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GROUNDBREAKING NEWSWinds of ChangeVermeer Machines that Capture the Slip StreamOur ancestors once harnessed the power of wind. The sails oftheir ships carried them to distant lands and fueled progression.Today, utility companies are once again looking to the skies, ratherthan the earth, to bring power to the people, and Vermeer Corp. ishelping to capture the wind. The manufacturer of underground installationequipment has introduced a series of underground productsto aid in the installation of wind-energy transmission lines.“The interest in wind energy and installation of wind-energy farmshas grown dramatically in the past five years,” said Mark Cooper,director of specialty excavation for Vermeer. “Vermeer has followedthis market closely and worked closely with those involved to developspecialty equipment that enhances the installation efficiencyof wind-energy transmission lines.”One challenge to installing wind-energy transmission lines isthe multiple passes required using traditional excavation methods.Vermeer designed the CL80 cable layer attachment to sort, configureand feed three cables, one ground wire, one conduit with fiberoptic cable and one tracer tape. The attachment also places andsecures the cables in the specified configuration in the trench — allin one pass.A series of rollers guide the cables over the machine then feedthem into a cable box where they are sorted in the appropriate configuration.On descent into the trench, the cables then begin toalign in triangular formation, becoming more tightly knit on approach.The ground wire, conduit and tracer tape are placed on topof the triangular formation as specified.“The CL80 attachment eliminates the need for one machineto dig the trench and then another to come back and lay and securethe cable,” said Cooper. “A contractor can complete the cabletrenching and installation process with just one machine, savingtime. The CL80 attaches to the Vermeer COMMANDER line ofEfficiency is the name of the energy game. So why cut atrench and then lay cable when you can do both at once?track tractors equipped with either a trencher boom or bucketwheelattachment.”In most cases wind energy farms are positioned in areas tocapture the largest volume of wind, which may be some distancefrom the existing grid. In these cases, contractors and developersare looking for an efficient way to install these transmission lines.Enter the bucket wheel attachment from Vermeer.The Vermeer bucket-wheel attachment is ideal for the proficientinstallation of cross-country transmission lines in soft soils. The attachmentis designed to work with the Vermeer T655 Commander3 tractor. It features a series of buckets, which rotate in a circularmotion, removing more dirt from the trench than a standard trencherattachment. The bucket-wheel attachment has a cutting widthof 22, 24 or 28 in., depending on the size of buckets used.“Vermeer has worked closely with the wind-energy industry,listening to their needs and we’ve created solutions to help easethe installation of wind-energy transmission lines,” said Cooper.“Contractors who own a track trencher may find the wind-energymarket as another opportunity for increased utilization of theirequipment just by adding other attachments.”GM drops the Medium-duty truck market likea rock in hopes of strengthening the companythrough these tough times.Done Its DutyGM Halts Production of Medium-duty TrucksIt’s been a long, hard road for General Motors (GM). With the companyrunning on fumes, GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early June andhas now announced that it will be closing up its medium-duty trucks shop.Production of the Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick medium duty trucks willcease by July 31.For the past four years, GM has been attempting to locate a buyer for itsmedium-duty truck business. Although it had several interested parties, GMwas not be able to come up with a viable arrangement that would be in thebest interests of both companies. Unfortunately, that has lead GM to get outof the medium-duty truck business.“We will be honoring all warranties on our medium-duty truck products and,of course, will maintain an adequate supply of spare parts for the foreseeable future,”said Jim Hopson, Manager of Pontiac Communications. “We are currentlyworking out all of the details regarding servicing the vehicles after the end of2010, but customer’s first point of contact should still be their dealer.”Few details were provided by GM, as the company prepares to liquidate itsmedium-duty assets over the next 18 months.10 Utility Contractor | July 2009