Stabilizing slides and Road embankments The spider excavator is an exceptional tool that can walk up steep slopes not accessible by normal tracked excavators. they can safely work on 45 slopes and with cable stays can work on steeper slopes(using built-in winch) Removal of continually failing headscarps is a concern for continued ravelling of a slope, and the raveled materials contributing to environmental degredation by entering water streams and also by plugging roadside ditches and diverting water flows across a road. Contour drainage is used to "dry up" a moving slope and eliminate further mass slope movement(creep).

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Stabilizing Slides
Using a Spider Excavator
Eric L Kay
Rob Wilson

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Part 1 - Spider Excavator, (the tool)
Part 2 – Stabilizing Landslide Headscarps
Part 3 - Multiflow Drainpipe
Part 4 - Contour Drainage
Eric
Eric
Rob
Rob
Stabilizing Slides

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Part 1 - Spider Excavator Description
Kaiser X5 M

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Work on steep slopes
100% (One to One slope)
Walks on 4 legs
Extending stick
Twist wrist bucket
Hydraulic thumb
Hydraulic winch 12,000lbs
Pushes and pulls itself around
Optional Hydrostatic drive (6kmph) Kaiser X5 M
Rolls on two back wheels

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Agility
Step over;
- Logs
- Shrubs
- Small trees
- Boulders
Schaeff HS 40 D

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Safely work on
a 1 to 1 slopeaiser X5 M

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Previously deactivated road system
site accessibility
Schaeff 41 M

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Beyond the reach of a normal excavator
Perched material
in the gully
Schaeff 41 M

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The power of an excavator
1 1/2 times the size
Schaeff HS 40 D

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Working in water 2 meters deep
Schaeff HS 40 D

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Transportable
by Helicopter
For remote site work
Fueled and ready to work

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Part 2 – Stabilizing
Landslide Headscarps

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Retrogressive Failures – Issues:
• Maintenance costs/problems – Loss of road use, temporary/permanent
• Impediment to re-establishment of vegetation
• Destruction of remedial works
• Loss of productive land inventory

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Unstable headscarp

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Kaiser X5 M
Sloping back of the headscarp

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Large woody debris
Kaiser X5 M
Sloping back of the headscarp

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Caution
Need good
understanding
of soils, water
and slope
processes

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Part 3 - Multiflow Drainpipe

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Multiflow pipe
Available in 15,30 & 46 cm widths
Made up of multiple
miniature “Big O” pipes
laid flat, joined together
and covered in a filter
fabric
A viable alternative for
Drain rock

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Part 4 - Contour Drainage

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This site is located in the
Cariboo Mountains where a
“hanging glacial” valley
slopes into a typical “U
shaped glacial valley”.
Glacial fluvial out-wash
deposits are buried below
glacial till, resulting in
seepage related slope
instability problems.

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Road cut-slope. Tension crack showing evidence of slope
ilure, along with visible evidence of retrogression of the headscarp.
This site has been a an ongoing maintenance problem, with some
restriction of road use.
Tension crack – indicator
of slope failure

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The Spider Excavator digs a
trench above the crest of the
headscarp and behind the
tension crack.
The trench is 3m in depth with
the objective to interrupt the
sub-surface water flows.
he base of the trench should
lope at least 2% towards an
utlet end of the drainage.

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he multiflow drainage composite was put
to the bottom of the trench, against the uphill
ope, and a 6 mil polyethylene sheet placed
ainst the down slope side for an impervious
arrier.
l placement was done from the surface. Workers
re not permitted to enter the trench.
e Multiflow pipe was attached to the poly and
wered into the trench from the surface.

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The multiflow drainage
composite was put
into the bottom of the
trench, against the
uphill slope, and a 6
mil polyethylene sheet
against the down
slope side.
Excavator starts
backfilling the
trench. Woody
debris is then
scattered over top
Alternatively a
composite
“Blanket Drain”
material such as
Nudrain DM50 could
be employed

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Excavator starts
backfilling the
trench. Woody
debris is then
scattered over top

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Steady
seepage from
subsurface
drainage
collector
(Multiflow)
5 liters/min
X
60 min/hr
X
24 hrs day
= 7200 liters/day
That’s over 7000 kg less weight
within the slope on a day to day
basis!
What
difference
does a month
or two make?

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inished swale above head scarp with debris scattered
over top.
wale directs surface water away from problem area.
(Picture has been stretched to emphasize the swale)

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Finished drainage swale directing surface run-off to the flank of slide area

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table cut slope with reduced seepage after finishing the contour drainage wor
No longer a continuous road maintenance issue not is there the problem of loss of road use.

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Thank You
Eric Kay - Rob Wilson

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References
Kaiser X5 M - JOHOE Inc
Joe Gisler 250 398-3507
Schaeff HS 40 D - Nu Creek Developments
Len Masson 250 833-0173
Schaeff HS 41 M - J W Berry Trucking
Brad Berry 250 724-4912
Rob Wilson - Weldwood - 250 392-7731
Eric L Kay - Kay & Associates - 250 337-5096