By Cory Maker, Ditch Witch® HDD Product Marketing Manager
We can all agree that sometimes a yard is just too nice to rip up. But where does this leave landscapers that are hired for irrigation installation on some of these more sensitive jobsites? Keeping existing lawns, landscaping or hardscaping intact can be a challenge on landscaping or irrigation installation jobs – especially on space-restricted jobsites.
To combat these challenges, some contractors are turning to trenchless solutions like horizontal directional drilling. While directional drilling may be best known for larger fiber and utility installation, smaller directional drills can be a valuable asset in the green industry as well. The Ditch Witch JT5 is a great example of one of these smaller, more accessible drills.
The JT5 has a compact footprint of 35.9 inches in width and 120 inches in length. This allows for it to fit through yard gates with ease, set up on a street with minimal traffic disturbance and take up little space on public space jobsites. While compact, it does not hold back on power. The drill is designed with the right amount of thrust and pullback to install irrigation systems up to 150 ft in length beneath sensitive landscaping, driveways, sidewalks and other surface obstacles.
One Ditch Witch customer used a directional drill to install a new irrigation system on a local golf course. By turning to a trenchless solution, the customer was able to install the irrigation system without tearing up the golf course grass and keep course closure to a minimum.
The versatility of directional drills is leading to their increased use in the landscape industry. From yards to golf courses, these machines complete any job with ease and efficiency. And with a compact footprint and eliminating the need to open cut, a HDD is the right choice for your landscaping jobsite. Listen to the Green Industry Pros Grass Roots Podcast to hear more from Ditch Witch product managers about the benefits of horizontal direction drilling in landscaping.
