JT2020 MACH 1DIRECTIONAL DRILL

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 style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/radellConstruction_1.jpg" alt="radellConstruction_1" title="radellConstruction_1" />In business for more than 40 years, the owners of Kansas utility contractor Jim Radell Construction Inc. understand very well that the economy runs in cycles—sometimes very good, other times difficult.

"My father, Jim, started this company in 1968 to do telephone work," says Steve Radell, project manager of the family-owned business. "There was a downturn in the '80s, just when we had purchased some new trenching equipment, and the telecommunications industry's problems in 2000 and 2001 stopped much construction activity. Now we're in a worldwide recession."

However, Radell Construction is still going strong.

Providing consistently good service helped Jim Radell build and maintain a solid base of satisfied clients and expand into water and sewer projects, which has helped sustain the company during economic downturns.

"Our first customer was the primary service provider in our area, and we still are under contract with them," says Radell. "We were well established in 2000, and that helped us get through that period. There is a slowdown for us now, but we don't have much debt, so we're confident about the future."

Adopting new technologies to meet changing industry requirements also has helped Radell Construction not only sustain business in slow times but also grow.

Although Radell crews do some aerial splicing of fiber, copper, and coaxial communications cable, 90 percent of its work now is trenchless construction with horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and pipe bursting of clay, ductile iron and cast iron pipes.

Radell also has trenchers, conventional loader backhoes, and compact vibratory plows for those times when the most cost-effective construction options are excavating or plowing. For open-cut work, excavation equipment operated by the company includes two Ditch Witch® 115-horsepower RT115 models and three Ditch Witch 80-horsepower JT8020 units. The basic tractors accept interchangeable attachments, and the Radell equipment setup includes two disc trenchers, two vibratory plows, and one chain trencher.

Radell purchased its first horizontal directional drilling machine in the late 1980s, soon after the first utility directional drills came on the market.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/radellConstruction_2.jpg" alt="radellConstruction_2" title="radellConstruction_2" />"My dad was always looking for a better way to do things and was always looking for new technology," says Radell. "I grew up in this business, and I remember that first Ditch Witch drill had a separate power pack that was tethered to the drill unit, and it was not self-propelled. The controls were mounted on the carriage, and the operator walked back and forth as the carriage moved forward and backward. Horizontal directional drilling certainly has advanced since then."

Today the company operates three Ditch Witch horizontal directional drill models: a compact JT2020, a JT2720 All Terrain (AT) model, and a JT4020 AT unit, the largest in its directional drill fleet.

Because much of Radell's drilling projects are in rocky conditions, the company elected to purchase All Terrain equipment, which is equipped with a unique dual-drive drilling system that gives relatively compact horizontal directional drilling equipment the capability of drilling through rock and hard conditions that once required much larger machines as well as the use of a mud motor.

The AT design employs an inner rod to drive a rock bit, and the outer pipe steers the downhole tool for 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.

"We considered the mud motor option, but decided the All Terrain equipment provided the easiest process for our needs," says Radell. "With a knowledgeable, patient operator, we find drilling through rock is just as easy as a normal bore. I certainly recommend this equipment."

In addition to rock drilling, AT models are productive in normal conditions and most other types of soil.

The JT4020 AT's rock-drilling capabilities were on full display during a recent project for Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative. The assignment was to make a 1,650-foot crossing through solid limestone under the Neosho River near Erie, Kansas, for installation of a bundle of one 4-inch and two 2-inch diameter HDPE ducts that would hold both fiber and copper cables. "This was a complicated bore," says Radell. "From start to finish there was a 110-foot elevation change. We used a 6 1/2-inch TCI bit for the pilot hole. The pilot hole was surface-launched and exited in the flood plain across the river; it was 110 feet below the river at the deepest point. Two backreaming passes were made with a 12-inch TCI tool prior to pulling in the duct."

The project required 16 other bores ranging in length from 30 to 600 feet, with the average being 120 feet. Soil conditions included more limestone and clay. Most bores were for creek and street crossings. JT2020 Mach 1 and JT2720 All Terrain directional drills also were used on the project.

Craw-Kan has 33 exchanges providing more than 17,000 telephone access lines in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Other services include long-distance telephone, calling cards, dial-up Internet, cable television and digital television, and high-speed DSL Internet.

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

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

The JT2020 Mach 1 develops 20,000 pounds of pullback, 2,200 foot-pounds of rotary torque, and spindle speeds to 200 rpm.

Radell says the JT2020 and JT2720 AT are the most cost-effective construction options for installing telecommunication ducts. The larger JT4020 AT is used on telecom jobs when needed but has the power to pull in larger-diameter water and sewer pipes.

On most projects, Radell Construction is the primary contractor working on a turnkey basis. For water and sewer work, Radell crews place pipe, construct manholes, make connections, and make closed-circuit television inspections of the finished system. On water projects, services also are installed.

Although Jim Radell Construction serves a broad range of utility clients, telecommunications construction today is responsible for the largest percentage of Radell Construction's work, and a growing percentage of projects require trenchless methods.

Radell says that directional drilling is well accepted by most clients, and that most understand its benefits and the situations when it is the best option.

"However," he adds, "some engineers are still learning about the technology. We recently had a contract to replace an eight-inch sanitary sewer main that was specified as open-cut. But space was very tight, and a new parking lot was in place along the route of the pipe. We assured the engineer and project owner that we were capable of directional drilling on grade. After considering the circumstances, we got the go-ahead to do the on-grade bore and installed 400 feet of HDPE pipe. It saved time, money, and minimized surface disturbance and repairs."

Based in Pittsburg, Kanas, Radell Construction has 15 full-time employees, adding extra personnel when workloads require it. Most work is in Kansas, northern Oklahoma, and western Missouri.

Jim Radell still plays an active role in operations.

"I give my dad all the credit for the company's success," says Steve Radell. "He started the business from nothing and built it by insisting on doing quality work, making sure clients were always satisfied. He had the vision to see the future of directional drilling before most recognized its potential. He has set the standard we follow today. And he's still the first one at work in the morning and the last one to leave at the end of the day."

Ditch Witch equipment is manufactured in Perry, Oklahoma. In addition to directional drilling equipment, downhole tools, tracking systems, trenchers and attachments, the Ditch Witch product line includes vibratory plows, compact utility equipment, utility locators, vacuum excavators, and support products.

Ditch Witch products are sold and serviced by its worldwide dealer organization. Ditch Witch of Kansas, Valley Center, supports Jim Radell Construction.

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.

A December 2008 white paper examines some of the major advancements in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) over the years. The report offers a thorough comparison of today's technologies, specifically the traditional single-pipe drill system and the relatively new All Terrain technology developed by Ditch Witch engineers.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/selge_1.JPG" alt="selge_1" title="selge_1" />In the 47 years the company has been in business, Selge Construction, Niles, Michigan, has built a reputation as one of the most respected utility contractors in the Southwest Michigan-South Bend, Indiana, area.

Selge Construction is a multifaceted company specializing in municipal sewer and water systems, low-pressure sewer systems, concrete paving, and flat work. President Marv Selge, Jr., grew up in the business, purchasing the company from his father in 1992.

"It is the only work I've ever done," says Selge.

Selge has seen significant changes in water and sewer construction, and has made sure his crews are equipped with the latest technologies to keep pace with the needs of water and sewer utility owners and operators.

In addition to conventional open-cut construction, Selge crews use bore and jacking, and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) for underground infrastructure projects.

"We are capable of handling many of the difficult challenges often experienced in underground construction," says Selge. "In conjunction with installing pipe in the ground, we install a variety of lift stations ranging in size from six to ten feet in diameter. We are able to take projects many contractors are not equipped to do."

Selge always has been alert to market changes and conditions. Currently Selge Construction is actively involved in installing low-pressure sewer and grinder pump systems to serve rural homes near the area's many lakes. In response to initiatives to improve water quality standards in rural lakes, streams, and rivers, these systems are being installed to solve several problems, says Selge.

"Often," he explains, "homes and cottages around these lakes are in very close proximity to each other and have old, deteriorated septic tanks buried at or below the groundwater table. Sewage from these tanks finds its way into the lakes, causing contamination and increased weed and algae growth."

Because many lakes are outside the boundaries of towns and cities, Selge says regional sewer districts are formed to oversee the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of these low-pressure grinder pump systems.

A typical project consists of installing a small grinder station and control panel at every residence, service lines from the tank to the main line, main lines to collect the influent from each tank, large lift stations, and force mains to take the sewage to a treatment plant or tie into an existing municipal system if one is nearby.

"We have installed systems with as few as 68 grinder tanks and large systems with more than 500 tanks," says Selge. "The first step in a project is to install HDPE service lines—usually 1.25 to two inches in diameter—from the proposed main line locations to the proposed locations of the grinder stations. Once all the service lines are in the ground, a crew then installs the main sewer line, usually located within road right-of-way. After the main lines are installed, a crew then sets the grinder station at the predetermined location. A curb stop and a redundant check valve are usually installed on the outside of the grinder station."

Site conditions often propose a challenge.

"With lake projects," Selge explains, "homes often are with in close proximity to each other, so we often deal with narrow easements to work in, landscaping, and sometimes grinder stations on the lake side of the house where it is difficult to reach with equipment. We have seen a wide variety of soil conditions—from sand, gravel, clay, and silt to peat, marl, and muck—often on a single project. In addition to different soil conditions, we often deal with areas that have high groundwater tables, especially close to lakes."

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/selge_2.jpg" alt="selge_2" title="selge_2" />For these and other reasons, Selge says horizontal directional drilling plays a critical role in the company's low-pressure grinder system construction projects. "Directional drilling limits the amount of excavation necessary to the tie-in points and grinder stations locations," Selge says. "HDD lets us install both service lines and mains under landscaping, between houses, and in tight locations where typical open-cut operations would not be possible. HDD limits the damage to surface features, thus minimizing the restoration needed after the pipe has been installed. In high groundwater situations, HDD eliminates the need for extensive dewatering that open-cut operations would require."

HDD equipment often used by Selge crews on these projects includes Ditch Witch JT2020 and JT2720 drilling units.

The compact size of the JT2020 (51 inches wide, 207 inches long) suits it well to job conditions found on many low-pressure sewer projectsMounted on rubber tracks, it moves easily over landscaped areas and paved surfaces. The JT2020 develops 20,000 pounds of pullback, 2,200 foot pounds of rotary torque, and spindle speeds to 150 rpm.

The larger, 125-horsepower JT2720 produces 27,000 pounds of pullback, 2,700 foot pounds of torque, and spindle speeds to 195 rpm, providing plenty of power to make longer installations of mainline pipe. For its production capabilities, the JT2720 also is a relatively compact unit. Subsite 750 and 752 electronic tracking systems are used. Other Ditch Witch equipment includes a skid-mounted fluid mixing system; two FX60 vacuum excavators, one mounted on a trailer, the other on a truck; and an SK500 compact skid-steer loader.

After all pipe is in place, Selge crews complete a low-pressure grinder system by connecting services to the grinder stations and to the main line by fusing a branch saddle to the side wall of the main. The main is tapped, and finally the service lines are electrofused to the branch saddles.

"A control panel is set within close proximity to the grinder station," Selge continues. "Wires are buried from the tank to the control panel using the SK500 skid-steer, which is equipped with trencher and vibratory plow attachments. Incoming power wires are trenched in from the service drop to the control panel. Once all the tanks have been installed and the tie-ins made, the system is pressure tested and each grinder station is started to ensure that everything is running as designed."

Selge points out that the use of directional drilling technology is not new to Selge Construction. The company was one of the first water and sewer contractors in the area to recognize its potential for water and sewer work, and the benefits of HDD construction are not limited to low-pressure sewer construction.

"We recently installed 28,000 feet of eight- and twelve-inch water main for Niles Township," says Selge. The job was originally bid to be open cut, but the entire project was installed by HDD. By using this method, it minimized disruption to the heavily traveled commercial corridor, and kept restoration and drive closure to a bare minimum.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/selge_3.jpg" alt="selge_3" title="selge_3" />"We also utilize HDD to perform river crossings for municipal water and sewer mains, and we have used HDD in gravity-sewer operations to install sewer mains and laterals. This causes the least amount of disturbance to heavily traveled streets and busy highways."

With the growing need to replace and rehabilitate the nation's aging water and sewer infrastructure, Selge expects his company to remain busy on a variety of projects and expects demand for low-pressure sewer systems to continue to grow.

And, as if utility construction doesn't keep Selge busy enough, the company continues to carry out a variety of local paving projects, and has earned many awards of excellence in that industry.

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 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.  

The Zulia state in southwestern Venezuela is the primary oil-producing region of this South American nation, with many companies engaged in petroleum operations there.

When natural gas and oil pipelines needed to be constructed between the Catatumbo oil field to the Redoma pump distribution station 36 km away, the project was complicated by the Tarra River, which provided a formidable barrier.

The terrain and environmental considerations ruled out crossing the river by open-cut construction.

Horizontal directional drilling was determined to be the only way to make the river crossings, and the general contractor of the project brought in HDD specialist Servicios Flowtex de Venezuela, S.A. to install pipe under the river with its horizontal directional drilling equipment.

The company’s crew made two river crossings, each to install 152 mm steel pipe. One was for the natural gas pipeline and the other pipe transports petroleum. Installations were parallel to one another, 20 meters apart. A 60-meter HDD road crossing also was made as part of the project.

At the point of the crossings, the river is 150 meters wide and 3.5 meters deep, says Jose Ignacio Briceno, Flowtex project manager.

To insure the project went smoothly, the bores were planned with the Subsite^® Trac Management System (TMS).

All bores were made with a Ditch Witch JT2020 directional drilling unit that develops 17,000 pounds (76 kN) of thrust and 20,000 pounds (89 kN) of pullback, 1300 foot-pounds (1763 N·m) of torque, and has a maximum spindle speed of 150 rpm.

“Soil conditions under the river were mostly sand and gravel with reactive clay formations near the surface at banks on both sides of the river,” says Briceno. “Loose formations made guiding the drill head difficult.”

With careful planning, patience, and skill, the two crossings were successfully completed.

Preplanning with Subsite TMS helps avoid problems while making installations. TMS computer-based technology plans the optimum path for the pilot bore, documents variables during drilling, and can prepare as-drilled maps of completed projects. During drilling, real-time information about the job’s progress can be compared to the planned bore path. TMS operates in conjunction with the drilling unit’s Subsite electronic guidance system.

To permit proper approach and exit angles, the planning system called for one bore to be 242 meters long and the other 235 meters. Maximum depths were 8 meters.

The pilot holes were completed in only two days. A Subsite 750 Tracker was used to monitor the location of the drill head, with personnel wading through the water while the head was under the river. A sand bit was used for the river crossings and a Durabit for the road bore. Baroid de Venezuela provided drilling fluids.

“After each pilot hole was completed, we enlarged the hole with 8- , 10-, and 12-inch Beavertail backreamers,” says Briceno. “Then the 10-inch backreamer was connected to the drill string again, the steel pipe attached, and the pipe was pulled through the pilot hole. The installations were completely successful.”

The project is a joint venture of Argentine company Tecpetrol and Petroleos de Venezuela. General contractor was SADE Skanska, an international company based in Sweden.

Briceno and Marco Faenza, manager director of Servicios Flowtex de Venezuela, S.A., planned and coordinated the project with Briceno in charge of field operations. Technicians were Jose Manual Silva and Jose Caraballo with the assistance of Carlos Lovato of Flowtex Argentina.

Servicios Flowtex de Venezuela is a HDD contractor making installations for oil, gas, and water pipelines and fiber-optic cable.

“Directional drilling is the only trenchless procedure we use,” says Faenza.

The company owns four HDD units. In addition to the JT2020, they include two other Ditch Witch models, a JT1720 and new JT4020 Mach 1. The compact JT1720 develops 67 kN of pullback force, 2440 N•meters of spindle torque, and spindle speeds to 200 rpm. The larger JT4020 Mach 1 produces 178 kN of pullback, 6780 N•meters of spindle torque, and maximum spindle speed of 250 rpm. Servicios Flowtex de Venezuela began HDD operations four years ago, and has seen the need for directional drilling services grow rapidly.

“I would say demand has increased 65 percent or more in the past year,” says Faenza. “There are several reasons for this: Because our country has many mountains and rivers, HDD sometimes is the only way pipelines can be installed. And oil and gas regulators like very much this technology because it preserves the environment. In addition, the large number of successful installations make directional drilling appeal to project owners.”

Faenza believes the HDD industry will continue to expand in Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

“I am sure of it,” concludes Faenza. “And we plan to expand our operations to other countries, such as Colombia and Ecuador.”

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.