We invited leading drill rig manufacturers to tell us about the options that are available on their machines. Take a look and see what you might want in your fleet to increase your firm’s productivity, safety or capabilities. Company contact information is included for your convenience.

Dual-feed Control System

SIMCO Drill Rigs offers this drilling feature that simplifies and speeds up the drilling process. This system has both fast and slow pull up/pull down controls, which can be used separately or combined. This allows the operator to drill, pull out of the borehole or ream the borehole much faster than ever before. In addition to these controls, SIMCO drill rigs have combined the very user-friendly bit-pressure and adjustable feed-rate controls. Using these features will extend bit life, drill rod life, and add to the drill’s overall safety. This feature gives the operator more precise control over bit at the bottom of the hole. Visit www.simcodrill.com or telephone 800-338-9925.

Clamp and Breaker

TEI Rock Drills supplies its patented single clamp or double clamp and breaker to contractors and rig manufacturers alike. The compact design allows these clamps to be installed on most drill rigs. Available in 4-, 6- and 8-inch sizes, the TEI clamps can accommodate most drill pipe and casings. Switch out your old wrenches with a set of hydraulic breakers, and watch your employees smile. Not just easier to make and break tools joints, a clamp and breaker on a drill rig is safe. No more trips to the hospital from flying wrenches. Visit www.teirockdrills.com or telephone 800-777-3745.

Tophead-drive Equipment

The latest addition to the GEFCO line of tophead drive equipment, the 70-K offers increased capacity with a proven standard for durability and ease of operation. Air options to 1,150 cfm at 350 psi (900/500 intermittent) and 70,000 pounds of holdback are available. Visit www.gefco.com or telephone 800-759-7441.

Sonic Track Rig

Diedrich Drill offers a new long-stroke, angle-drilling sonic track rig. It handles 20-foot tooling and drills at 45 degrees or greater. Diedrich’s sonic track rig is powered by a 350-HP engine, and the drill head delivers 80,000 pounds of force at 180 Hz. Diedrich’s patented sonic drill head offers maximum stiffness in the force transmission path down the drill head spindle. The sonic head rides up and down the feed frame of the drill rig on high-density, rubber-coated wheels, which dampen and isolate the sonic vibrations from the rest of the rig. Visit www.diedrichdrill.com or telephone 800-348-8809.

Automatic Pipe Loader

Atlas Copco developed a safety-enhancing Automatic Pipe Loader (APL) system for its RD20 mobile rotary drill rig. Designed for hands-free pipe-handling, the system can be used with standard RD20 pipe, or other types of oilfield or external upset pipe from 3 inches to 133⁄8 inches OD. The APL is a stand-alone system with its own hydraulic power unit operating at a maximum capacity of 64 gpm at 3,000 psi.  The APL system is adaptable for drilling off the ground or on a substructure. The boom elevates the pipe to a vertical position to make contact with the mast. Special docking arms stabilize the pipe to make a connection in the cycle time of 75 seconds. Visit www.atlascopco.com/us or telephone 303-287-8822.

Geothermal Rigs

The new Astec EarthPro Geothermal 4550 (truck-mounted) and 4550X (track-mounted) drill rigs feature dual rack-and-pinion design, an automated pipe-loader system, safe and efficient hydraulic key/vise table design, and central ergonomic controls. The three-speed drive motors allow quick trip times with 45,000 pounds pullup and 22,000 pounds pulldown. With the automated pipe-loader system, a single operator can drill and trip out up to 600 feet of pipe without winch assistance. Visit www.astecunderground.com or telephone 865-408-2100.

Automated Drilling Action

Schramm Inc.’s i-Control automates the drilling process, and features a digital display to monitor drilling performance, engine operation, and diagnosis and maintenance requirements. Equipped with a state-of-the-art digital display screen, the system provides essential information about the engine, compressor, hydraulic system, drilling conditions and progress of the drilling operation. Information such as bit depth, drilling rate, rotation torque, weight on bit, air pressure and hold backpressure automatically are displayed quickly and efficiently at an operator’s fingertips. The i-Control system provides important data for drill rig maintenance, and reminders for troubleshooting diagnostics, which simplifies logging, sampling and the setting of casing. Visit www.schramminc.com or telephone 610-696-2500.

Track-mounted Rig

The Gus Pech Geo Swing is a versatile track-mounted rig geared toward the geothermal market. The rig is mounted on a turret-style track system, which allows the rig to maneuver into tight spaces without leaving a heavy footprint. The turret-style mounting system allows the rig to drill multiple holes in a circumference utilizing its 360-degree rotation without moving the tracks. The Geo-Swing can be customized to fit your particular drilling needs. It can be equipped with 22-foot to 26-foot stroke, up to 32,637 pounds of pulldown/pullback, 4,500 foot/pounds to 30,000 foot/pounds of torque, dual-spindle head, air hammer capabilities, choice of mud/injection pumps, hydraulic indexing carrousel tooling rack, and many more customizing options available. Visit www.guspech.com or telephone 800-383-7324.

Sonic Sampling

Sonic is a fast, clean, low-impact drilling technology. Sonic rigs can drill and sample clay, sand and gravel. Sandstone, limestone and other coarse deposits can be drilled with Roto-Sonic drill heads, using water, mud or air. Production rates, sample quality and worker safety are just some of the benefits that make sonic the technology of choice for a variety of drilling applications. Mobile Drill Intl. and Sonic Sampling & Supply have developed a new, larger sonic drill. This product is designed with a drivable carrier vehicle for rough terrain applications, durable hydraulics and rod manipulation. Visit www.mobiledrill.net or telephone 800-766-3745.

Pullback/Breakout

The Geoprobe double-clamp rod breakout is designed for rotary and direct-push requirements on the Geoprobe 8040DT. In addition to the typical functions of clamp and twist, the pullback/break-out includes twin lift cylinders, with up to 25 tons of pullback. It is intended to simplify dual-tube work in flowing sands, help set monitoring wells with an open casing, or augment machine pullback in tight formations. Although fully integrated into the machine’s control systems, it can be removed in less than 15 minutes. Adjustable clamp force: 0 to 21,200 pounds. Breakout torque: 13,900 foot-pounds. Breakout rotation: 25 degrees. Vertical travel: 12 inches. Pullback: 50,000 pounds.

For more information visit www.geoprobe.com or telephone 800-436-7762.
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