DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In this patent document, “comprising” means “including”. In addition, a reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present. A “hydrovac unit” as used herein comprises the necessary conventional components, some of which are for example described herein, to make a hydrovac unit work. A “pole positioner” as used herein likewise comprises the necessary conventional components, some of which are for example described herein, to make a pole positioner work. When the word “mounted” is used, the item may be mounted directly or indirectly on the object referred to.

[0009] Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown a utility pole installation system. A conventional hydrovac unit 10 has a chassis 12 supported on wheels 13 , on the front of which is mounted a cab 14 and a conventional internal combustion engine 16 . A conventional hydraulic power supply 18 is mounted on the front of the chassis 12 , at the bumper 20 . The hydraulic power supply 18 is powered by the engine 16 in conventional fashion. On the rear of the chassis 12 is mounted a mud tank 22 , water tank 24 and mechanical components 26 for the mud tank 22 and water tank 24 . The mechanical components 26 include such conventional components as a blower, air filter, vacuum breaker, water pump and silencer, all of which are known in the art and used in conventional hydrovac units. A boom 28 is mounted on the mud tank 22 . The boom 28 carries the conventional hose (not shown) that is used to dig holes for placing utility equipment such as utility poles. Controls (not shown) for the mud tank 22 , hose and boom 28 may be mounted on a panel 30 at the rear of the chassis 12 , or the boom controls may be located on the wand, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,512. Such hydrovac units 10 or the like may be purchased from any one of a number of companies such as Tornado Advanced Systems Corp. of Stettler, Alberta, Canada.

[0010] A utility pole positioner 32 is also mounted on the chassis 12 of the hydrovac unit 10 . Preferably, the utility pole positioner 32 with its conventional support 35 is mounted directly on the chassis 12 between the cab 14 and mud tank 22 , by any of various conventional means such as bolts and welding. Preferably, the pole positioner 32 is mounted between the cab 14 and the mechanical components 26 of the hydrovac unit 10 . Conventional utility pole positioners 32 are usually hydraulically powered and the pole positioner 32 is connected to the hydraulic power supply 18 in conventional fashion to power the pole positioner 32 . The pole positioner 32 also has conventional controls 34 , which are preferably mounted on a panel 30 on the conventional pole positioner support 35 , or may be mounted with the hydrovac unit controls. Alternatively, the pole positioner 32 may be driven by an electrical power supply 36 of the hydrovac unit 10 . The pole positioner 32 , its support 35 and controls 34 are all conventional and available for example from Terex Cranes Inc. of South Carolina, USA, such as the Telelect™ utility aerial equipment digger derricks, 4000 and 5000 series.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, a chassis 12 supported by wheels 13 for the combined hydrovac unit and pole positioner may be articulated with a first part 12 A supporting the hydrovac components, and the second part 12 B supporting the pole positioner 32 . Articulation between the parts 12 A and 12 B of the chassis 12 is provided by a flexible joint, such as a conventional ball and socket joint 38 . Power for the pole positioner 32 may still be obtained from the hydraulic power supply 18 of the hydrovac unit 10 by using suitable hydraulic hoses (not shown). The remaining parts of the combined hydrovac unit and pole positioner of FIG. 2 are the same as shown in FIG. 1 and as described in relation to FIG. 1 .

[0012] A person operating the utility pole installation system described herein stands at the rear of the hydrovac unit, and operates first the hydrovac unit 10 and then gets up onto the chassis 12 B and operates the pole positioner 32 . Typically, the hydrovac unit 10 and pole positioner 32 are operated alternately, but may be operated concurrently as required until the pole is in place.

[0013] Immaterial modifications may be made to the invention described here without departing from the essence of the invention.