When brothers Keith and Kevin Burrows started their contracting business in 1999, no one knew the telecommunications market would soon face serious problems with a broader economic downturn to follow.

"We began with a backhoe and a dump truck doing restoration work," says Keith Burrows. "Then we expanded to doing water service line work, renting specialized equipment when we needed it." Keith and Kevin both had underground construction experience before starting their own business.

By doing good work and meeting deadlines, Burrows Bros. Inc. has thrived, serving a variety of clients from its Webster, N.Y. location, just east of Rochester. Today the company is a directional drilling specialist serving area telephone and cable companies and doing water and sewer construction for several municipalities and some gas construction.

Burrows Bros. purchased its first horizontal directional drill (HDD) unit--a Ditch Witch JT1720--in 1999.

"I think directional drilling got a slower start in this part of the country than in many other areas," says Burrows. "But we find today HDD is well accepted, especially with telecommunications companies, and demand is growing for water and sewer."

Still, the Burrows brothers frequently field questions from project owners who aren't sure whether directional drilling is appropriate for them.

"Even with the acceptance of the method, we still are in an educational mode for HDD," Burrows continues. "We do still receive a lot of calls from engineers and owners of projects who want to see if HDD can be used on their projects, and many of these contacts do result in business for us."

Perhaps one reason project owners in the area are unsure about HDD is because subsurface conditions can make directional drilling difficult.

Says Burrows: "We find everything from sand to solid rock, and a lot of hard clay and cobble."

The key to successful drilling in difficult conditions is having the right equipment and personnel who know how to operate it.

"We recently traded our first machine, the JT1720 which had 17,000 pounds of pullback, for a new Ditch Witch JT2020," says Burrows. "The machine develops 20,000 pounds of pullback and 2,000 foot pounds of torque. Our larger machine is a Ditch Witch JT2720 All Terrain (AT) model."

With 27,000 pounds of pullback and a dual-pipe mechanical drilling drive system, the All Terrain unit can drill in rock and other difficult conditions that are beyond the capabilities of other machines in this size and power class, making it perfectly suited for soil conditions in areas where Burrows Bros. make underground installations.

The inner pipe of the two-pipe system drives a rock bit; the outer pipe steers the downhole tool while drilling the pilot hole and provides torque during backreaming. Rotation of the pipes is controlled separately. The drive system is designed to deliver maximum downhole horsepower and eliminates the need for the high volumes of fluid necessary to operate a mud motor.

Both machines run on rubber tracks and are relatively compact, considering the amount of drilling and pullback power they have. The similarity of control layout on the two models makes it easy for operators to move from one to the other.

Burrows says most HDD projects the company completes are to install product between 2 and 12 inches. The largest material his HDD crews have installed was 20-inch HDPE casing on a water project.

Burrows says Subsite electronic tracking equipment is used with both models, and various Ditch Witch bits and backreamers are utilized, depending on soil conditions.

While many HDD projects are considered "routine," each is different in some way, and some projects stand out because of their unusual nature.

"We did one project to install a drainage pipe beneath the auditorium of a new school," says Burrows. "It was discovered after the building was finished that no drain was provided for the below ground orchestra pit. Groundwater was leaking into the structure and had nowhere to go.

The drill unit was set up outside the building and drilled down to 18 feet where the pilot bore path was guided upward at a 2 percent grade to the drainage point. To complete the installation, a 6-inch diameter HDPE drain pipe was placed in the bore hole and extended to connect to a storm sewer. A pump was installed to facilitate water flow.

The JT2720 AT was used for the project. The installation was complicated by rocky soils and elements of the structure sometimes made locating difficult.

Although winters in the Burrows Bros. service area are severe, Burrows says crews work year round.

"From mid-January through mid-March is our slow period," he explains. "But when there is work, we do it. We just have to be careful to keep everything warm and not let fluids or pumps freeze."

Burrows says the company's philosophy of business is to be honest with clients and to take the time to do every project right. Satisfied customers are an excellent source for future business.