Florida's Earth Tech Drilling Relies on Compact Rigs
It's a common problem: You have a job that looks doable, but has space limitations.
It’s a common problem: You have a job that looks doable, but has space limitations. Maybe it’s a gas station. You know, the ones with the awnings over the pumps? A big rig just isn’t going to work.
Earth Tech Drilling and other firms in the field turn to Mobile Drill International. ETD, a Pompano, Fla., based specialized drilling company prides itself on delivering results for clients “on even the most challenging sites.”
Paul Lemenze, ETD’s operations manager, says he also appreciates the versatility of Mobile Drill’s smaller rigs. “ETD is a drilling company first then direct push second,” he says. “With that in mind, Mobile Drill took the challenge of building a drill that utilized both methodologies.” Earth Tech uses the B-37LO model for tight spots. “Our clients prefer the B-37LO due to the small footprint, low clearance and drilling capabilities.” The B-37LO, he says, is strong for both rotary and direct push and allows ETD to use one rig for a variety of work on one site.
Earth Tech, like a lot of drilling companies, is family owned. The company says it’s dedicated to “outstanding results through communication, safety and a commitment to excellence.” Mobile Drill has a full line of rigs for auger drilling, rotary drilling and other applications. Competition in the small-rig space includes Acker Drill Company, Geoprobe and others. But Lemenze says Mobile Drills rigs shine even as the mud sprays.
“I had a competitor of Mobile make a bet with me that their drill was superior to Mobile, and was willing to prove it on my next job,” he says. “The bet was, if their rig could outperform my Mobile-I would buy a new drill from them. Needless to say he lost and I didn’t buy their drill.” Lemenze says he even gave the competitor a couple of his best workers for the job, and those workers threatened to quit if he lost the bet and they had to work on the rig the competitor used.
Lemenze
has been familiar with Mobile drill rigs since the late 1970s. His father
worked for Raymond International in the test boring department of the company’s
pile and boring division. Raymond drillers, Lemenze says, preferred Mobile
rigs, particularly the B-61 Pacemaker, one of Mobile’s bigger rigs. After
following in his dad’s footsteps as a driller, Lemenze says he made up his own
mind that it was the most productive and versatile drill at that time.
“Back then the B-61 was the most reliable rig, and was great for coring and SPT drilling,” he says.
Over the years, Lemenze worked for other drilling firms before venturing out on his own. “The first drill I purchased was a Mobile B-57. The Mobile B-57 was the most productive and versatile drill on the market then. Eventually, Mobile made a newer model called the B-59, which I purchased and proved to be a bigger asset to the company.”
Lemenze sold his company to Earth Tech in 2004. At the time, Earth Tech was already using Mobile’s rigs.
Earth Tech uses compact B-37LO drills for environmental applications such as gas stations, chemical plants, power plants, ship fuel ports and Superfund sites. Mobile’s B-37LO offers a 10-foot height clearance and a small footprint. With this one drill, ETD can hollow stem auger to 50 feet, mud/air rotary drill to 100 feet and direct push to 100-foot depths under a 10-foot ceiling. ETD utilizes the B-57 for larger hollow stem auger and standard penetration test work with depths greater than 100 feet for mud/air rotary in south Florida. ND
The
versatility of the Mobile Drill B37RA was put to use collecting continuous soil
samples via direct push and installing 2-inch monitoring wells via hollow stem
augers in Port Everglades, Fla., through the tank confinement liner. A track drill was required for this project
due to the berm and liner around the tanks. In addition, this project required
a rig with substantial rotary torque to turn a large enough hollow stem auger
through unconsolidated limestone. Photo courtesy of Earth Tech Drilling.
It’s a common problem: You have a job that looks doable, but has space limitations. Maybe it’s a gas station. You know, the ones with the awnings over the pumps? A big rig just isn’t going to work.
Earth Tech Drilling and other firms in the field turn to Mobile Drill International. ETD, a Pompano, Fla., based specialized drilling company prides itself on delivering results for clients “on even the most challenging sites.”
Paul Lemenze, ETD’s operations manager, says he also appreciates the versatility of Mobile Drill’s smaller rigs. “ETD is a drilling company first then direct push second,” he says. “With that in mind, Mobile Drill took the challenge of building a drill that utilized both methodologies.” Earth Tech uses the B-37LO model for tight spots. “Our clients prefer the B-37LO due to the small footprint, low clearance and drilling capabilities.” The B-37LO, he says, is strong for both rotary and direct push and allows ETD to use one rig for a variety of work on one site.
Earth Tech, like a lot of drilling companies, is family owned. The company says it’s dedicated to “outstanding results through communication, safety and a commitment to excellence.” Mobile Drill has a full line of rigs for auger drilling, rotary drilling and other applications. Competition in the small-rig space includes Acker Drill Company, Geoprobe and others. But Lemenze says Mobile Drills rigs shine even as the mud sprays.
“I had a competitor of Mobile make a bet with me that their drill was superior to Mobile, and was willing to prove it on my next job,” he says. “The bet was, if their rig could outperform my Mobile-I would buy a new drill from them. Needless to say he lost and I didn’t buy their drill.” Lemenze says he even gave the competitor a couple of his best workers for the job, and those workers threatened to quit if he lost the bet and they had to work on the rig the competitor used.
Utilizing
a Mobile Drill B37RA, Earth Tech Drilling was subcontracted in Miami, Fla., to
collect continuous soil samples from zero to 55 feet below the surface using
direct push methodology, along with groundwater sampling at client specified
intervals. They then installed 2-inch by 55-foot deep monitor wells via the
hollow stem auger. All of these
applications were performed with this one machine. Photos courtesy of Earth
Tech Drilling.
“Back then the B-61 was the most reliable rig, and was great for coring and SPT drilling,” he says.
Over the years, Lemenze worked for other drilling firms before venturing out on his own. “The first drill I purchased was a Mobile B-57. The Mobile B-57 was the most productive and versatile drill on the market then. Eventually, Mobile made a newer model called the B-59, which I purchased and proved to be a bigger asset to the company.”
Lemenze sold his company to Earth Tech in 2004. At the time, Earth Tech was already using Mobile’s rigs.
Earth Tech uses compact B-37LO drills for environmental applications such as gas stations, chemical plants, power plants, ship fuel ports and Superfund sites. Mobile’s B-37LO offers a 10-foot height clearance and a small footprint. With this one drill, ETD can hollow stem auger to 50 feet, mud/air rotary drill to 100 feet and direct push to 100-foot depths under a 10-foot ceiling. ETD utilizes the B-57 for larger hollow stem auger and standard penetration test work with depths greater than 100 feet for mud/air rotary in south Florida. ND
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
Mobile drill rigs
February 11, 2013
Mobile drill rigs have been a family name since the early 60's. Our three sons all had summer jobs with Raymond International when their father was employed there, and they learned everything on the Mobil drill rig. The Mobil product has certainly passed the test of time, durability and customer satisfaction.
