Landscape Irrigation Systems, Inc. (LIS) has been serving North Carolina's Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, North Carolina) for nearly 20 years, providing expert commercial and residential landscape design and construction, installing and maintaining underground irrigation systems, and building "hardscape" patios and walkways.

Buford Blankenship, one of the company's three owners, says that today's irrigation systems comprise about 75 percent of the company's work.

Whether it's a residential system or a large commercial project, LIS personnel have the skills, experience, and equipment to make every irrigation job go smoothly.

To install irrigation pipe, a trench is dug in conformance to the system's plan by a trenching machine. Depths range from 12 to 24 inches. Most trenches for pipe are six inches wide. Main lines are placed in the ground, electric valves connected, and lateral lines are put in place for each zone of the system. Fittings and sprinkler heads are installed, and the trench is then filled in and compacted.

"We open no more trench that we expect to complete in a work day," Blankenship explains. "We don't want a lot of open trench in case weather or something else delays our work."

Trenchers and a compact backhoe are the basic machines used to install pipe for underground irrigation systems. Over the years, LIS has operated several trencher models in various sizes ranging from walk-along machines to four-wheel-drive riding models with 22-horsepower gasoline and 40-horsepower diesel engines.

The compact machines are used primarily for residential work, while the larger models are used for commercial projects requiring longer runs of trench.

All of the company's trenchers are Ditch Witch-brand equipment.

"They certainly have provided excellent service," Blankenship says of his Ditch Witch machines. "We take good care of them. We are currently operating machines made in 1987 and 1989."

The newest equipment purchased by LIS is a Ditch Witch Zahn® model that Blankenship says has added a new dimension to underground sprinkler construction.

"Our trenchers are very specialized machines, and they are designed to do one thing: dig trench," explained Blankenship. "The new Zahn is a multi-purpose machine that we use not only to dig trench, but many other tasks, too."

The 30-horsepower, four-wheel-drive Zahn R300 positions the operator on a platform on the rear of the unit. There are seven different interchangeable front-end components that fit the machine.

"We have a trencher, loader bucket, and boring attachment," says Blankenship. "It is compact enough to get into backyards to move dirt and materials and is a powerful trencher. We like the articulated frame which makes it very maneuverable. Another feature that sold us on the machine is the high-lift attachment that raises the bucket to a height to quickly load material into trucks."

Recently LIS rented a vibratory plow attachment which adds another capability to the Zahn R300.

Vibratory plowing is a popular alternative to trenching with many landscape contractors because it is a fast method of installing pipe while greatly reducing surface restoration necessary after trenching. A vibratory plow has a vibrator component that rapidly oscillates a blade vertically. This movement separates the ground in front of the blade and lessens resistance on the sides of the blade, reducing the force required to pull the blade through the ground.

"We haven't done much with plowing," says Blankenship. "We had a small walk-along machine several years ago, but it wasn't effective in the hard clay found in our area. But the Zahn performs very well as a plow. It has the weight and power to get the job done."

LIS used the Zahn R300 with plowing attachment on a recent project at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We used it on the infield of the track in a grassy area between the legend track [where small cars with 2-cycle engines race] and the main race track," says Blankenship. "We plowed in 350 feet of one-inch-diameter PVC irrigation pipe and quarter-inch tubing that serves the hydraulic controls of the irrigation system. We also made a 60-foot bore under the paved track. The plow operated very well, and we got the job done quickly and with minimal disturbance to the lawn."

The versatility of the Zahn R300 was demonstrated on another project at a high-profile location--the Victory Junction Camp in Randleman, North Carolina, a race-themed camp for children with special health needs. In addition to irrigation pipe, the machine was used to construct walkways, drains, sod work, and to plant all trees.

Some of the work areas on the project were very tight, he adds.

The Zahn R300 is powered by a high-performance 30-horsepower gasoline engine. With the Zahn's variable ground drive speed, the operator is able to match mobile speeds to different applications. The hydraulic system develops 3,000 psi at 12 gpm for operating attachments. Available front-mount attachments are a trencher, two sizes of dump buckets, high-lift loader, vibratory plow, backhoe, stump grinder and tiller.

"The Zahn machine really expands our capabilities," Blankenship says. "The engine provides plenty of muscle and the hydraulic system is very powerful to run attachments. Its multi-use versatility basically means we can eliminate one machine."

In addition to irrigation systems, LIS installs drainage systems. Hardscape capabilities include retaining walls, concrete paving, walks and patios, and landscape lighting. Landscape maintenance services include removal of pine needles and leaf, mulching, and edging. The company is a member of the Carolina Irrigation Association.

With Blankenship, owners are Paul J. Butler and Ryan K. Bullins.