BY Steve Barnhardt

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Lite Guard Aluminum Shield Meets Contractor’s Need for Lightweight, High Strength Trench Shield

A contractor was installing 42-inch stormwater and sewer pipe as part of new development to support the growth of a Southwest US city. The project called for the excavation to be approximately 8-ft to 10-ft deep with widths running 4-ft to 5-ft.  The contractor had classified the soil as Type C-60 soil.

One of the primary characteristics of this site was the limited working room. The pipe would be installed on 3 sides of the property, with the pipe installation to occur on the outside of a poured slap with little room to the trench easement. The contract was tasked with getting the pipe installed quickly and safely, but be able to use a smaller track hoe due to the limitations on space. The contractor met with National Trench Safety to discuss the protective options. For a trench like this the contractor would have commonly used a steel trench shield, however, the smaller track hoe that would be on the job didn’t have enough lifting capacity to pick and set an 8-ft tall, 24-ft long steel trench box.  The project was an ideal fit for the Lite GuardTM Aluminum Shield.  The Lite GuardTM Aluminum Shield is designed to be a high-strength shield that provides depth ratings similar to that of a steel trench shield at about half the weight.

The job site superintendent was a little skeptical at first, however, after the first day the box had proven capable and he had commented “this box is awesome.” The praise for the Lite GuardTM Aluminum Shield continued throughout the project as it provided the performance needed while working within the operating capacity of the available machinery. NTS has been introducing the Lite Guard AluminumTM Trench Shield to the North American shoring market over the last year and has helped to fill voids in existing technologies available to contractors, including projects such as these with tight job sites that don’t facilitate larger machinery but still require the production advantages of a large trench shield.  For additional information about the Lite GuardTM Aluminum Shield please contact your nearest NTS branch location.

 

 

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