A tile installation plow connected to a mechanical arm of a vehicle to install a tile below a ground surface, the tile installation plow including a main body to be inserted at least partially within the ground surface, a boot removably disposed on at least a portion of an inner surface of the main body to direct the tile along a portion of the main body under the ground surface, and a tile cart connected to the vehicle to hold the tile thereon.

Provided is a microtrencher having a utility avoidance system that detects objects buried under the roadway, identifies whether the buried object is a utility and determines whether the buried utility is in the path of the cutting wheel. If the buried utility is in the path of the cutting wheel, an alert is sent to the operator, the vehicle is stopped, and/or the cutting wheel is raised in relation to the roadway. Also provided is a method of using the microtrencher to cut a microtrench in a roadway and to avoid cutting a buried utility in the path of the cutting wheel.

Systems and methods for trenchless placement of an underground protective network of intertwined cables for protecting buried assets from accidental damage are disclosed. The system includes an apparatus for towing behind a vehicle and laying a plurality of continuous cables directly underground and interweaving the cables to form a cable network. The apparatus includes a plurality of soil rippers mounted at respective radial positions to a rotating carrier. The rotating carrier rotates about an axis that is at least partially normal to the ground surface. The rippers plow through the ground in the direction of vehicle travel and include a cable-feeding guide for directly and continuously feeding cable out underground during operation. In operation, the combined movement of the soil rippers from rotating the carrier and movement in the direction of travel serves to intertwine the cables deposited by respective rippers forming the protective network of intertwined cables.

A tracked vehicle includes a pilot control module which enables the pilot to steer the tracked vehicle using an existing joystick of the tracked vehicle. The tracked vehicle also includes a dual track drive pedal which drives the tracks of the vehicle simultaneously. The joystick is used to make steering corrections when utilizing the dual track drive pedal.

A method and apparatus for installing a monitoring cable or other utility near an existing pipeline. An electromagnetic signal may be induced on the pipeline, either directly, or by transmitting a signal from a vehicle carrying a sensor array. The sensors disposed on the vehicle communicate with a processor to determine a distance and orientation of the vehicle relative to the pipeline. The signal may be electromagnetic, acoustic, capacitive, or the like. A plow or other digging tool may be on the vehicle or a secondary vehicle. Such a digging tool opens a trench and installs the cable along a path disposed next to the pipeline within an acceptable distance range from the pipeline. The vehicle may be remotely or automatically operated.

A method for adhering a tubular body onto a surface that includes smoothing a portion of the surface to create a smoothed segment of the surface and applying a tubular body directly onto the smoothed segment of the surface after the smoothing of the portion of the surface. The surface at the smoothed segment is smoother than the remainder of the surface. The method further includes applying an uncured protectant onto the tubular body while the tubular body is on the smoothed segment of the surface and curing the uncured protectant into a cured protectant while the uncured protectant is on the tubular body on the smoothed segment of the surface. The cured protectant protectively encases and adheres the tubular body to the surface.

An automated pipeline-construction system and method for constructing a pipeline and laying constructed pipeline in various terrain conditions. The system has one or more pipeline-racking vehicles arranged in series for storing a plurality of pipeline joints, and a self-propelled pipeline-construction vehicle behind the pipeline-racking vehicles for receiving pipeline joints one-by-one therefrom and automatically coupling each received pipeline joint to the constructed pipeline through a pipeline construction and deployment process. A computing structure controls the pipeline-racking vehicles and pipeline-construction vehicle to align them at least laterally and to synchronously move forward for deploying the constructed pipeline. Each of the one or more pipeline-racking vehicles and the pipeline-construction vehicle may comprise a moving structure, and the computing structure may control the moving structures thereof for leveling the one or more pipeline-racking vehicles and the pipeline-construction vehicle.

The disclosed systems for laying underground fiber optic cable may include a drive body, at least one rotational motor, a forward auger element rotatably coupled to the drive body and positioned to be rotated by the at least one rotational motor in a first rotational direction, and a rear auger element rotatably coupled to the drive body and positioned to be rotated by the at least one rotational motor in a second, opposite rotational direction. Various other systems, methods, and devices are also disclosed.

A mobile device for the underground laying of a flexible line, a cable, a cable-pulling empty pipe or fluid transport tube. A front vehicle has a rear support frame, a lateral ejection unit, a milling unit with a milling wheel and a drag formwork or cable laying unit following the wheel. The milling unit is connected to the front vehicle for lateral pivoting up to 25, in particular up to 20, is laterally offset towards the outside with respect to the front vehicle, and can be positioned to laterally protrude over the contour of the front vehicle, by a primary articulation or a swivel joint on the lateral ejection unit having a substantially vertical axis of rotation. The drag formwork, cable laying and cable introducing unit follows the milling unit and the cable introducing unit are also laterally pivotable about a second swivel joint.

Systems and methods for trenchless placement of an underground protective network of intertwined cables for protecting buried assets from accidental damage are disclosed. The system includes an apparatus for towing behind a vehicle and laying a plurality of continuous cables directly underground and interweaving the cables to form a cable network. The apparatus includes a plurality of soil rippers mounted at respective radial positions to a rotating carrier. The rotating carrier rotates about an axis that is at least partially normal to the ground surface. The rippers plow through the ground in the direction of vehicle travel and include a cable-feeding guide for directly and continuously feeding cable out underground during operation. In operation, the combined movement of the soil rippers from rotating the carrier and movement in the direction of travel serves to intertwine the cables deposited by respective rippers forming the protective network of intertwined cables.