Maine's Atlantic coastline is known for its rugged beauty, and there is no better representation of the phrase "rockbound coast of Maine" than Acadia National Park.

Located near Bar Harbor, Acadia is the first national park established east of the Mississippi River and is comprised of a cluster of islands off the Maine coast. Steep slopes rise above the rocky shore, and Cadillac Mountain at 1530 feet is the highest point on the Atlantic coast. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the park contains a variety of freshwater lakes, estuaries, and forest and plant life that are home for various animal species, including many of international significance.

The natural beauty and remoteness of the area have made it a popular location for vacation homes for wealthy "people from away," as they say in Maine. Called "cottages," many are actually multimillion-dollar mansions. There are many summer homes, and owners naturally want to enhance the beauty of their property with landscaping—not an easy task in and around this rocky landscape.

"Any landscaping in Maine is limited by ground conditions," says Terrence Sheehan, president of Coastal Irrigation & Lighting, Inc., of Ellsworth, Maine. "There was a time where there were no underground irrigation systems in this area. People believed the ground was too rocky to get pipe in the ground and that the winters were too cold—even if you got the pipes in, they would freeze.

"However, the benefits of in-place irrigation systems were attractive. A friend in the irrigation business in the southern part of the state was getting calls about making installations in our area, but he decided the distance and difficult conditions made it not worth his time."

This was in 1992. Sheehan, then a college student, and brothers Tom and Mo Sheehan decided that installing irrigation systems was a business opportunity worth trying.

"We were the first in this area to try it," he says. "Everyone said it couldn't be done. Our friend showed us how to do it, we watched some instructional videos, and put in a mile of pipe doing all the digging by hand. It was very hard work, but we were young and strong and got the job done."

The Sheehans proved it was not impossible to put pipe in the hard Maine ground, but a challenge during the company's early years was educating property owners about the benefits of irrigation systems.

After proving to themselves and early customers that underground irrigation systems were practical in the area, the Sheehan brothers added landscape lighting to their capabilities. In 1994, Coastal Irrigation & Lighting (CIL) was incorporated, specializing in the design and installation of underground irrigation and landscape lighting. CIL became the first company in the area to offer these services.

Early on, the Sheehans realized that hand digging was too hard and slow to complete the volume of work necessary to permit their business to grow. Rather than attempt to dig trench to install pipe and cable in the rocky soil by hand, the company acquired a small, used vibratory plow.

The vibratory plow takes its name from the vibrating component that develops the force to move a blade through the earth. Pipe or cable feeds through a chute in the blade and into the ground as the machine moves forward.

"We found that a vibratory plow works great in rock," says Sheehan. "The vibrating action as the blade moves forward in the ground moves rocks out of the way. It is much easier than trenching, and faster. We can plow in 300 feet of pipe in no time. It is much easier than trenching and much neater. We just drive the machine over the cut, and you can't tell we've been there."

As the workload increased, CIL invested in a new vibratory plow: a Ditch Witch® 410sx. This compact, 34-horsepower walk-along is a dual-function machine with an articulated frame, four-wheel drive, a hydraulically powered vibratory plow component on the rear and a hydraulic trencher attachment on the front.

"Plowing always is our first choice because it's faster, easier, and causes less surface damage," Sheehan says. "However, when we cross tarred or hard-packed drives and other materials the plow blade can't cut, we use the trencher, which has a chain with carbide bits. We subcontract trenching work from contractors for installing gas and water lines, electrical conduit and relocating pipes to greater depths."

While buried rocks complicate pipe installation, many times rugged terrain makes it difficult to get the machine to the jobsite, says Sheehan. However, the machine's four-wheel drive provides good traction and the articulated frame increases maneuverability compared to machines with a one-piece frame. The machine's compact size allows it to work in backyards and small spaces. Depending on the blade used and conditions, the 410sx can install material to cover depths of 24 inches, although most irrigation pipe CIL crews install is no deeper than 8 inches.

"It's a great machine," concludes Sheehan. "It has put in a lot of pipe and saved us a lot of work in the process."

The machine has been in service more than ten years, a testament to its durability.

Today Coastal Irrigation & Lighting—operated by Terrence Sheehan and his brother, Mo, for 16 years—is Central and Eastern Maine's oldest and most qualified company specializing in the design and installation of residential and commercial irrigation and landscape lighting systems, and for commercial, athletic fields, golf courses, and unique landscape projects. The company also services irrigation systems, provides seasonal maintenance, and offers spring startup and winterization services. CIL is a certified irrigation contractor and member of the Irrigation Association. It is dedicated to promoting the irrigation industry, which has more than 2,000 members composed of contractors, equipment manufacturers and distributors, consultants and designers, and system owners.

A professionally installed irrigation system and landscape lighting package are among the best investments a property owner can make, Sheehan believes.

"It's important to remember," he adds, "that these systems are more than a few sprinklers and some spotlights. Design and installation are critical factors that affect a system's performance and longevity. That's why it is important to have a professional contractor such as Coastal Irrigation & Lighting design and install a system that meets individual needs."

Ditch Witch equipment is manufactured by The Charles Machine Works, Inc., of Perry, Oklahoma. In addition to vibratory plows, the Ditch Witch product line includes trenchers, compact utility equipment, vacuum excavators, utility locators, horizontal directional drills, drill pipe, downhole tools, and electronic tracking equipment.

How A Vibratory Plow Works

Vibratory plowing is an efficient, proven method of installing underground pipe and cable that has been in use for decades. The special vibrating component sets a vibratory plow apart from other types of underground construction equipment.

All plows operate on the same basic principle, but there are differences in designs of vibrators, plow linkages connecting the vibrators to tractors, and plow blades. Each of these factors can affect plow performance and productivity.

During operation, the vibrator rapidly oscillates the blade vertically, separating the particles of ground in front of the blade, reducing the force required for the blade to cut the ground and lessening resistance on the sides of the blade. The vibrating action reduces by approximately half the drawbar force necessary to pull the blade through the ground.

Plow linkage transfers the weight of the vibrating component to the plow tractor, and its geometry influences the amount of drawbar force needed to pull the blade through the ground as well as the amount of vibration transferred to the tractor during operation.

For maximum productivity, plow blades should be matched to equipment, soil conditions, and the product being installed. Feed blades are available with various bend radii to accommodate different types of cable. Pull blades are used to install larger-diameter materials; pipe is attached to the rear of the blade with a pulling grip. Custom blades are suited for special applications and unusual soil conditions.