It was two years ago when Brian Barram met with Vermeer product specialist Anthony O’Grady to discuss purchasing a trailer mounted vac. Brian was looking to conduct maintenance work at the Rockhampton Power Station, as well as to generally expand the service offering of Capricorn Pipe Cleaning & Maintenance, at that stage primarily a pipe jetting and cleaning operation.
The opportunity arose to demonstrate a VX30-250 trailer-mounted unit; Brian was impressed with the power, ease of use, safety features, build quality, filtration system and quality components used on the machine. Two weeks later he took delivery of a new VX30-250 at his premises at Stanage, QLD, around 3 hours north of Rockhampton.
A year later Capricorn Pipe Cleaning & Maintenance, purchased three Vermeer truck-mounted vacuum excavator to meet the needs of his expanding business.
These units will ensure they deliver the service on time and on budget.
Equipped for further expansion
We asked Brian how the two 4500 litre and one 3000 litre vacs, both with full-hydraulic booms and reverse flow, have improved efficiency, productivity and expanded the possibilities within his business—as well as why he chose Vermeer.
“My staff find the machines reliable, easy to use, and were surprised at the cutting power and suction—as are our customers.’’
“Also, as the booms are segmented and go from four inch in diameter at the point of suction to five, six and finally eight inches at the tank inlet, we rarely if ever have issues with blockages. And if a hose should get blocked the reverse flow quickly dislodges this within seconds, as opposed to the arduous procedure of turning the machine off and disconnecting the hoses to clear it.”
When asked why he chose Vermeer, Mr Barram said “I wanted Cap Pipes to use the smartest machinery available to give my customers the most efficient, cost effective, and safety conscience service possible. If I do have an issue with a machine I can always ring Vermeer and talk to someone who knows the machinery inside out and quickly can get us up and running again.’’
The Right Configuration is key
Vermeer construction product specialist Anthony O’Grady was impressed with the professionalism of Brian’s approach.
“I have met a lot of operators during my time at Vermeer, and Cap Pipe really have their trucks set up well, with extra vac hose and everything you need to tackle any situation while on site—as well as all of the safety and operational procedures in place to comply with any site requirements, be it a council or tier one contractor’s.’’