Ditch Witch is expanding its new Warlock series of vacuum trucks with the smaller W8 hydrovac, the second truck introduced in the new lineup.
Earlier this year, Ditch Witch debuted the W12 Warlock vacuum truck. With a 2,800-psi water system, 4,500 litres of fresh water, a 9,175-litre debris tank and a 5,000 cfm, 27-inch Hg vac system, the W12 is the most powerful vac truck created by Ditch Witch to date.
Chris Thompson, Vacuum Excavator Product Manager at Ditch Witch, explained the W8 is designed for smaller tasks in urban areas.
“If you’re going to be out on pipeline jobs, you’re going to be way out, you want something with the big capacity of the W12,” Thompson said. “If you’re going to be the city working, sometimes it’s better to have some a little more mobile. Something you can dump easier and you can refill easier. So, this is our answer for that.”
Ditch Witch offered a preview of the W8, equipped with a 9-litre engine on a Peterbilt chassis, at The Utility Expo in September. The prototype on display featured 3,500 cfm, 21-inch Hg of vacuum power, a 6,116-litre debris tank and a freshwater capacity of 6,056 litres.
“Everything is the same concepts and all the good things people liked from the 12, but we brought it down to a smaller package,” Thompson said.
At 7.9 metres in length, Thompson explained the W12 is an ideal option for potholing or microtrenching on smaller job sites.
“Or if you’re going to go out and just open up a hole to repair something, this is a great truck to have,” he said.
The price point is also smaller, with Thompson estimated the W8 will cost about 25 per cent less than the larger Warlock.
“That lets you get your toe into the big truck without having to go to that larger price tag,” he said.