Cabin Solves Challenge of Weather Extremes

Many years ago, MATECO invested in Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) for use by anchoring one of their direct push rigs. As geotechnical engineering firms continue to increasingly call out CPT, they began looking for ways to up their game in the CPT market. This time, rather than relying on anchoring, the Michigan-based company looked to rely on static weight in order to market the use of CPT regionwide. Given their service area in the north-central United States, the climate-controlled cabin of the Geoprobe^® 2060CPT Crawler provided an advantage they thought their customers would appreciate.

“We’re really excited to have a field investigation performed in a controlled or open environment,” Dale Elliott, president, said. “In the Midwest, there are a number of months that are not best for investigative work. We’ve got the best working space available for clients to come and enjoy it while we’re performing their investigation.”

While in the climate-controlled cabin, clients can observe the large visual display projecting real-time data as testing is performed. The cabin also provides the ideal working environment to expand their Direct Image^® expertise. They upgraded their tooling to include the Membrane Interface Hydraulic Profiling Tool (MiHPT) to reach their goal of keeping the 2060CPT Crawler busy with one-half CPT work and one-half environmental work.

To get started on the right track, the MATECO team attended nearly a week of training at headquarters in Salina. This training provided them a baseline for operation of the rig, press, and tooling along with the opportunity to discuss logistics and capabilities.

Almost immediately upon delivery of the rig, they took it out on a job site comprised of high blow-count materials. They completed a few borings to get a feel of the performance and what kind of results they could expect on such as site.

“Geoprobe^® worked side-by-side with us and continues to develop some things to help make the crawler even more of a complete package,” Elliott said.

For now the team is busy getting organized. With an abundance of storage within the specialized rig, they’re working through the logistics of which spare parts to carry and where to put them.

“This is our seventh Geoprobe^® and each one is different. Each has its own special use, and this is going to be one of those special-use machines that we’re going to have for a long, long time,” Elliott said. “Geoprobe^® is one of those manufacturers who listens to the needs of the industry. Others do, but Geoprobe^® has had an ear to many contractors and I feel like we’ve been one of those. Their team works to improve operating standards of good contractors.”