JT1220 MACH 1DIRECTIONAL DRILL

stopimg title="drillpipe_1" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="drillpipe_1" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/drillpipe_1stopimg4The Ditch Witch organization manufactures the most durable drill pipe in the underground construction industry. But even the most dependable pipe depends on you to use it properly. Yes, it's solid steel and manufactured with the utmost precision, but one false move—exceeding the pipe's bend radius, clamping on the body of the pipe, insufficient thread lubrication—and you can quickly ruin not only an individual pipe but also an entire drill string.

Pipe isn't cheap, as experienced horizontal directional drilling (HDD) professionals know well, nor is the downtime associated with replacing it, so it definitely pays to follow instructions in the operator's manual to the letter. Most HDD operators have learned how to execute a successful bore by making mistakes along the way. Sometimes experience is the best teacher, but by taking the following tips to heart, maybe you can avoid learning the hard way.

Before The Bore.

Proper drill pipe care starts long before you reach the jobsite. First, select a pipe designed for your drilling rig, keeping in mind that:

•  Simply selecting a tool joint that will function in the grippers is not enough. The tool joint must be designed to match the rig's output torque or it won't tighten correctly.
•  The outside diameter of the pipe greatly influences its steering characteristics. Too-large or too-small pipe bodies will not properly match the thrust and may create steering problems.

The bore should be thoroughly planned before unloading the rig. Take into consideration what buried hazards or obstacles exist on the jobsite (where and how deep they are), the size and type of material to be installed, the bend radius of the material and how deep it must be placed, your setup position and entry angle, and if the job allows entry and exit pits.

You'll want to use the lowest possible entry angle to minimize the bending necessary to drill horizontally at the proper depth; entry and exit pits help prevent sharp bends at these points, and allow the cutting tool to start without skidding and bending the pipe.

If you are using brand new pipe, perform the following preconditioning procedure three times for each pipe before first use:

      1. Hand-lubricate the entire surface of threads and shoulders of both ends of the pipe with the recommended copper-base tool-joint compound.
      2. Join the pipe and tighten the joint.
      3. Break the joint.

Failure to follow this procedure could result in fused joints and pipe damage. And remember to precondition new saver subs the same way you do new pipe.

During The Bore.

Both the drill pipe and the material to be installed have bend radius limits that you must know and never exceed. The maximum bend radius allowed for your Ditch Witch drill pipe is shown in a chart in your operator's manual. The product to be installed often has a bend radius different than the drill pipe, so the pilot bore should be planned for whichever has the greater bend radius.

How you make up and break apart tool joints greatly affects the life of your drill string. Before connecting drill pipe, lubricate the threads and shoulders of male joints with a copper-base tool-joint compound. This prevents rust and reduces wear on shoulders and threads. When necessary, clean the threads with high-pressure water and detergent. (Do NOT use gasoline or other petroleum-based solvents, as this will prevent the tool-joint compound from sticking to the joints and reduce thread life.)

Connecting and disconnecting joints should always be performed slowly and deliberately. Always carefully align the male and female ends of pipe before screwing them together. Poor alignment can damage the threads and destroy the usefulness of the joint.

stopimg title="drillpipe_2" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" alt="drillpipe_2" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/drillpipe_2stopimg4Carefully time the rotation with the carriage travel speed. This will help prevent thread crossing, galling, and shoulder swelling. Tapered threads don't fully engage until the last 1/16 of an inch, so make sure the shoulder faces are touching and then tighten the joint with full machine torque.

Never rush the job by letting the ground finish making up the joint. This will not provide sufficient torque to make a good connection.

Of all the joints in a drill string, those just behind the drill bit take the highest stress. The lead pipe is in the ground longer, and gets more shockloads and rotation cycles. Use a transition sub between the tool and the first drill pipe to absorb shock.

Never use machine torque to make or break joints away from the machine. To break threaded joints away from the machine, first shut down the engine and then use a breakout wrench to perform the task. Clamp onto the drill pipe only in the designated areas; even small cuts in the pipe can quickly lead to fatigue during bending rotation. With a Ditch Witch EZ Connect tool, you don't have to break apart tight threads on downhole tools.

During the drill operation, never rotate the drill pipe without pushing or pulling, as this will increase stress damage at every bend. Likewise, don't push a full length of pipe in the drill frame without rotating, as this can cause pipe to buckle. Drill in half the pipe before pushing without rotation.

When guiding the bore, never exceed the bend radius for your pipe. Bending pipe more sharply than recommended will damage the pipe and cause failure. All steering corrections should be made as gradually as possible. Overcorrecting will cause "snaking," which can damage pipe and make drilling and pullback more difficult. It is important to begin straightening out of each correction as early as possible.

Excessive changes in pitch—the up or down angle of the bit and lead pipe—can bend the pipe just like oversteering does. In your operator's manual, the bend limits for Ditch Witch pipe are shown in a chart that provides the total deflection allowable in pitch or steering without damaging the pipe.

Because each pipe comes in contact with the saver sub, check it regularly for wear and replace it when it is worn, or it will damage the drill pipe. And always replace bits and backreamers as soon as they become worn, because dull tools put more strain on the drill string.

During Pullback.

Stresses on the product during pullback are transferred to the backreamer and drill pipe. When pulling in the product, be advised of the following:

• Do not pull the backreamer faster than it can cut.    
• Never backream without good fluid flow. The right mixture and flow reduce torque, thrust and pullback forces.
•  Use the smallest backreamer practical for pullback. If you need a large borehole, make more than one pass, each with a progressively larger reamer.

After The Bore.

When buying replacement pipe, always replace the entire string with pipe from the same manufacturer. The HDD industry has no established industry standard for threads, so not all threads are made equally. Parts from different manufacturers may appear to assemble, but this does not mean the joint was made up correctly.

stopimg title="drillpipe_3" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="drillpipe_3" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/drillpipe_3stopimg4Thread tolerances vary widely among manufacturers. And worn threads, of course, do not match any other threads. Mixing new and worn threads increases contact pressure and accelerates thread wear. Also, the bend radii of different brands of pipe may be different, which will cause accelerated and uneven wear on all pipe in the string.

Whenever you replace all of your drill pipe, replace the saver sub on the carriage, too. Putting new pipe through an old saver sub transfers damage from the sub to every new pipe in the string.

Because the lead drill pipe is in the ground longer, it is subjected to higher shock loads and experiences more wear. To help spread this wear evenly over all pipe, move the lead pipe to the last position in the rack after each job.

Drill Pipe Best Practices.

By making every effort to maximize the life of your drill pipe, you can help ensure the overall success of your HDD operations. Here's an abbreviated checklist to refer to when planning your next bore:

• Set up unit correctly. 
• Securely anchor drilling unit.    
• Break in threads on new pipe.    
• Make up and break out tool joints correctly.    
• Assemble and disassemble tool joints at moderate speed.    
• Keep the rotation speed and thrust speed synchronized. 
• Apply proper torque to all tool joints.    
• Avoid over-bending, over-steering and over-correcting.    
• Keep threads clean and lubricated.    
• Use correct drilling fluid for soil conditions and use plenty of it.    
• Refer to your operator's manual for complete drill pipe care, maintenance and operation.

stopimg title="keepCool_img1" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: left" alt="keepCool_img1" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/1_KeepCool_260x195(1).jpg" border="0" />Catastrophic tornadoes and floods have grabbed recent headlines, but each year one weather phenomenon kills more people than tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and lightning combined: heat.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average of more than 1,500 people in the U.S. die each year from excessive heat—yet it is the most preventable of weather-related deaths.

If you work in construction, summer is one of your busiest times of the year because it’s typically the driest season and offers the most hours of daylight. But the sun providing all that productive daylight can be the biggest jobsite hazard you face all year. No matter how tough you are or how used to the heat you think you are, excessive heat can bring down anyone who doesn’t take the necessary precautions.

The following information applies to anyone who is employed in an outdoor profession—construction workers in particular—but also applies to those who work in hot factories and anyone who spends time outdoors exercising, gardening, or laboring in any capacity during the summer months. (This is general information. More specific information can be found in the sources cited below.)

Know Your Chemistry

Our bodies dissipate heat by varying the rate and depth of blood circulation, and by expelling water through the skin and sweat glands. When we reach the danger zone, when our blood is heated above 98.6 degrees, we begin to pant—we’re literally “working like a dog.”

Sweating alone does little to cool the body, unless the sweat is removed by evaporation. But high relative humidity inhibits evaporation. When you’re checking the forecast for tomorrow, pay close attention to the heat index: the combination of relative humidity and air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is 96° F and the relative humidity is 65 percent, the heat index is 121° F. This is the heat your body really feels.

Heat disorders involve a reduction or collapse of our bodies’ ability to shed heat by circulatory changes and sweating, or a chemical (salt) imbalance caused by too much sweating. When heat gain exceeds the level the body can remove, or when the body cannot compensate for fluids and salt lost through perspiration, the temperature of the body's inner core begins to rise, bringing on various degrees of heat-related illnesses.

stopimg title="keepCool_img2" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: right" alt="keepCool_img2" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/2_KeepCool_260x195.jpg" border="0" />Ranking Heat Disorders

The severity of heat disorders is relative to a person’s age, weight, fitness, medical condition, and degree of acclimatization to the heat. For example, heat cramps in a 17-year-old may translate as heat exhaustion in someone who is 40, and heat stroke in a person over 60. Common heat disorders include:

• Sunburn. Along with being painful and irritating, sunburn can significantly retard the skin’s ability to shed excess heat. The best solution for sunburn is prevention, by applying sunscreen throughout the day.
• Heat cramps. Symptoms are painful spasms, usually in the muscles of the legs and abdomen, often preceded by profuse sweating.
• Heat rash. Also known as prickly heat, heat rash can occur in hot, humid environments where sweat is not easily removed from the surface of the skin by evaporation. Serious heat rash can be so uncomfortable that it inhibits sleep and impedes a worker’s performance.
• Heat exhaustion. Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, headache, fainting, vomiting, and skin that is cold, pale and clammy. It is possible to have a normal temperature with heat exhaustion.
• Heat stroke or sunstroke. This is the most serious health problem for workers in hot environments. Heat stroke occurs when sweating stops and the body can no longer rid itself of excess heat. Symptoms include an excessively high body temperature (106° F or higher); mental confusion or delirium; convulsions; hot, dry skin; strong and rapid pulse; and possible unconsciousness. Make no mistake: heat stroke can be fatal, and victims need immediate medical attention.

Prevention: The Best Solution

The number one method of avoiding heat disorders: avoiding heat. But for construction workers in the summer, this is simply not possible. So, here are some tips for staying cool and staying alive, beginning with the most obvious:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink water even if you don't feel thirsty. Proper hydration actually begins the day before a long, strenuous day in the sun. Before increasing your fluid consumption, consult a physician if you (1) have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; (2) are on a fluid-restrictive diet; or (3) have a problem with fluid retention.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages. Alcohol dehydrates your body. Enough said.
• Limit caffeine intake.
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods that are heavy in protein increase metabolic heat production and also increase water loss.
• Dress as lightly as possible. You need protective clothing, of course, but consider light-colored fabrics, such as cotton, that breathe.
• When possible, take longer breaks than normal in a cool, shaded area. A rested worker is a more productive worker.
• Know the symptoms of heat illnesses. Use a buddy system to keep tabs on your fellow workers.
• Acclimate yourself to the heat. You can “get used to” the heat, to some degree. Workers, especially those who follow the advice above, can eventually develop some degree of tolerance. However, new employees and workers returning from an absence of two weeks or more should have a five-day period of acclimatization: 50 percent of the normal workload and time exposure the first day, gradually building up to 100 percent on the fifth day.

stopimg title="keepCool_img3" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: left" alt="keepCool_img3" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/3_KeepCool_260x195.jpg" border="0" />Supervisor Obligations

There are precautions every employer should take when temperatures are high and the job involves physical work.

• Understand the signs of heat stress and permit workers to interrupt their work if they are extremely uncomfortable.
• Provide training about the hazards leading to heat stress and how to prevent them.
• If possible, schedule the heaviest workload for the coolest part of the day: early morning or late evening, when the sun is less intense.
• Make sure your workers have easy access to cool water—a minimum of one quart of water per hour, per worker.
• Schedule frequent rest periods with water breaks in shaded or air- conditioned areas.
• Routinely check on workers who are at risk of heat stress due to protective clothing and high temperature. Pay close attention to those who are at risk because of age and physical condition (including obesity and diabetes).

When A Fellow Worker Is Ill From The Heat

• Call a supervisor for help. If the supervisor is not available, call 911.
• Have someone stay with the worker until help arrives.
• Move the worker to a cooler/shaded area.
• Remove outer clothing.
• Fan and mist the worker with water; apply ice (ice bags or ice towels).
• Provide cool drinking water, if the worker is able to drink.

For more information about preventing and treating heat-related illness, consult these articles:

• “Heat Wave: A Major Summer Killer,” [http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php] by the NOAA
• “Protecting Workers From Heat Stress,” [http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf] by OSHA
• “Protecting Workers In Hot Environments,” [http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FACT_SHEETS&p_id=167] by OSHA

Sources for this article:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (noaawatch.gov)
• Occupational and Safety Health Administration (osha.gov)

stopimg title="19a" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="19a" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/19astopimg4Take the time to winterize your equipment this year. A few minutes spent could save you time and money in the months to come. The amount of winter care your equipment needs depends both on the climate and how it is used. Check your service manual guidelines, and keep the following tips in mind:

1. Check coolant. Provide protection by using the recommended antifreeze/water mixture for the lowest temperature expected during operations.

2. Change the oil and filter before cold weather arrives. In addition, use lubricants recommended for low temperature applications.

3. Maintain the battery. Remove cables, clean cable ends and posts, and clean and tighten terminals on the cranking motor. And remember never to charge a frozen battery.

4. Check tire inflation. Tires inflated in a warm shop will be under-inflated when used in cold temperatures.

5. Give hydraulic components time to warm up before beginning work. If you’re running diesel equipment, be sure to idle the engine a few minutes before shutting down to properly lubricate internal components. Your local Ditch Witch^® service technicians can help you make the most of your cold-weather equipment productivity, and can suggest winterizing techniques that are perfectly suited to your operation.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/boca1.jpg" alt="boca1" title="boca1" />Boca Enterprises, Hagerhill, Kentucky, has developed a reputation for completing difficult horizontal directional drilling (HDD) projects, often jobs that other contractors declined to attempt.

Boca owner Kirby Bowling recognized when he started his underground utility construction business in 1996 that the rocky soils of the rugged hill country of eastern Kentucky would be challenging, and that he should be prepared to excavate and bore in hard, rocky soil conditions.

"We do every kind of underground utility construction," said Bowling. "Gas, water, sewer, telephone, and cable television. In 2009, we did a lot of gas, but with stimulus money becoming available, we are doing more water and sewer in 2010."

As the company's business grew, Bowling began looking for a directional drilling machine that was relatively compact and could tackle the tough conditions his crews encountered on almost every job. He wanted an economical unit that could drill in rock without needing a mud motor and the high volumes of drilling fluids. Ideally the same machine also could operate in "normal" soil conditions.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/boca2.jpg" alt="boca2" title="boca2" />The solution was a Ditch Witch® JT2720 All Terrain (AT) machine Bowling purchased in 2001, and it has been the company's workhorse ever since.

The 27,000-pound pullback drill unit is equipped with the Ditch Witch organization's exclusive dual-pipe All Terrain drilling technology. The inner rod drives a rock bit while the outer pipe steers the downhole drilling tool for drilling pilot holes, and also provides rotary torque during backreaming. The mechanical drilling system delivers maximum downhole horsepower and operates on low volumes of drilling fluid. In addition to rock drilling, AT equipment is productive in almost every type of soil.

As Boca Enterprises grew, a new, larger, more powerful, rack-and-pinion JT4020 AT unit was added in 2009.

A recent project demonstrates the versatility of the All Terrain system.

An extension of water service in Knott County, Kentucky, required one segment of pipe to cross Carr Creek Lake near Hindman. The crossing would be 1,050 feet under the lake, which reached water depths of 45 feet, with the bore path being 20 to 25 feet below the floor of the lake.

Primary contractor G &W Construction, Morehead, Kentucky, selected Boca Enterprises to make the HDD crossing.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/boca3.jpg" alt="boca3" title="boca3" />To complicate the installation, surface features required the entry of the bore to be on the side of a mountain where a setup position for the drill unit was constructed. From the position of the entry point, the entry angle of the pilot hole was at a 50-percent downward grade, which then had to level off to proceed under the lake to the exit point on the opposite side.

The larger JT4020 AT was used on the project because its greater power provides the capabilities to pull longer runs of larger-diameter pipe than the smaller model.

The 1,000-plus-foot pilot bore was drilled with a 6.5-inch-diameter Sandvik Rotary Tools roller cone bit offered by the Ditch Witch organization. Subsurface conditions included sandstone and some limestone. Progress of the bore under the lake was tracked from a pontoon boat with a Ditch Witch Electronics 752 Tracker. A remote antenna was attached to the receiver to extend the antenna below the surface of the water and get closer to the beacon's signal.

The pilot hole was enlarged with 12- and 16-inch roller cone backreamers, and the length of 12-inch HDPE pipe was pulled back behind the 16-inch backreaming pass.

The JT4020 AT has 40,000 pounds of pullback, 5,000 foot-pounds of spindle torque, and spindle speeds to 250 rpm.

The JT2720 AT produces 27,000 pounds of pullback, 3,200 foot-pounds of spindle torque, and spindle speeds to 225 rpm.

Each of the self-contained models is mounted on tracks.

All Terrain technology enables both machines to drill in rock and other difficult conditions that are beyond the capabilities of other machines of comparable size and power ratings.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/boca4.jpg" alt="boca4" title="boca4" />Bowling said that during its first years of operation, Boca Enterprises served primarily as a specialist subcontractor, but has reached the point that it now bids jobs as the primary contractor. Over the years, the amount of directional drilling on projects has increased, and today about 80 percent of pipe and cable the company installs is with HDD.

Ditch Witch® equipment is manufactured by The Charles Machine Works, Inc., Perry, Oklahoma, a leading producer of underground construction equipment including trenchers, vibratory plows, horizontal directional drilling equipment, compact excavators, skid-steer loaders, excavator tool carriers, vacuum excavators, and related products.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/fluidmiser.jpg" alt="fluidmiser" title="fluidmiser" />Whether you're drilling in a new water line under a golf course club house, fiber optics under a highway, or utilities under a housing addition; Ditch Witch®lined drill pipe can help you get the job done with less fluid, less mess and less time.

You'll use less drilling fluid on the job because the Ditch Witch-exclusive, patented Fluid Miser®II lining functionally reduces the inside diameter of the pipe—and the amount of fluid it takes to fill the drill string—by up to 66 percent., The money you save from less water to haul, and purchasing fewer drilling fluid additives becomes significantover the life of that rack of pipe. And less drilling fluid means both less time to pressure up the drill string and less clean-up, saving you both time and money.

Fluid Miser II also works hard to shield the investment you have already made in drill pipe, downhole tools, and equipment because the lining actually protects the interior of the pipe, reducing rust scaling and extending the life of each joint of pipe. The reduced fluid volume not only minimizes the chance of high-volume mud plugging up nozzles in bits and backreamers, it also reduces the wear on your fluid pump, because it pumps significantly less fluid over time.

When you add up the savings on time, money and clean up, drilling with Ditch Witch lined drill pipe is a win-win-win situation.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/SlantBeaconHousing.jpg" alt="SlantBeaconHousing" title="SlantBeaconHousing" />Ditch Witch® downhole tools are engineered to be the most flexible in the industry. We believe this comes from their patented technology, their 50-year history of providing underground construction solutions, and the fact that Ditch Witch downhole tools are manufactured specifically for the drills with the same name on them. Simply put: they get the job done because they just fit better. All of these factors combined make them the longest-lasting, most ruggedly built tools in the horizontal directional drilling industry. Whether your project includes extreme soil conditions or the challenge of managing the spoils of long bores, here are several reasons why Ditch Witch downhole tools should be a vital part of your next drilling project.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/TalonBit.jpg" alt="TalonBit" title="TalonBit" />1. Ditch Witch beacon housings are several inches longer than most competitive housings, and the deflection angle on our bits is less aggressive by design. These two features combine to create exceptionally smooth steering, making steering corrections easier and lessening the chance of oversteering.

2. Aftermarket bits tend to be dramatically thicker, with carbide applied more generously. At first this may seem like a desirable feature. But Ditch Witch bits are engineered from the highest quality steel—so less steel is required to produce a bit of the same strength. And carbide is applied efficiently—only on the cutting edge, where it counts. The result is a more nimble bit that responds easily to steering corrections while still holding up the rigors encountered downhole. Compare this with heavier, bulky aftermarket bits, which some operators have described as trying to "push a brick with teeth" through the ground.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/Tracker.jpg" alt="Tracker" title="Tracker" />3. Some aftermarket manufacturers offer only bottom-load beacon housings. All Ditch Witch beacon housings are sideload by design. Our engineers know that the side of the housing (perpendicular to the steering) is the optimal location for the opening. Since most horizontal directional drilling steering is up and down rather than side-to-side, the majority of stresses encountered downhole are on the top and bottom of the housing. Placing the beacon opening at the highest stress point on the housing is not optimal. The tendency is for the housing to flex, causing the beacon door to come off, and the beacon to be lost. Ditch Witch sideload housings strategically place the beacon opening at their lowest stress point, protecting your electronics investment.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/TransitionSub.jpg" alt="TransitionSub" title="TransitionSub" />4. If your tracking electronics don't seem accurate, the problem could be your aftermarket housing. Because of the design of aftermarket bottom-load housings, it is almost impossible to place a Ditch Witch beacon in one so that the roll angle is properly clocked. Ditch Witch beacon housings and beacons are designed to work together to give you the most accurate locate on the market.

5. The beacon window on Ditch Witch housings is twice the size of the competitor's—so you get a stronger beacon signal, longer battery life, and a more productive bore. Additionally, the location of the beacon window on aftermarket housings causes inaccurate depth and right-to-left readings—up to eight inches off in some documented field reports.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/Beacon.jpg" alt="Beacon" title="Beacon" />6. The design of many aftermarket housings allows high-pressure fluid to cut into the beacon compartment, damaging the beacon. Ditch Witch housings utilize the drilling fluid flow to cool and protect sensitive electronics from the rigors experienced downhole.

7. Only Ditch Witch beacon housings come equipped with an exclusive Beacon Buddy feature that works two ways to protect your electronics: It not only accommodates a check valve to prevent nozzles from plugging; it also maintains fluid flow to prevent overheating if nozzles do become plugged.

8. The diameter of the ports and jets on competitive beacon housing are significantly smaller than that of Ditch Witch housings. When drilling fluid flow increases, the smaller diameter ports cannot handle the flow, increasing back-pressure all the way to the fluid pump and causing premature failure of pump seals and cups. The larger the pump capacity, the larger the problem. Other effects of this back-pressure include lugging of the engine, hydraulic overheating, and O-ring failure.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/Connector.jpg" alt="Connector" title="Connector" />9. The Ditch Witch organization uses the same propriety thread pattern on its saver subs, drill pipe, beacon housings, backreamers, connectors, and transition subs. This ensures the truest, tightest connection possible all the way through the drill string . . . for ultimate worry-free performance downhole. Other manufacturers try to match our thread pattern, but their connections aren't true, causing galling and cross-threading.

10. The pins on the competitive drill pipe do not match that of Ditch Witch drill pipe. This means that competitive pipe will not fully torque with Ditch Witch pipe at the shoulder and nose, nor will it bottom out in the box end. The types of failure this causes include mushrooming and splitting of the box end.

stopimg title="JT_1" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="JT_1" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/JT_1stopimg4Trenchless construction has changed the way the world's utility infrastructure is constructed and rehabilitated. While trenchless methods are perceived as a "new" development, a small number of trenchless pioneers have been using them for decades.

Back in 1982, Sweden's Styrud Ingenjörsfirma AB recognized the need for alternatives to conventional construction methods. The company adapted well-drilling equipment to drive pipe through the ground and designed and developed bits to use in the pipe-ramming process. In 1987, the company began investigating the then-new technology of horizontal directional drilling, and three years later invested in its first HDD machine.

The company now has its headquarters in Gothenburg, with regional offices in Malmö, Stockholm, Sundsvall and Karlstad.

Joint owner and Business Development Manager Rolf Borras says Styrud AB currently has 15 HDD units working in Sweden installing water and sewer lines, electric power and telecommunications cable, natural gas pipe, and piping for district heating and cooling systems.

Directional drilling is used in urban areas where excavation is difficult or impossible, on projects where surface improvements would require extensive and costly restoration, to install pipe and cable under highways and railroad tracks, and to bore beneath rivers, streams, and other bodies of water.

Styrud AB operates a wide range of Ditch Witch® directional drills, including the JT1720, JT2020, and JT8020 Mach 1, and the JT2720 and JT4020 All Terrain. The All Terrain models are designed to drill through rock and other difficult conditions without the need to use a mud motor. Styrud was the first organization to use All Terrain technology in Sweden.

All Terrain technology employs a dual-drive drilling system featuring an inner rod that drives a rock bit. The outer pipe steers the downhole tool while drilling pilot holes, and provides rotary torque for the hole opener during backreaming. The mechanical drilling system delivers maximum downhole horsepower and operates on low volumes of drilling fluid. In addition to rock drilling, an All Terrain unit is productive in nearly all types of soils.

stopimg title="JT_2" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" alt="JT_2" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/JT_2stopimg4Styrud AB recently employed directional drilling to upgrade the district cooling network for Göteborg Energi, one of the largest energy suppliers in Sweden. Owned by the municipality of Göthenburg, Göteborg Energi provides electricity and gas for district heating and cooling for air conditioning. The purpose of the project was to enlarge cooling capacity and connect smaller systems that had in the past provided different parts of the city with cooling.

Styrud AB initially became involved on the project as a subcontractor providing drawings of plans and installing pipes. The company eventually assumed the position of general contractor, working closely with Göteborg personnel. Styrud AB now is involved in planning future segments of the improvement program.

"Because the entire extent of the ring main was located in the downtown area, trenchless technology was a natural first choice," said Borras.

The final part of the job was an 880-meter long section, consisting of two parallel pipelines 630 mm in diameter, from Pusterviksplatsen to Bältesspännarparken. The pipeline runs from there via Allén, Drottningtorget and St Eriksgatan to its end point at Lilla Bommen. Plans also call for the district cooling network to cross the river Göta älv on its way back to Rosenlund, as well as connecting the Lindholmen district to the ring main.

"Göteborg Energi is one of the organizations in Sweden that has invested the most in trenchless technology," said Görgen Johansson, Styrud AB project manager. "The presence of favorable geotechnical conditions is, of course, one of the explanations, but attention is also paid to finances, keeping in mind that trenchless technology is often more cost effective. The minimal level of environmental impact and the minimal disruption to traffic are also factors that carry a lot of weight."

During the project, Styrud AB used its Ditch Witch JT4020 All Terrain and JT8020 Mach 1 equipment. The company's crews completed 20 HDD installations ranging from 100 to 800 meters in length and two to 20 meters deep. The diameter of the installed HDPE pipe is 110 to 800 millimeters.

Johansson said Göteborg Energi is recognized as a progressive provider of energy and is on the leading edge for developing ways to use renewable energy. The company owns and operates several wind farms.

Styrud Ingenjörsfirma AB was founded in Herrljunga in western Sweden in 1978, and during its first years of business the company focused on the drilling of water wells. After adding its first trenchless capabilities four years later, the company's capabilities have steadily expanded. In 1989, Styrud AB completed its first project outside Sweden—a hammer drilling contract in the United Kingdom.

In 1996, the company added its first 40,000-pound drilling unit and the following year completed a difficult and challenging assignment in Romania to install a segment of a broadband cable just over 500 meters long under the Danube River.

Regional offices are located in Gothenburg and Sundsvall and to better serve Northern Sweden, the company purchased Järvsö Borr AB, a firm specializing in energy and water wells.

At the turn of the millennium, broadband expansion in Sweden was in full swing, and the company doubled in size in one year.

"In 2005 Styrud Ingenjörsfirma AB published its first manual on trenchless pipe installation," said Borras. "We also acquired Finnish Borealstar OY, with whom we had collaborated for several years, and which opened the door to the Finnish market, and an office was established in Helsingfors."

In 2007, TGB Borrteknik was acquired, making Styrud AB one of the major drilling companies in northern Europe. The main office, the western regional office, and StyrudTGB consolidated their premises in Sävedalen east of Gothenburg, while local offices in collaboration with StyrudTGB opened for business in Järfälla and Sundsvall.

To meet the needs of its clients, Styrud AB, operates drilling equipment in several size categories.

stopimg title="JT_3" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="JT_3" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/JT_3stopimg4The JT1720 develops 17,000 pounds of pullback, 1,800 foot pounds of spindle torque, and spindle rotation speeds to 200 rpm; the JT2020 produces 20,000 pounds pullback, 2,200 foot pounds of torque, and spindle speeds of 150 rpm; JT2720 equipment has 27,000 pounds of pullback, 3,200 foot pounds of spindle torque, and spindle speeds to 225 rpm. These compact models are well suited for construction sites with limited space for setup.

The two larger models are capable of installing larger-diameter pipes at longer distances. The JT4020 has 40,000 pounds of pullback, 5,000 foot pounds spindle torque, and spindle speeds to 250 rpm; the powerful JT8020 can produce 80,000 pounds of pullback, 10,000 foot pounds of torque, and spindle speeds to 210 rpm.

Each of the self-contained models is mounted on tracks.

Ditch Witch equipment is manufactured by The Charles Machine Works, Inc., Perry, Oklahoma, a leading manufacturer of underground utility construction equipment. The Ditch Witch product line includes trenchers, horizontal directional drilling systems, vibratory plows, vacuum excavators, compact skid-steer loaders, electrical utility locators, and related products.

Sales, parts, service, and product support for Styrud AB is provided by JLM Ditch Witch Scandinavia, Malmö, Sweden.

If your machine's hydraulic system isn't working, neither are you. Here are some common causes of hydraulic system breakdown and steps you can take to avoid them.

stopimg title="SK650_1" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="SK650_1" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/SK650_1stopimg4Contamination

An estimated 75 percent of all hydraulic system failure is due to contamination, so change filters regularly. If filters become dirty too frequently, examine them. Metal shavings can indicate that a pump, motor, or other upstream component may be failing. Resin or sludge—type material usually means oxidation of the fluid, often caused by low fluid levels or damaged seals.

Use clean tools and equipment, and always thoroughly clean hydraulic components before you remove, repair, or reinstall them. When you disconnect a hydraulic line, cap the end to keep contamination out while you're servicing the system. When you put the system back together, always install a new filter.

stopimg title="SK650_2" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" alt="SK650_2" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/SK650_2stopimg4Low or Dirty Fluid

Low fluid levels can cause everything from sluggish cylinder operation to catastrophic pump cavitation, so check the fluid regularly (with the engine off and the fluid cool) and maintain the proper level. Always use the right fuel for your system.

Murky or cloudy fluid usually indicates water or air in the system. Water can come from condensation, and excess air can be a result of low fluid levels, a damaged seal, or a crack in a suction hose.

Other System Components

Sometimes the obvious causes of hydraulic system trouble get overlooked. Try these preliminary checks:stopimg title="SK650_3" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="SK650_3" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/SK650_3stopimg4

•  Check the hydraulic fluid level with the engine off and the fluid cool.
•  With the engine stopped, check for leaks around seals, castings, and hydraulic connections.    
•  Check for kinks in hydraulic lines.
•  Check for a plugged or damaged fluid cooler or fluid filter.
•  Check the electrical connections to solenoid valves. The problem may not be hydraulic after all.

When in doubt, you can always find factory—trained technicians at your Ditch Witch dealership, professionals whose only business is keeping Ditch Witch equipment healthy.

The upgrading of North America's last mile networks with end-to-end fiber is continuing at a robust pace, with fiber to the home (FTTH) arriving at more than 1.6 million households over the past year, bringing the total number of FTTH subscribers to 3.76 million, according to a study released today by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council.

The study, by RVA Market Research (www.rvallc.com), pegged the annual growth rate for fiber to the home in North America at 76 percent, the highest of any country or region in the world.

The updated deployment statistics were announced at the FTTH 2008 Conference & Expo, which is being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The study also shows fiber to the home networks now passing 13.8 million North American homes, up from 9.55 million a year ago, and that the number of homes receiving video services over FTTH more than doubled over the past year, from slightly more than one million in September 2007 to nearly 2.2 million today.

Meanwhile, the overall "take rate" - the percentage of those offered FTTH service who decide to subscribe - went up for the fifth straight six-month period, and now stands at more than 30 percent.

"This continued growth in the number of connections and in the take rate is evidence of what consumers think about fiber to the home - it is fast becoming the technology of choice for receiving high-bandwidth Internet and superior video services," said Joe Savage, President of the FTTH Council. "In addition, we are continuing to see enormously high customer satisfaction rates for FTTH services when compared to other types of broadband and video providers."

The study also found that average data download speeds for FTTH subscribers continued to rise - to 7 megabits per second from 5.2 Mbps a year ago - as providers increased available bandwidth in their service offerings. This compares to a median real-time Internet download speed of 2.3 Mbps among all Internet users, as determined by the Communications Workers of America in their recent Speed Matters survey of more than 230,000 people.

Mike Render of RVA LLC, who authored the study, noted that the sustained high growth rate for FTTH connections is disproving many of the claims that skeptics made about the technology just a few years ago. "They said FTTH would never work for overbuilds, in rural areas, in multi-tenant buildings or in places where there was already competition to provide these services. They said no one would ever need or pay for 7 megabits of download speed. And now we are finding that those concerns are not panning out."

A presentation containing the underlying data for the study can be downloaded from the FTTH Council website by clicking here.

by George McGuire
R&D Project Manager
The Charles Machine Works, Inc.

Replacing our nation's aging copper communications infrastructure is a monumental task. This is one thing all of the experts agree upon. The disagreements begin when the discussion turns to the most efficient and cost-effective way to tackle the challenge.

There are two main areas related to FTTH (Fiber to The Home) installation: the "homes passed" loops, essentially the main fiber circuit that runs along the streets in neighborhoods and business districts; and "house drops," or service directly to the home or business from the network loops. Equipment manufacturers and installation contractors are strongly focused on bringing more cost-effective solutions into play to make the FTTH network more affordable for owners and consumers.

The solutions vary, and all have their merits.

"Stitch" boring with pneumatic boring tools is a favorite of contractors because of the low operating cost per foot of installation, very reasonable equipment investment, and the low level of expertise necessary for equipment operation. One drawback to stitch boring is its limited guidance or steering capability. Directional drilling is a popular application because of the minimal damage to the surface areas of lawns and landscapes and the ability to drill underneath roads, streets, driveways, and other surface obstacles. In addition, the cost of surface restoration, compared to open-cut excavation, is eliminated with the directional drilling technique.

Compact utility equipment with attachments—either vibratory plows or special disc plows—is especially useful in house-drop situations. Vibratory plows can go six to twelve inches deep and are extremely cost-effective in running services of 70 to 100 feet to houses. Double-disc plow attachments are designed to minimize the impact to lawn sprinkler systems and can bury the cable about six to eight inches deep.

Yet another FTTH-installation technique involves the use of vacuum excavation systems. This type of equipment is advantageous for use in congested areas around other buried utilities because of the reduced likelihood to cut or damage other lines or cables.

FTTH construction projects are bid and awarded on the basis of cost per foot, the type of soil conditions involved, and costs per house passed, among other things. To learn more about the types of equipment and methods most frequently used in network loops and house drops and the cost-effectiveness of each type, you can download the full article.

The Ditch Witch® organization manufactures one of the most extensive selections of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment in the underground construction industry, from the small and maneuverable JT520 to the powerful, long-range JT8020. They are the only equipment manufacturer that also produces machines used to create the underground bores through which utility pipe is pulled.

"Being a manufacturer of HDD machines, we know the demands placed on drill pipe, the careful balance of strength and flexibility required to ensure maximum performance of the drill and the drill string," says Adam Hall, design engineer for the Ditch Witch organization. "Producing long-lasting drill pipe begins with the highest-quality steel and involves a precise, time-tested series of steps." Among these steps is a unique welding technique that does not produce stress concentration points common to other manufacturers' pipe. After welding, each pipe is inspected, and a piece of pipe from each batch is sectioned to ensure weld quality and integrity.

"We expect a lot from our drill pipe, so we put a lot into it," says Hall.

Ditch Witch drill pipe is considered by many to be the most durable, dependable and cost-effective pipe ever made for HDD applications. Designed to be compatible with most Ditch Witch HDD models, Ditch Witch Power Pipe® is made with a patented process using high-strength, low-alloy steel tubing that balances stiffness and flexibility, providing sufficient rigidity to maintain thrust during changes in direction. The pin and box are made from a different, extra-tough alloy pressed into and welded to the expanded ends of the tubing. "Our unique manufacturing process produces the straightest pipe in the business," says Hall. "Power Pipe's expanded, exceptionally strong ends are formed without the heat of forging process, leaving the integrity of the pipe intact and no strength reduction or the heat-affected zones."

Ditch Witch Power Pipe is also available with the company's exclusive Fluid Miser® II lining. With Fluid Miser II inside each joint of pipe, drilling fluid volume is reduced by as much as 60 percent, allowing the drill string to pressure up faster and clean up quicker, which saves time and money. Fluid Miser II lining also minimizes internal rust and reduces spillage during pipe breakout.

Ditch Witch All Terrain (AT) pipe is manufactured exclusively for the Ditch Witch All Terrain machines. The patented shaft-within-a-pipe design of All Terrain pipe features a strong drive rod that turns inside an outer pipe. This enables AT systems to transfer power to the cutting head more efficiently than any other system, and outperform all other rock-drilling systems in their horsepower class.

Designed for use with the Ditch Witch JT520, JT8020, and JT4020 AT HDD machines, UFE (upset forged end) drill pipe features an "upset" or thickened shaft wall at each end. The tubing ends of UFE pipe are subjected to high compression and heat in a forging die, causing the tube wall to increase and the tube outside diameter at the end to expand. Unlike one-piece forged pipe, Ditch Witch UFE pipe is a composite design with tubing and high-strength alloy ends, making the pipe and tool joints stronger and more resistant to abrasion. After forging, all Ditch Witch UFE pipes are fully heat-treated to eliminate any potential heat-affected zones. For more information about Ditch Witch drill pipe, please call 800-654-6481 or click here.  

THE 420SX VIBRATORY PLOW CAN PLOW IN PRODUCT FASTER THAN ANY OTHER UNIT IN ITS CLASS.

stopimg title="49a" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="49a" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/49astopimg4The new Ditch Witch 420sx vibratory plow expands the company’s popular compact vibratory plow product offering and adds riding capability, greater horsepower (41 hp/30.5 kW), and several features that other vibratory plows in its class do not have.

The machine’s exclusive dual-speed attachment drive enables the operator to quickly adapt to changing ground conditions. The patent-pending plow design of the 420sx allows it to closely follow the contour of the ground, which helps the plow maintain a constant cover depth on uneven terrain. Besides a standard vibratory plow, the 420sx can also run a Roto Witch drilling attachment and a trencher.

“We’ve designed the head shaft of the trencher attachment to incorporate a large, heavy-duty auger,” says Brent Bolay, product manager for the 420sx. “The productivity and spoils handling of this attachment make the 420sx a true production trencher.”

As with other Ditch Witch products, the 420sx was designed with comfort and safety in mind. It is designed so the operator’s console moves with the operator when the machine’s frame articulates; the articulating joint is positioned under the floor of the operator’s station. The 420sx also minimizes vibration transmitted to the operator’s station, so the operator can work longer with greater comfort. The plow’s skid shoes keep plow pins and other components off the ground, which also saves wear and tear on the machine.

Another exclusive feature of the 420sx is the fold-down ROPS (roll-over protective structure), which enables the unit to operate under tree limbs, eaves, and other low-hanging obstacles. The fold-down ROPS reduces the unit’s overall height by 20 inches. This feature makes the 420sx highly maneuverable in and around jobsites.

PIERCE AIRROW II PIERCING TOOLS CAN TAKE A POUNDING—AND ARE, POUND FOR POUND, THE BEST OVERALL VALUE.

stopimg title="49c" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" alt="49c" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/49cstopimg4New from the Ditch Witch organization are seven pneumatic piercing tools designed to perform short- to medium-range compaction boring projects, pipe ramming and pushing, and pipe pulling. The models range from 2.25" to 4.25" (57-108 mm) outside diameter, with or without threaded heads.

Strength and simplicity are the main characteristics that make Ditch Witch piercing tools so productive. Their bodies are made of single-piece, aircraft-quality steel, which contains high amounts of nickel and is heat-treated to be extremely durable. With fewer moving parts than the competition, Pierce Airrow II piercing tools are very low-maintenance units that promise years of reliable service.

Everything about these tools is designed for outstanding efficiency. Their unique striker design enables the tools to continue operation when they encounter a buried obstacle, so you can avoid costly downtime. The highly machined tool does not require wear rings that would require the tool to be disassembled more often for maintenance. These and other design features help Pierce Airrow II piercing tools give you more blows per minute than the competition—in some cases, as many as 100 more blows—so you can work faster and get more accomplished.

Utility companies, utility contractors, and municipalities will want to take advantage of the many benefits of these tools. Pierce Airrow II piercing tools are also ideal for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) contractors looking for a fast, low-cost, trenchless solution.

THE NEW DITCH WITCH HT220 TRENCHER IS BIG ON SIZE AND ROCK-DIGGING POWER.

stopimg title="49b" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="49b" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/49bstopimg4The Ditch Witch line of trenchers just got bigger—a lot bigger. The HT220 is not the typical compact machine you’re used to seeing come out of the Ditch Witch factory in Perry, Oklahoma. But it still typifies everything you’ve come to expect from the Ditch Witch organization: quality, productivity, and extreme durability.

Optimized for digging in rock but also extremely effective in dirt, the HT220 is a hydrostatic trencher with 220 horsepower (164 kW). Designed for large installations—12 to 24 inches (305 - 610 mm) wide and 4 to 8 feet (1.2 - 2.4 m) deep—this machine has an exclusive flywheel gearbox that’s designed to deliver a tremendous amount of horsepower to the attachment—on demand—while protecting the hydraulic system and other components from shock loads. Plus, the operator vibration is further minimized by trencher stabilizers, standard on the machine, that isolate vibration when digging in rock.

Working in harsh conditions demands equipment that is extraordinarily durable and sturdy, and the HT220 does not disappoint. From the rugged undercarriage to the reliable analog controls to the forged, heat-treated, high-alloy steel head shafts that are guaranteed for life, everything on this machine is designed to endure the particularly rugged conditions of rock-laden jobsites.

Gas and oil, wind farms, rural water districts, and housing development contractors are just a few of the markets that will benefit from the HT220.

Published in the Spring 2007 issue of The Underground.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/41a.jpg" alt="41a" title="41a" />A long iron tube with threads on the end—how complicated can a piece of drill pipe be? The pipe itself isn’t, but selecting the right kind of drill pipe for your rig and the working conditions can be.

First and foremost, select a pipe designed for your horizontal directional drilling (HDD) unit. Simply selecting a tool joint that will function in the grippers is not enough. The tool joint must be designed to match the rig’s output torque or it will be improperly tightened. Also, the outside diameter of the pipe greatly influences the steering characteristics of the pipe. Too-large or too-small pipe bodies will not be properly matched to the thrust and may create steering problems.

Here are some other important considerations:

Is the pipe lined?
Lining was originally developed to deal with the corrosion caused by the drilling fluids available 15 years ago. Today’s fluids are less corrosive, but lining is still beneficial to the driller. It reduces the size of the cavity that fluid must fill every time a pipe is added to the drill string (lining reduces drilling fluid volume by as much as 65%). This reduces the amount of time required to pressure up a drill string and start drilling again. It also reduces the amount of mud spilled on the ground when pipes are removed from the drill string during pullback operations.

Will the welds hold?
Manufacturing practices play a big role in how a pipe performs. Forging can be used to produce a pipe with no weld seams, or to reinforce a friction weld. However, there is a limited amount of material that can be gathered to form the tool joint each time a pipe is heated. To gather large amounts of material on the end of a drill pipe usually requires several heating and forging cycles, which makes it difficult to produce a robust tool joint. Welding tool joints to a pipe body can produce a good pipe if the weld joint is properly designed. However, weld zones need to be structurally reinforced by stiffening the pipe in the weld zone. Increasing pipe diameter at the weld zone is the most effective method of reducing the working stress on the weld, and helps avoid failures in the weld or the heat-affected zone next to the weld. Pipe designs with unexpanded weld zones almost always fail prematurely in the weld zone, regardless of welding technique.

Is the pipe clean?
The heat associated with forging can cause “scale” to build inside the pipe. Scale is a hard, black layer of brittle iron oxide that is difficult to remove, but tends to pop loose when the pipe is bent. If a pipe is not aggressively cleaned after forging, the scale can come loose and plug the cutting tools, reducing mud flow into the bore. This can cause tracking beacons to overheat and possibly fail.

Do the thread patterns match?
When buying replacement pipe, always replace the entire string with pipe from the same manufacturer. The HDD industry has no established industry standard for threads, so not all threads are made equally. Parts from different manufacturers may appear to assemble, but this doesn’t mean the joint was made up correctly. Thread tolerances also vary widely among manufacturers. And worn threads, of course, do not match any other threads. Mixing new and worn threads increases contact pressure and accelerates thread wear. Also, bend radii of the pipe may be different, which will cause accelerated and uneven wear on all pipes in the string.

Published in the Fall 2007 issue of The Underground.

HDD contractors are running into tighter, more environmentally sensitive jobsites. Some of these sites also have older, hard-to-detect infrastructure that demands highly sophisticated guidance tools to minimize the possibility of damage. The Ditch Witch organization has responded to these demands—and many others—with these recent product innovations.

The JT922: A Sizeable Improvement
The JT922 is a powerful new directional drill that is more maneuverable, easier to operate, and easier to maintain than any other machine in its class. Featuring the highest power-to-size ratio in the 9,000-lb (40 kN) pullback category, the JT922 is a full foot shorter than its nearest competitor, making it easier to set up in tight spaces such as backyards and alleys, and also easier to transport.

"Our customers requested a directional drill that was easier to maneuver in tight spaces but still had plenty of power to do long bores," says the Ditch Witch organization's Richard Levings, senior product manager of HDD equipment. "We delivered with the JT922. It holds up to 300 feet of pipe—that's over 100 feet more than its nearest competitor—and the carriage travels the length of the drill frame in two seconds flat, for faster cycle times and more pipe in the ground. All in a more compact package."

The JT922 also meets customer demand for greater comfort. "The operator's station is midway down the drill frame and at a 90-degree angle to the rack, so it's easier to handle the pipe," he says. "And the seat slides fore and aft, so you can get closer to the pipe rack. It just makes everything easier on the operator."

The JT3020 Provides Quiet Efficiency
Building on the success of the popular Ditch Witch JT2720, the new JT3020Mach 1 is an extended-range, self-contained machine with 30,000 pounds (133 kN) of pullback. It can install product of up to 12 inches in diameter 500-800 feet in length, depending on soil conditions.

"It's everything our customers love about the JT2720 plus greater power, less noise, a better operator's station, and an incredibly efficient mud pump," says Levings. "The engine's new cooling design allows extraordinary horsepower (148 hp/110 kW) in a small, quiet package. Under normal operating conditions, the engine is quieter than some smaller HDD units. But the engine automatically turns up the torque when the drilling conditions become more challenging.

"The machine's fluid pump delivers 42-viscosity drilling fluid at 50 gallons per minute, helping the JT3020 drill with outstanding efficiency. The redesigned work station makes operators more efficient, too. "All of the information an operator needs during a bore, like pressure gauges and tracking information, is now right in his line of sight as he looks at the tool joint," explains Levings.

Dual-frequency Beacons Help Bypass Interference
When guiding a bore, HDD operators depend on their guidance system to avoid obstacles. But local interference can play havoc with signals transmitted by the underground beacons. Airborne signals transmitted by traffic loops, overhead power lines, airports, and even other nearby HDD crews can affect the signal, as can metal objects such as rebar, fences, nearby buildings, and underground facilities.

Having an alternate frequency to rely on is one way to keep your drilling operation on schedule. This is the benefit of the Ditch Witch organization's new dual frequency beacons, the 86BD and 86BHD. Offering 12 kHz and 29 kHz frequencies, these beacons reliably transmit roll angle, beacon temperature, beacon battery status, and pitch information. When interference disrupts the bore, the operator can switch the frequency of the beacon during drilling.

The 86BH and 86BHD generate signals that can be tracked to a depth of 50 or 70 feet, respectively.

Published in the Fall 2007 issue of The Underground.  

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" title="7a" alt="7a" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/7astopimg4When contemplating financing or leasing new Ditch Witch directional drilling equipment there are numerous considerations for you as a contractor. Variations in loan and lease products can serve to complicate purchasing decisions and the credit process can be ambiguous and sometimes perplexing. To help you better understand the credit process and choose the financing option that is right for you, Ditch Witch Financial Services (DFWS) has provided the following information on credit underwriting and what you should consider when financing or leasing directional drilling equipment:

Credit considerations. In addition to industry standard credit underwriting guidelines, DWFS looks to an applicant’s industry experience, comparable borrowing histories, and the financial condition of the business when making underwriting decisions. Providing your lender with sufficient financial disclosure and ample details on the underground construction contract will help greatly to expedite the credit process. When you apply for credit you may be expected to provide all or some of the following:

    * Credit application
    * Financial statements
    * Work on hand
    * Owner’s info (if corporation or LLC)
    * Contract details (basic info such as feet per week or annual amount of contract)
    * Bank and trade references

Whether to Finance or Lease?

Carefully considering the following questions can help determine whether financing or leasing equipment best suits your particular business objectives:

    * Which is more important for you: ownership of equipment, or equipment utilization with less monthly operating cost?
    * How often do you trade your equipment?
    * Will future underground construction jobs necessitate ¿trading up¿ to newer or different equipment in the near future?
    * Would leasing more equipment opposed to financing allow you more productivity to perform more underground construction jobs?
    * As a corporate taxpayer, are you in an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) or Net Operating Loss (NOL) situation?
    * Do you need special transaction structure to match seasonal revenue patterns of your particular business?
    * Is limiting debt leverage a strategic financial objective for your business?
    * Is control of out-of-pocket cash more or less important than equity in equipment?

If the following are important to you or fit your objectives you may want to consider a loan:

    * Monthly level payments, or varied payment plans including skip payments, seasonal payments or accelerated payments.
    * Duration of use of equipment is over a number of years or you will have jobs that will require the use of the same piece of equipment.
    * Ownership of equipment¿ building equity.
    * Physical damage insurance to be included in the monthly cost of financing.
    * Depreciation of the equipment cost and deduction of interest expense associated with equipment.

If the following are important to you or fit your objectives you may want to consider a lease:

    * Lower monthly payments than traditional financing.
    * Lower initial out of pocket down payment cost.
    * Continually trading in/up for new equipment.
    * Equipment ownership not a key interest.
    * Deduction of equipment payment as a monthly operating expense.
    * Equipment maintenance cost included in monthly payment.

Ditch Witch Financial Services (DWFS) DWFS is a highly competitive finance program intended to give Ditch Witch customers, small to large, the best financial service available in the industry.

One Size Fits All Available to all qualifying Ditch Witch customers, DWFS provides competitive rates and seasonal programs to small, medium or large businesses.

One Stop Shop DWFS provides you with the best options available in terms of financing your new Ditch Witch equipment. And all without ever leaving the dealership.

So whether you are a rental company, landscaper, general contractor, plumber, electrician, or any other user of Ditch Witch products, ask your local participating Ditch Witch dealer about DWFS for the best financial service available in the industry. Offering the right finance plan to fit your business

Finance Options Monthly-Level Plans Purchase equipment over time with payments that remain constant throughout the term. Skip-Payment Plans Better match your cash flow to your monthly cost by scheduling skip payments throughout the year.

Accelerated Payment Plans Consider an accelerated pay program that enables you to build equity in the machine faster -- during the first few payments.

Rental Purchase Transaction Try the machine before you buy and build equity while you rent.

Customized Lease Options Lease plans designed exclusively for Ditch Witch equipment provide comprehensive leasing options, including fixed dollar and fair market value purchase options.

Whether you are looking for a capital or operating lease, we will work with your dealer to customize a program to meet your specific needs.

Responsive Credit Decisions Credit decisions are provided as quickly as possible, because we know you need the equipment now.

Automatic Payment Plan Avoid late payment charges and protect your good credit rating. It’s quick and easy. Your monthly payment can be paid automatically from your business checking account.

For more information on financing and leasing Ditch Witch directional drilling equipment, please contact DWFS 866-218-8051, option 6, contact your local Ditch Witch dealer or visit www.ditchwitch.com.

stopimg title="8a" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="8a" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/8astopimg4With the rise of trenchless technologies over the past 25 years, underground utility construction methods have changed dramatically. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) systems are among the various trenchless technologies being used to build and maintain a growing percentage of the world’s underground utility infrastructure.

“The use of HDD systems is increasing everywhere—urban, suburban and rural areas,” says Richard Levings, senior product manager of HDD equipment for The Charles Machine Works, Inc., manufacturer of Ditch Witch® equipment. “Overall, the HDD process offers a lot less disturbance to the public. These days, you see more and more city regulations forbidding the tearing up of streets, driveways, and sidewalks. If you are rehabilitating an infrastructure—gas, power, water, telecom, or sewer facilities—the main advantage of directional drilling is that it does not disturb any surrounding structures or landscaping. This is where the cost advantages come in: you don’t have to deal with spoils and haul them off, you don’t have to compact the trench, and you don’t have restore the landscaping around the trench.” Levings also points out the advantages of the HDD process for nearby businesses. “Typically when you’re working on a commercial property, HDD allows you to not disturb the entrance, which makes business owners very happy. If you cut a big trench in front of a doctor’s office or restaurant, you’re going to negatively affect the operation of that business for many days or weeks. Directional drilling avoids this problem.”

Advances in electronic utility locating equipment are also helping crews avoid damage to existing utilities and provide mapping capabilities for newly installed infrastructure. “Every Ditch Witch Jet Trac® HDD unit comes complete with an integral Ditch Witch-brand electronic tracking and locating system,” adds Levings.

Asked to assess the potential of trenchless technologies, Levings notes a number of trends that could mean explosive growth in the use of directional drilling equipment. “With the economy finally coming around, utility and telecom companies are spending money for the first time in a few years—and one of the first things they’re investing in is expanding and upgrading their systems. Gas companies are replacing systems that were installed 30 or 40 years ago. And, partly because of the powerful hurricanes we’ve seen in the last ten years, a lot of states in the southeast—Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas—are investing in putting their overhead utility lines underground. It’s expensive, but a lot cheaper than fixing them every time a hurricane blows through.

“All of this can be done extremely efficiently with HDD equipment, which minimizes cleanup and disturbance of existing infrastructure. The overriding benefit is an infrastructure that does not have to be serviced for a long time.” A new avenue for HDD applications is the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) industry. Recent advances in communications technology have made extremely high-speed broadband service available to the public. Voice, data, and video service of up to 30 Mbps is now available for residential and commercial use in a rapidly growing number of communities across the country. Standard cable and phone wiring are incapable of transmitting such large signals—about 3 Mbps is the maximum speed of a residential cable—so a special fiber-optic cable must be connected to the home or business. Directional drilling is considered to be the installation method of choice by the FTTH industry. “Right now, there’s some major competition going on between the cable companies and the regional providers like SBC, Verizon, Quest, and Bell South. They’re all offering bundled communications packages—broadband video, data, phone, and television—and it’s a matter of who can provide it the fastest and at the best price. So, the communications industry alone represents an area of enormous potential for HDD applications.” With HDD’s future so rosy, one might predict a lot of new underground construction companies emerging, but so far this isn’t the case. “We’re not seeing a lot of new contractors getting into the directional drilling business,” says Levings. “Mostly we’re seeing existing customers discovering the advantages of the HDD application.”

With the economy improving and new technology emerging, there should be plenty of work to go around for both established and new underground construction companies.

U/G Entergy Contractors, LLP is an underground utility construction specialist with more than 30 years experience. The company, based in Bacliff, Texas, stayed busy during the recent economic slowdown, and continues to have a heavy workload.

Company President Joe Evans says U/G Entergy’s success is a combination of providing excellent service to a specialized market and careful selection of equipment to maximize production.

U/G Entergy dates back to 1968 when Evans’ father, George, purchased a compact walk-behind trencher to install water service lines and sewer laterals in a new resort community on Galveston Bay. As the business grew, it began doing water and sewer work for municipalities in the area, then began installing underground electrical cable.

“Today we mainly do power work. We are a primary contractor installing underground duct and cable runs, building the electrical distribution systems in new subdivisions, as well as the underground maintenance work for a local utility. We are replacing a lot of old cable, going back to subdivisions we built in the 1970s and installing new conduit by horizontal directional drilling.”

In fact, the company is an HDD pioneer, putting one of the first directional drills—an early Jet Trac® model—in service in the Houston area a dozen years ago.

“It is important to take advantage of new technologies and equipment as they come along, or you get left behind,” Evans believes.

U/G Entergy crews operate Ditch Witch® equipment—two 75-horsepower 7610 trenchers, one 40-horsepower 4010 trencher, a HT115 vibratory plow, and a JT1220 Mach 1 directional drilling machine.

The HT115 is a 115-horsepower, track-mounted machine that packages a lot of power in a relatively compact size. A computer-operated track drive system with speed and direction controlled by a single joy stick facilitates operation, and it’s powerful vibratory plow speeds installation through a variety of soil conditions.

“Until we purchased the HT115, most new construction was trenched,” says Evans. “We replaced a smaller 8020 plow with the HT115 because it enables us to plow in multiple ducts at depths providing four feet of cover. We estimate that the HT115 has increased our production by 50 percent. The dress up after the installation is minimal. The steel tracks provide the traction to pull the plow in all weather conditions with minimal ground disturbance. Overall it produces much cleaner jobs.”

The machine has the ability to plow in two 2-inch HDPE ducts and places the warning tape in one pass. A trench is dug to place larger-diameter ducts.

Evans says that directional drilling is responsible for a growing percentage of the company’s installations.

“We are doing more drilling because of innovative thinking about ways to use the technology to make our work easier and faster,” says Evans. “We use HDD for rehab work replacing old cable because it limits the surface damage and to avoid obstacles when we encounter them—going under existing utilities and then coming back up on the other side.”

The JT1220 Mach 1 is one of the Ditch Witch HDD models. The compact track machine is powered by a 60-horsepower liquid-cooled diesel engine and develops 12,000 pounds of pullback force, 1400 foot-pounds of torque, and spindle speeds to 180 rpm. The machine’s innovative pipeloading system is controlled from the operator’s station and automatically matches carriage speed with spindle rotation during pipe makeup and breakout.

“The JT1220 is much quieter and operator friendly, which helps increase production,” he adds.

U/G Entergy’s business remains strong in the fast-growing area between Galveston and Houston. We are completing the electrical distribution systems for three subdivisions, and averaging installation of 28,000 feet of conduit a month.

Evans says that continued success in the company’s niche market depends on providing the best possible service. Properly trained personnel, using the right equipment to maintain maximum production is an important part of achieving that goal.