going to be a multiple bore pit job or a tight sheeting job,” said Gross.
“When I got to the job-site, right away the overhead power lines stuck out as a main issue we had to take note of.” said Josh Brown, Pro-Tec Equipment Slide Rail site consultant. “It was decided right away that for Price-Gregory International to do this job properly, they couldn’t do it with tight sheeting, there just wasn’t enough vertical clearance to do so.”
“Once the decision was to go with the slide rail system, Joshua Thorne suggested using the Utility Panel Guide System. That system truly made the job a whole lot easier and faster” Gross said.
With everything, there is a learning curve. This applies to the Slide Rail System as well. Even though the system looks similar to a trench shield system, the installation and removal are done differently, and require more precision.
The Pro-Tec Equipment Utility Panel Guide System is part of the Slide Rail Shoring System, which is a modular, dig and push shoring system. The system is installed from the top down and removed from the bottom up, minimizing the size of excavations, soil disturbances, and restoration time and cost. The installation is done with low vibration, providing soil support for excavations, adjacent structures and existing utilities. The Utility Panel Guide System allows those existing utilities to enter and exit the excavation site, and also provide a means for boring operations to take place in a safe and shored excavation.
Using a Cat 345 and a Kobelco 350 excavator to do the heavy lifting, the installation of the system proceeded slower than usual due to the use of a hyrdo-vac truck and hand digging every couple feet to try and expose the two active lines that were the cause of the job. The system used on this job measured 20 ft.-wide (6.1 m) by 40 ft.-long (12.2 m) and more than 20 ft. deep (6.1 m).
“The next time we use a slide rail system, I will be able to send out a smaller crew for the install and removal,” said Buck Hines, job superintendent, Price-Gregory International. “With our learning curve, the installation process took a little while, but the next one will be able to get done a lot quicker.”
With every excavation project, safety should be the number one concern. This project was no different. Along with the safety of the crew that would be working inside the Slide Rail System, concern had to be paid to the proximity of the Morton Arboretum and a nearby active highway.
“When I was down in the hole, with the Slide Rail System in place, I felt safe down there,” said Hines. “We had all the local fire departments and other safety people out to the site, they were all pleased with the look and the safety the Slide Rail System provided.”
When asked about his overall thoughts on the Slide Rail System, Hines said, “with any deep excavation, you are going to need something, whether it is slip-sheeting, tight sheeting or this Slide Rail System. After using the Slide Rail System, I like it better than any of the other options. I would recommend this system and plan on using it again.”
For more information, visit www.pro-tecequipment.com, www.leejensensales.com or www.pricegregory.com.
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