Why Drill Rig Manufacturer Motivation Matters

Choosing new equipment is easier when you understand the drill rig manufacturer's values. Success depends not just on drill rig quality but on the support behind it. A good drill rig manufacturer designs with the operator in mind, adapts quickly to market needs, and helps maximize your drill rig’s lifespan and versatility.

Customer-inspired Design

Ensure the drill rig manufacturer’s engineers don't just design — they build, test, and improve based on real-world feedback. Customers like Rob MacKinnon and Brice Graham say hands-on engineering and responsiveness set Geoprobe^® apart. 

Access to Team Geoprobe^® engineers contributed to MacKinnon’s decision to invest in not one, but two DM650 air rigs.

“The engineers not only listen to constructive criticism but respond with design modifications. The feeling it’s a team effort definitely won me. They’re willing to listen to concerns and constructive actions are taken,” said Darren Ashick, drilling manager for MacKinnon Water Solutions. “Our voice was heard, and you see the results of that.”

This customer-focused design solidified decisions to purchase a DM450 water well drill rig for Brice Graham, drilling operations manager, Driver Inc.

“People at Geoprobe^® care about production and customers enough, that the product can evolve. They use the resource of people using the product in the field and are not afraid to try something new. They understand the risk and benefit of it,” Graham said.

Innovation moves fast because Geoprobe^® engineers listen. 

“Geoprobe^® has done a good job of listening to customers or anticipating how to iterate or change from the 2021 model,” Kegan King, owner King Water Wells, said of their 2025 DM250 drill rig. “The amount of innovation in such a short amount of time is awesome.”

Support That Speeds Up Success

Getting the most out of a new drill rig means user-friendly operation and solid training. 

“After drilling two decades now, I’ve used rigs from different drill rig manufacturers. I thought it would be so nice if we could tailor a rig to our needs and use the best features of each brand. The DM650 is the best of both worlds. It has a lot of innovative features,” Ashick said. “I don’t like change and am used to my day-to-day activities on our older rigs. So even though I liked all the new stuff, I was still skeptical. It’s an easy system to pick up so it makes training faster. It’s straight forward and user-friendly.”

Team Geoprobe^®, like sonic drill rig trainer Jed Davis, brings real-world experience to help you climb the learning curve fast. 

“Jed was probably the best trainer I’ve ever had on rigs. It was impressive to get a feel for everything from someone who had built it and run it. We also walked through the factory, and everyone said ‘hi’ and looked like they enjoyed their jobs. I was very impressed,” Jeff Croel, driller for MATECO, said of their 8150LS sonic drill rig. “The 8150LS is so smooth, nothing’s been terribly difficult with it. It’s a dream to drill. I did water well drilling for 19 years and have run a lot of rigs. Geoprobe^® is probably tops.”

Customers call their training thorough and rare in the industry. For training on their Geoprobe^® DM250 water well drill rig, Augie Guardino, owner Guardino Well Drilling, chose some of their harshest drilling geologies in order to understand the torque and mud pump limits. 

"It’s unique to see a salesmen get on a rig and drill with it. He showed us what the rig could do right away,” Guardino said of salesman Donnie Wood. “We could ask him questions, and he would answer right off the top of his head. Even when we tried to throw him curve balls, he was able to give real-time answers based on what he’d seen in the field.”

Built for Less Downtime

Geoprobe^® designs rigs with repairs in mind and backs them with top-tier service. Customers like Chris Bettiol and Jeff Coates praise their fast, personal support and a strong service network that keeps rigs running — often across brands.

“Having called other drill rig manufacturers seeking support, nothing compares to Geoprobe^® service. You can get personal, build rapport, and they always find a way to keep us going. We rarely lose much time in the field when dealing with them,” Chris Bettiol, owner ACE Environmental, said. 

The Geoprobe^® network of service centers maintains rig viability no matter the make or model.

“Geoprobe^® has a network across the U.S. to call and access good customer service. We can troubleshoot stuff ourselves with expert service technicians who explain things over the phone and get parts to you to keep the rig in running condition yourself. If it’s too big an issue, you can have someone come to your site or send the rig to them to be fixed,” said Ryan Reed, vice president of mineral manufacturing with Mineral Manufacturing Company. “We can purchase mud pump components for our other drill rigs. The relationship with Geoprobe^® has allowed us to also help support our other model rigs.”

Chris Ratley, GSE Inc director of operations, appreciates Geoprobe^® customer service continues well after the sale to includes project advice and access to their own service records.

"The Geoprobe^® technical support staff is a valuable partner when assessing equipment capabilities and performance. We really appreciate having the ability to consult with them to ensure we can meet our project requirements and identify and address potential problems before they happen," Ratley said. “We can access our service records using Centerpoint Connected and track the service items we’ve been talking to them about.”

Jeff Coates, owner, Aimright Drilling Services describes Geoprobe^® service as “top-notch.”

“All we provide to our customers is a service, so we take service pretty seriously. Just the other day we needed two mud tubs, and Geoprobe^® only had one. They got one fabricated and sent out to us the same day,” he said. “We’re extremely grateful and appreciate Geoprobe^® partnering with us. We’re not just another order. When they can, they stop what they're doing when we need something.”

Flexibility to Weather Market Fluctuations

A drill rig’s versatility matters. Companies like Aimright and Technofor leverage Geoprobe® drill rigs across multiple service lines to stay profitable and competitive. Being able to pivot into new markets helps offset investment costs and keeps teams busy.

Oklahoma-based Aimright Drilling Services chose a decked-out Geoprobe^® 7822DT combination drill rig in order delve into the direct push market while keeping the new rig in the field everyday.

“The whole purpose in choosing the 7822DT was to maximize the utilization rate. It’s not as limited-use as a traditional geotechnical rig. We use the 7822DT in more places than other rigs,” Coates said. “We can’t have a rig out only 50 percent of the time; it’s not a good investment. If the rig is sitting half the time, we’d still be making payments full time.”

Diversifying service lines with a single drill rig isn’t just good for the business, but also the drillers as well.

“We can do test, municipal, and irrigation wells and cathodic protection. We can get into spaces, especially on cathodic protection jobs, where no one else can do that work, so we’ve been able to grow that area of the business at a premium. That we can diversify to do cathodic protection as well as old-school well stuff with a single rig is huge for our business and our guys,” Graham said of their Geoprobe^® DM450 water well drill rig. “Diversifying our portfolio with this one rig versus having to have multiple rigs doesn’t just benefit our business, but also our guys. We can train them on one rig versus multiple so there’s no education lapse.”

Drill rig versatility can also provide a competitive advantage and can lead to penetrating new markets, like exploration. Missing out on 90% of jobs – predominantly in the mining sector – led Technofor in Ontario to purchase a Geoprobe^® 7822DT and eventually a Geoprobe^® 3230DT. They now have 22 years of drilling experience – all with Geoprobe^® rigs.

“We were on site with a competitor where our 7822DT completed 0 to 100 feet faster than three other drills. It was because we were using more than one drilling method thanks to the multifunctionality of the drill,” Aimé Emard, operations manager, said. “Because Geoprobe^® rigs are multifunctional, it’s rare to be stuck in a field without knowing what to do. You can combine two methods of drilling in the same borehole. With the Geoprobe^® rigs we can switch faster between the two methods, saving 25% in time and better serving our clients.”