Patent ID: 8858124

Claim:
A vacuum excavation system including a vacuum truck having a vacuum assembly having a vacuum hose, a high pressure fluid delivery assembly having fluid dispersing piping, and a power source operatively connected to the vacuum assembly and the high pressure fluid delivery assembly to create a vacuum in the vacuum hose and to deliver the fluid under high pressure through the piping, the improvement to which comprises: a. a backhoe having a mobile support base, an extending, articulating arm pivotally attached at one end to the support base and an opposing end extendable from the support base with an accessory mounting member structure at the opposing end; and b. an excavator assembly comprising: i. a mounting adaptor attachable to the accessory mounting structure wherein the arm can operatively position the excavator assembly at the site being excavated, the mounting adaptor comprises separated side plates, each plate having a first edge, an opposing edge and side edges between the first edge and the opposing edge, the first edge affixed vertically along the rigid tube, and the opposing edge being at an angle to the first edge, wherein the angle being selected to permit the backhoe arm to position the rigid tube perpendicular to the site to be excavated; ii. a hollow rigid excavator tube attachable to the mounting adapter, the excavator tube having a lower end with an intake port and an upper end with a discharge port, the upper end operatively attachable at one end to the intake end of the vacuum hose, the lower end having at least two positioning members extending from the lower end a predetermined distance; and iii. a fluid jetting assembly affixed to the excavator tube having a nozzle assembly operatively attachable to the discharge end of the fluid piping to receive and redirect the fluid under pressure to the site to be excavated.