A Combination of Extremes

A group of geoscientists, simultaneously unemployed, decided to strike out on their own and formed GeoTek Alaska. Becoming proficient at being self-reliant in the arctic tundra, they looked to the other end of the Earth, launching GeoTek Hawaii. Their high-quality environmental work earned them increasing volumes of requests. So as they developed expertise, their repertoire expanded to geotechnical and geophysical services.

Part of being self-reliant means being prepared for a range of requests, from tight urban lots to wide-open spaces. The need of GeoTek Hawaii to provide a combination of services, in a combination of environments, led them to have a combination of rigs  – though the fleet tips toward Geoprobe^® combination rigs like the 7822DT. 

“Its size to power ratio is good for completing direct push environmental work in the urban core where space is a premium,” Quinton Wilson, operations manager, said. “It’s easy to mobilize between islands and handles a heavy amount of geotechnical work.”

Packing a powerful punch for its size and boasting a breakout foot clamp, the 7822DT weaves its way into clusters of structures to complete urban investigations. In tight, rough conditions, the rig completed 175-foot HQ rock core.

“We can advance SWT 6-5/8-inch casing that bigger machines can’t handle in their breakout clamps,” Wilson said. “And the 4-speed head has nice torque-speed settings. It does well spinning H core as well as utilizing solid flight augers.”

Their ability to maneuver under trees, into tight alleys, and alongside drifting houses has allowed them to conduct more work and allowed their clients to become more creative with preliminary site investigations completed before demolition.

“They can see the feasibility of a project in a less intrusive manner before paying for building permits,” Wilson said.

At the other extreme, their 7822DT proved invaluable in their site investigation work for a proposed missile defense radar in Hawaii. One of the proposed sites had come under protest due to its cultural significance. Natives still used the ancient Hawaiian sacred site  as part of their indigenous religion. Consequently the preliminary site investigation had to be conducted without any surface preparation – no grading or building access roads.

“Our production maintained footage on par with any other project even with the tough terrain,” Wilson said. “We were proficient and competitive thanks to the V3’s stable platform. We set it up with a lot of options and the V3 produced without any downtime due to machine breakdowns.”

Geoprobe^® dependability is a major component in Wilson’s purchasing decisions.

“If it breaks, it’s my job to figure it out. So who can I rely on?” Wilson said. “Darren Stanley’s service group is rock solid. They fight to find the problem and get it resolved. Nobody can touch Geoprobe^®.”