Providing technical assistance on a horizontal directional drilling project when the contractor pulls back pipe may seem like a drawn-out process. Depending on bore length and diameter, it may take a few hours or a full day (or more). The repetition of the action of rod after rod returning home feels slow.
In reality, drillers have a common tendency to pull back too fast, which can result in a collapsed hole or stretched pipe. A simple formula can help you calculate pullback speed, but first you need to know your hole volume: