Ditch Witch

Canadian horizontal directional drilling operator Fast Forward HDD could be called a specialist - more than 90 percent of the company's work hours have been spent on oil pipeline jobsites.

The Toro Company will acquire privately-held Charles Machine Works, Inc., the parent company of Ditch Witch and several other leading brands in the underground construction market. The purchase price is $700 million in cash subject to certain adjustments set forth in the definitive agreement. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is currently anticipated to close before the end of Toro's fiscal 2019 third quarter. 

Charles Machine Works has named Kevin Smith president of Subsite Electronics and HammerHead Trenchless. The company also announced a joint leadership team headed by Smith.

Rental demand for compact vacuum excavators continues to grow as global renters seek non-traditional and versatile machines for a variety of small-scale cleanup, potholing and landscaping jobs. Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, will showcase the HX30 vacuum excavator Feb. 18-20 at The ARA Show in Anaheim, California, (Booth 4501) for rental companies who are looking to add a low-maintenance vacuum offering to their fleet.

More than 50 percent of reported underground utility damages are the result of insufficient excavation practices according to the 2017 DIRT Report. The Ditch Witch organization, a Charles Machine Works Company, has introduced an industry-first Virtual Reality (VR) Simulator to better prepare horizontal directional drill (HDD) operators for safe underground construction through cutting-edge training technology. 

The Ditch Witch organization, a Charles Machine Works Company, has updated its line of fluid management systems to increase productivity and reduce costs on horizontal directional drilling (HDD) jobsites. These advanced models incorporate new design features to meet the highest standards for jobsite productivity, improved drilling fluid flow, increased durability, and faster mixing cycles and yield times.

The DD-240T Midi Rig introduced a whole new design concept in horizontal directional drills when it was launched late last year. 

Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, released a new JT20XP horizontal directional drill (HDD) package featuring a JT20XP drill and XP44 mixing system. The industry-first solution is the only drilling system in its class to utilize all on-board horsepower for thrust and rotation. Together, the full 118-hp solution provides operators industry-leading power and superior productivity for larger utility-installation jobs. 

Dumping liquid spoils from directional drilling is highly regulated, costly and time consuming. To combat these challenges, Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, has partnered with MetaFLO Technologies to be the exclusive provider of SolidState 2 and SolidState 6 solidification reagents. This partnership will provide a more accessible and efficient process for the solidification of drilling spoils to an extended network of users and contractors. 

Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, introduced its largest trencher to date, the HT275, to boost productivity and versatility on a broad range of trenching jobs. The unit was designed to increase year-over-year return on investment (ROI) on water, sewer, gas, power and underdrain installations, pipeline distribution and other heavy-duty trenching tasks.