Bad Manufacturers

[Jcbro86]

I have tried Rycom, RD (8000), Metrotech (810), and Ditch Witch (950). They all worked okay. I was browsing around the internet and saw many other manufacturers like 3M, Armada, Greenlee, and several others. Are there any models or manufacturers that you have had alot of trouble with, or pieces that just didn't seem that useful compared to others.

I was thinking about grabbing an RD4000 for my own use at a pretty good price. I know they are heavy suckers but i also know a few guys that swear by them.

[sprayandpray]

I have an RD4000 for back-up. To me the 8000 is superior except in the passive/power mode. Some guys tell me the Heath locators are the best for gas, others swear by the Rycom. One day a contractor used a locator that looked like it came from WalMart and was able to get a drop to locate that my 8000 wouldn't. I direct connected and he used a 2' coupler.
I think they all have pluses and minuses and you just have to go by personal likes and dislikes.

[spraypray&sweat]

I use a Vivax Vloc Pro system and I have personaly not had any problems out of it I have talked with other locators yhat said theres break easy but mines been slung,thrown,and tossed and never broke and has always located perfect for me had problems on certain lines but I think that was just cause of the area.

[Danger]

gotta love alpharetta...LoL

[ProfessionalLocator]

I use a Vivax Vloc Pro system and I have personaly not had any problems out of it I have talked with other locators yhat said theres break easy but mines been slung,thrown,and tossed and never broke and has always located perfect for me had problems on certain lines but I think that was just cause of the area.

The problem with locate equipment that has a high failure rate is the extra costs. This is especially so with the larger contract locate firms.


First there is the down time. This means that until a replacement is delivered that locator is shut down, that down time them becomes OT. If there is no delivery available they have to drive to the shop to get a repalcemnt doubling the down time. The quickest I have seen these replaced is one hour and for coming in to the shop two hours. Depending how far spread the workforce is this time can become significantly more.

The other cost associated with too delicate equipment is a greater percentage of replacement spares must be stocked. If you have 50 locators and keep a 10% stock of spares you got 5 spares. If failure rate is high you suddenly need 5 more spares. Which can mean an additional $10,000 to $20,000 or more of capital investment. Add to that shipping and repair fees.

Durability of the equipment is of high importance to a locate firm with many locators and a heavy ticket load.