Camel vs. VactorCompetitive Comparison of the Vactor Rapid Deployment Boom

Vactor RDB – Strengths

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• Quick setup time • Equivalent reach of three standard tubes

(telescopes outward 5 ft. with an additional 5 ft. of vertical movement and extends debris hose an additional 15 ft. down for faster cleaning)

o Lift Stationso Catch Basinso Day to Day Cleaning

• Eliminates clamps for most applications• Maintains low profile for applications with

overhead clearance challenges

Vactor RDB – Weaknesses

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• Per the Vactor manual, the operator must extend the flexible portion 5 ft. prior to moving the boom more than 30 degrees in any direction to prevent binding

• An operator could cause damage by retracting the tube while the boom is pivoted more than 30 degrees

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• Inner tube retracts all the way back to the debris body “make break” • If you add the recommended crown tube for vacuuming, the inner tube will now enter the debris body when

retracted

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• As you extend, you have an abrupt transition from a small, high velocity tube to a large, low velocity tube

• This will allow debris to collect in tube (between arrows below)

7” Inner Tube187 MPH

4400 CFM

10” Outer Tube92 MPH

Boom Tube

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• Whips around while cleaning sewer

• Compared to aluminum tubes, difficult to direct in deep application

• Unable to exert downward pressure while digging

• Not recommended for extensive digging

Second Pneumatic/Donut Seal

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• Seal is inflated with an electric solenoid valve

• Tube feed is disabled while vacuuming, because this seal needs to deflate prior to moving the tube in or out

o Tube is deployed by hydraulic motor and belt

Consumer Awareness

Operation Questions

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Are you familiar with the nuances?o Extend too far and tube falls to ground or in manhole (no safety stops) o Retract too far and tube will enter debris body (no safety stops) o Must extend prior to dumping to prevent tube damageo Cannot move flex hose in or out while vacuumingo Need to extend before rotating or raising more than 30 degreeso Tube freezes to rollers and or slips in cold wet conditionso Not designed for hydro-excavationo Retracting flex tube with debris in boom causes excessive wearo Larger items (bricks/rocks) can get stuck in ribbed flex tubeo Heavy/tacky material (mud/clay) can adhere to ribbed flex tubeo Debris deposited in the steel tube can freeze to flex hose in cold climates not allowing the flex tube to extend

Maintenance Questions

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• More than twice the moving parts of a standard boom

• Air operated solenoid that needs to inflate and deflate seal every time the boom is extended or retracted

• 7” proprietary flex tube can be expensive (exclusive to Vactor)

• Excessive debris deposited in steel tube due to change in air speed

o Causes excessive wear on both the flex tube and the steel tube

• Operator is required to extend tube prior to moving boom past 30 degrees to prevent damage to tube

• Lifting debris body without extending tube will cause damage to flex tube

Summary

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Though RDB by Vactor offers features that are well received by operators. These features are greatly outweighed by the additional feature cost, boom maintenance and additional operating knowledge required.

Taking into account that the average municipality vacuums 15% of the time compared to jetting 90%, is the added cost and maintenance worth the convenience of not having to add a couple of tubes?