Cavin Coffelt and Mike Kyles, both twenty-year veterans of the underground construction business, joined forces in 2003, establishing Tulsa Telecom & Utilities, LLC. It was good timing for the two, who specialize in using horizontal directional drilling for the installation of new water, gas, sewer, and telecommunications services.

"There are a lot of old streetlights and stoplights in Tulsa," explains Coffelt. "The City of Tulsa has recently begun replacing all of the old wooden streetlight poles with metal ones, and replacing all of the old, green stoplight poles and adding new stoplights with cameras, which requires some sophisticated wiring."

Tulsa Telecom has been subcontracted by Tulsa-based Traffic & Lighting Systems (Beeline Division), which is responsible for replacing the poles at the intersections, installing the new lights and cameras, and pulling the new wiring. Kyles says the old wiring was in rusted, 1.5-inch steel lines that had to be replaced with longer-lasting polyethylene.

"We have to make what we call a loop system," says Kyles. "Each intersection has a control system that communicates with all of the other nearby intersections—the City of Tulsa is in the process of updating everything and getting all of the intersections coordinated. We used the Ditch Witch MX27 to tie all the wiring together in the intersection."

In addition to their specialty, the other thing the men of Tulsa Telecom have in common is a serious passion for Ditch Witch equipment. Besides the MX27, the company owns a Ditch Witch 1020 pedestrian trencher, 3610 compact trencher, and two directional drilling units: a JT2720 Mach 1 and a JT1220 Mach 1.

"We got hooked on Ditch Witch because of the service," says Kyles. "We're also big on their gear-driven equipment. The hydrostatic units are fine for the rental yards, but for day-in, day-out use, we go with the gear drive. Our 3610 is a good example. It's 13 years old, has 10,000 hours on it, and it's still going strong."

"We like the MX27 because you can use it just about anywhere, in whatever condition," adds Coffelt. "You can't always take a trencher out when it's raining. With the MX27 you can work in anything."

Another reason they prefer Ditch Witch equipment is because of its compact size and maneuverability. This is important in a city like Tulsa, which has about 800,000 residents.

"In the older part of the city, midtown, there is not a lot of room to work," says Coffelt. "On top of that, all of the old phone, gas, water, and sewer services are under the roads. On the job we just completed (drilling in double 3-inch polyethylene conduit for new wiring at the intersection of 31st and South Peoria Avenue), we had to set up the rigs on the right-of-ways, on the grass. And that's why we have the JT1220."

Coffelt says the relatively small footprint of the JT1220 allowed them to work in the confined areas along Peoria Avenue without interrupting traffic flow. The JT1220 Mach 1 features a tethered ground drive controller and 12,000 pounds of pullback force. Its minimal noise levels make the unit a good choice for jobs in residential or commercial areas. "We like how quiet it is," says Kyles. "We can actually hold conversations while we're working. I also like the fact that you never have to worry about a chain breaking. The new rack-and-pinion design and new breakout system are great."

Coffelt says his company created numerous bores of anywhere from 40 to 115 feet. "We core-drilled through the road to spot the utilities, then used a vac system to identify the depth of the utility."

When asked about why their expertise is in such great demand, Kyles and Coffelt were quick to point out the importance of their specialty. "Not everyone can do boring," says Kyles. "It takes a lot of practice, just like anything else, and we've done our share of that over twenty years. It also helps to have the right equipment, which we do, and also the great support we get.

"I've known all the [Ditch Witch of Tulsa] guys as long as I've been in business. At one point we thought about trying a [competitor's model]. We rented one for a month, but went with Ditch Witch because [the competitor] couldn't touch Ditch Witch service. If I pick up the phone to call our dealer when I have a problem, they'll be right over every time and they will stay until it's fixed. That's dedication."

Coffelt adds that he and Kyles have been using Ditch Witch equipment so long that other people in the industry ask them before investing in a new piece of equipment. "The guys from Traffic & Lighting Systems bought an MX27 on our recommendation," says Coffelt. "It was the first new piece of equipment they'd ever bought, and they use it all the time."

Perhaps Ditch Witch of Tulsa owes the men of Tulsa Telecom & Utilities a commission. Or perhaps, after using Ditch Witch tools for so many years to ply their trade, Coffelt and Kyles will just call it even.