Abstract: A vacuum truck includes a storage tank mounted on the truck frame and a vacuum pump for drawing air into the storage so that a vacuum hose extending from material to be excavated to an inlet of the storage tank carries the material into the tank for discharge from the air prior to passage of the air to vacuum pump. A filter system is provided in the ducting between the storage tank and the vacuum pump to extract particles and moisture from the air. The filter system includes a chamber attached along one side of the cylindrical storage tank with that chamber having a plurality of curtains attached to an upper wall of the chamber and suspended vertically across the chamber. Each curtain is formed from a plurality of chain lengths suspended by a top link of the chain to a bracket at the top wall of the chamber. The lengths are arranged side by side to form a full curtain across the width and height of the chamber.

Abstract: A grabber for lifting particularly stones from the bottom of a manhole comprises a elongate handle with a lifthead at the bottom of a handle. The lifthead carries a pair of levers each pivoted to an outside corner of the lifthead and each carrying a grasping member hanging downwardly from the lift lever. The grasping member has three fingers which are inclined downwardly and outwardly and then downwardly and inwardly with a center finger having an end point further out than two side fingers. The side fingers incline outwardly and downwardly. A cable extending through the hollow handle wraps around pulleys on the lift levers so that upward pulling force on cable pulls the levers inwardly and grasps the stone.