Decades of Drilling, One Trusted Name

Terry Jacques has spent nearly 35 years in the drilling industry, working for multiple companies across the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes a driller, sometimes an operations manager. But throughout the years, one thing has always been there:

“I’ve always worked for other companies that had Geoprobe^® rigs,” Jacques said. “The first rig I ever ran was a 5400, and I’ve used everything up to the latest sonic rigs.”

In 2013, he started Oregon Geotechnical Explorations with the goal of focusing on CPT sampling. Initially, he relied on a couple of truck-mounted legacy rigs to get the job done — including a trusty 5400 — and later a 6622CPT track drilling rig. But in 2024, one of his truck-mounted rigs quit on him.

“Truck-mounted rigs work great, but the life of the truck wears out quickly. So when it came time for me to buy another truck-mounted machine, Doug Koehler [geotechnical/environmental product line manager] gave me several options, and I looked at the possible combinations,” Jacques said. “That’s when I got the 7822DT.”

Although he didn’t start off the year thinking he was going to purchase a 7822DT track drilling rig, Jacques found it to be the right decision for his company.

“I weighed the options between the 7822 and another truck-mounted machine, I even looked at other manufacturers. But I’ve always had my needs met whenever I operated a Geoprobe^®,” Jacques said. “It just seems like Geoprobe^® rigs were built better and with the operator in mind.”

Though this is the first 7822DT Jacques owns, this is far from the first one he’s operated.

“I’ve been running 7822DTs since they first came out,” Jacques said. “The companies I’ve worked with in the past had one, and I’ve been impressed with how versatile it is. When I was in the position of manager, I probably purchased 10 7822DTs over the past 20 years.”

Track Drilling Rig Versatility Delivers

The 7822DT’s versatility has helped Jacques with a variety of unique projects:

• Augering
• CPT
• Shallow infiltration
• Pre-drilling for CPT
• Confirmation sampling via direct push

But one thing that stands out to him the most is the rig’s power.

• Pullback: “My 6622CPT is great for pushing the cone and shell sampling. Once it gets past 20 feet, though, it loses its effectiveness, and it’s more difficult to pull back. I need that force. That’s why I picked the 7822DT — lots of power, pullback, and the winchline needed to handle some of the heavier tooling.”
• Rotation Torque: “It makes a big difference. Compared to such a small platform, it has plenty of power and works well in difficult geology. I’ve been really impressed with the power this rig has compared to full-sized drill rigs.”