Vac trailer or Clam Shell?

[Casey122]

I'm looking for a better way to clean our pits. Right now we're scooping into a dump trailer and dumping it. Been looking at some used equipment but I want to make the best choice. What's your opinion on a vac trailer vs. a clam shell trailer?

 

[MudMoney]

I had 2 ring-o-matic vacuum type over the last 25 years, no experience with clam shell. Pumping your own sumps is handy as it can be done at nite or when wash is slow. I dryed dirt then hauled it away and sold some to landscaping outfits. Gardens thrived on the dirt but the weeds were a problem, ha ha. Stay away from porta potties and such as the shit is hard on seals. Sold my unit when I turned 67 as just pumping 3 bays at 700 gallons a bay was leaving me muscle sore for couple days. Clean the tank after use and never leave mud in overnight when temps start dropping, a nightmare.

 

[soapy]

I have a Ringomatic that I used for 25 years. Always did a good job was taxing labor wise. It always struggled to get black sand out of the bottom of the pits so often would have to handiclam it. 6 years ago we bought a small 25 horse Mahindra and had a custom made front bucket that will reach down into the pits and scoop out the mud. We have not used the RIngomatic since. We use a dump trailer that we can also park the tractor in when not in use. It cut our cleanup time to 1/3 vs. the pit sucker. A big investment but all in for tractor, trailer and bucket build around 30K. It has saved our backs and makes cleaning pits a easy job.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

I’d say if your pits are big enough the clamshell will be way faster. I’m able to clean six large pits in three hours if I hustle.

The guy I bought my clam digger from regretted buying the pump. Said it took longer and was more fatiguing wrestling that thing.

 

[Noob]

Soapy,
Who made your custom attachment?

 

[DuluthCarwashCompany]

@soapy could you post a few pictures of your pit cleaning rig?
I have different style pits at each of my locations and I am trying to find an alternative to a vac trailer as well. Much appreciated!

 

[getnbusy]

I have a clamshell. Ring o matic 500 T. It works great. Its slow because the dump body only holds 1 pits worth. The clamshell is fast but it is the trips back and forth to the landfill to dump that take up all the time. I call a guy to come vac em out now because i dont have time to do it anymore but i still use the clamshell for backup. The vac guy works his butt off when he does it. The clamshell is easy

 

[Casey122]

Thanks for all the replies! We did buy a used ring o matic vac trailer and it’s been great! About 15minutes for each pit (we have 6) and we can get 2 pits done at a time! So far it’s great! We also have a 1,000 gallon holding tank we’ll be able to maintain on our own with the vac trailer

 

[soapy]

I posted some pictures of my Pit Boss back in April of 2019on a thread. I have posted several pictures since on the forum. I am out of town right now and don't have any pictures with me to post. Do a forum search under Soapy pit boss and you can see the tractor setup I use.