Hydro Excavation
Expose Utilities Without Damage. Dig Precisely. Stay Compliant.
One strike on a buried gas line or fiber optic cable can cost hundreds of thousands in repairs, plus fines, lawsuits, and project delays. Hydro excavation lets you expose underground utilities with precision, using pressurized water and vacuum instead of a backhoe blade. No guesswork, no damage, no risk.
Sound Familiar?
- Risk of hitting buried gas, electric, or fiber lines with mechanical digging
- Costly damage claims and project shutdowns from utility strikes
- Regulations requiring non-destructive excavation near existing utilities
- Frozen ground in winter that stops conventional excavation
- Contaminated soil that requires careful removal and containment
Equipment That Delivers
- Cold weather packages with boilers for year-round frozen ground excavation
- Telescoping booms that reach 20+ feet from the truck to confined sites
- Debris tanks up to 15 yards so you haul more and dump less
Demos at your job site. Application-specific recommendations. Service and parts support across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Hydro Excavation Products
Not sure which hydro excavation equipment fits your operation? Consider your typical job scope, crew size, and budget. Our equipment consultants can help you match the right machine to your specific applications.
Talk to a SpecialistHydro Excavators
5 products from 1 brand
HX-12
Full-size hydro excavator with 12-yard debris tank, DIG DEEP telescoping boom with 26 ft reach, and greater payload capacity than comparable units in a shorter overall package.
HX-6
Mid-size hydro excavator on a standard truck chassis with 6-yard debris tank and DIG DEEP telescoping boom. Lower GVW for easier permitting and broader road access.
HX-3
Compact hydro excavator with 3-yard debris tank designed for utility potholing, daylighting, and precision excavation in tight residential and urban environments.
HX-9
Nine-yard debris tank hydro excavator sized between the HX-6 and HX-12. Built for utility crews that need more capacity than the HX-6 without going to the full-size HX-12 chassis.
HX-15
Largest Ramvac hydro excavator with a 15-yard debris tank. Built for high-volume excavation programs and contractors running multi-shift operations on major utility, pipeline, and infrastructure projects.
Vacuum Trucks
2 products from 1 brand
V-6 Industrial Vacuum
6-yard industrial vacuum truck for wet and dry material recovery, spill cleanup, and general industrial vacuuming applications.
V-12 Industrial Vacuum
Full-size 12-yard industrial vacuum truck for heavy-duty wet and dry material recovery, industrial plant maintenance, and large-scale cleanup operations.
Truck-Mounted Units
1 product from 1 brand
Trailer-Mounted Units
1 product from 1 brand
Attachments
Organized by type. Drill into any item for specs, applications, and pricing.
Build Components / Options
4 options
Lance Handles
1 option
22 hydro excavation units for sale
Equipment ready for delivery from our seven Midwest locations. Click any unit for specs, photos, and a direct quote request.
2026 Sewer Equipment HX-12 27 Hydro Excavator
Cover more digs per setup with a 26 ft DIG DEEP telescoping boom and 12-yard debris tank • Break frozen or greasy spoils faster with hot and cold water at 10 GPM and 3,000 PSI
2026 Sewer Equipment HX-12 27 Hydro Excavator
Daylight deeper utilities without repositioning using the DIG DEEP telescoping boom with 26 ft of reach • Haul more spoils per trip with a 12-yard debris body and greater payload capacity than comparable units
2026 Hydro-Spade 800 Hydro Excavator, Non-CDL Truck
Operate without a CDL, opening the driver pool for your crew • Work tight residential streets and easements with a Class 5/6 chassis footprint
2026 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Run a full potholing cycle with 240 gallons of onboard water across dual 120-gallon side tanks • Haul behind a pickup with no CDL required thanks to tandem-axle trailer design
2026 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Run the truck with any licensed driver on a non-CDL Class 5/6 chassis • Reach tight residential and easement digs with a 6-way articulating boom
2026 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Drive it with a standard license: non-CDL Class 5/6 chassis widens your operator pool • Work residential streets and tight easements with a turning radius built for the job
2026 Sewer Equipment HX-12 27 Hydro Excavator
Haul more spoils per trip with a 12-yard debris tank and shorter overall length than comparable units • Reach the dig with a DIG DEEP telescoping boom extending 26 ft without repositioning the truck
2025 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Dig and daylight utilities without a CDL driver or dedicated vac truck • Run a full day on 600 gallons of debris capacity before dumping
2025 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Operate with a non-CDL driver pool on a Class 5/6 chassis • Reach tight residential and easement work with a 6-way articulating boom
2025 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Put non-CDL drivers on a hydro excavation truck and widen your hiring pool • Work residential streets and tight easements with a chassis built for a small turning radius
2025 Sewer Equipment HX-12 27 Hydro Excavator
Stay on site longer with a 12-yard debris tank and full-opening rear door for fast unloading • Reach deep service exposures without repositioning thanks to the DIG DEEP 26 ft telescoping boom
2025 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Hydro-excavation capability for safe digging around underground utilities • Non-CDL chassis allows operation without commercial driver's license
2025 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Put a two-person crew on potholing and daylighting work without adding a CDL driver • Tow behind a pickup you already own, no dedicated chassis required
2025 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Run longer between dump cycles with a 600-gallon debris tank • Tow behind a 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup, no CDL required
2025 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Put any licensed driver behind the wheel: no CDL required to tow • Reach into tight backyards and easements with a 6-way articulating boom
2024 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Get 600 gallons of debris capacity without stepping up to a CDL-class vac truck • Reach tight residential and easement work a full-size hydrovac can't access
2024 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Move it with any licensed driver: no CDL required, tows behind a pickup • Reach into tight residential lots with a 6-way articulating boom
2024 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Dig potholes and daylight utilities on tight residential lots without staging a full vac truck • Tow with a 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup, no CDL required for the operator
2024 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Tow behind a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup with no CDL required • Reach tight residential and right-of-way digs with a 6-way articulating boom
2024 Hydro-Spade 800 Non-CDL Hydro Excavation Truck
Operate with any licensed driver: non-CDL chassis keeps the truck in rotation across your crew • Dig year-round with a 420,000 BTU boiler for frozen ground and cold-weather potholing
2026 Sewer Equipment HX-12 18 Hydro Excavator
Factory-new build ready for immediate deployment • HX-12 platform engineered for sewer maintenance operations
2024 HYDRO-SPADE 600 Gallon Hydro Excavation Trailer
Run a full day of daylighting without a CDL driver or dedicated chassis • Cut frozen Midwest ground with a 420,000 BTU diesel-fired boiler included
Side-by-side: which hydro excavation equipment fits your operation?
| Equipment Line | Brand | Type | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|
| HX-12 | Ramvac | Hydro Excavator | 12-yard debris tank |
| HX-6 | Ramvac | Hydro Excavator | 6-yard debris tank |
| Easy Grip Lance System | Dig Pig | Hydrovac Nozzle & Lance | Ergonomic grip reduces wrist strain |
We switched from our old Camel unit to the Model 900 ECO and saw significant fuel savings on our sewer cleaning runs right away. The ECO system runs vacuum and water independently, so our operators aren't burning diesel while staging. Kiel in the BEC parts department got us an emergency hose reel motor on a Friday afternoon, same-day delivery.
Describe Your Problem. We'll Match the Equipment.
Tell us what you're dealing with: pipe size, job conditions, crew size, budget. We'll recommend specific equipment. We can also demo on your site so you see results before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hydro excavation?
Hydro excavation is a non-destructive digging method that uses pressurized water (3,000–24,000 PSI) to break up soil and a powerful vacuum (up to 6,000+ CFM) to remove the slurry into a debris tank. It is the safest way to expose buried utilities like gas, electric, and fiber without risk of damage from mechanical digging.
How much does a hydro excavation truck cost?
New hydro excavation trucks range from $250,000 to $500,000+ depending on debris tank size (6–15 cubic yards), water capacity, pump PSI, and chassis configuration. Trailer-mounted hydro excavators start around $60,000–$120,000 and are a lower-cost entry point for departments with lighter workloads.
Should I buy a trailer or truck-mounted hydro excavator?
Trailer-mounted units are more affordable, easier to transport with existing fleet trucks, and work well for potholing and small daylighting jobs. Truck-mounted hydro excavators carry larger debris tanks (10–15 yards), longer booms, and handle high-volume excavation where fewer dump trips matter. Brown Equipment Company can demo both configurations on your job site.
What is the difference between potholing and daylighting?
Potholing creates a small test hole (typically 12–18 inches wide) to verify the exact location and depth of a buried utility before construction begins. Daylighting exposes a larger section of a buried utility so crews can visually confirm its condition, material, and routing for repair or tie-in work.
Can hydro excavation work in frozen ground?
Yes. Hydro excavation trucks equipped with cold weather packages use onboard boilers to heat water to 140–180°F, allowing effective excavation in frozen ground conditions. This makes hydro excavation one of the only viable non-destructive digging methods during Midwest winters.
What size hydro excavation truck do I need?
For utility locating and potholing, a trailer unit or truck with a 6–8 yard debris tank is sufficient. For large daylighting jobs, pipeline exposure, or high daily volume, a 12–15 yard truck with a telescoping boom (20+ feet of reach) will reduce dump trips and increase daily productivity.
Ready to Find Your Hydro Excavation Solution?
Get pricing, schedule a demo, or talk to a specialist. We cover Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
