Features Convince Customer NEW 3145GT Suited to Off-Road, Deeper Geotechnical Work

In business since 1988, McCray Drilling in Memphis, Tennessee, spent most of the ’90s and early 2000s focused on environmental work. However, in the past five years their schedule has increasingly been filled with geotechnical jobs. When David McCray, owner, saw the NEW 3145GT geotechnical rig on crawler carrier at the National Groundwater Association show he immediately recognized the benefits it could provide his company.

“It would be killing two birds with one rig. We’d still have the direct push capabilities as well as the ability to drill to greater depths,” McCray said. “The carrier looked very beefy. It would be ideal on any off-road job where low-ground penetration is needed, whether environmental or geotechnical.”

All the 31 series drill rigs – whether track, truck, or crawler carrier – come equipped with:

• Power and versatility to effectively compete in multiple revenue streams – HSA, SPT, CPT, DPT, rock coring, mud rotary, air rotary, and drive and wash
• Centerline head side shift to align all head functions and winches over the bore hole without moving the drill mast for efficient drilling.
• Simple controls with hands-free rotation, head feed, and auto drop hammer to make work nearly effortless and create a gentle learning curve for the seasoned driller as well as the new hire

Features unique to the NEW 3145GT are:

• Enhanced off-road capability to easily run on rugged off-road terrain at a top speed of 6.7 mph with crawler chassis providing heated and cooled operator cabin
• Increased tool storage to simplify housekeeping especially on long treks
• Taller standard winch to effectively pull 20-foot tool string with attached split spoon above the breakout

For McCray, positioning of the pumps and the longer boom to handle deeper mud rotary exemplify how engineering the NEW 3145GT focused on geotechnical work.

“Every driller is always asking ‘do they make one that will go a little deeper’,” McCray said. “No matter how deep you go, somebody is always asking you to go deeper.”

While the carrier was attractive, what caught his eye was the longer boom to trip more rods along with the rod rack to carry 10-foot tooling. And with four Geoprobe® rigs already in his fleet, he understands the value-added benefits of NEW 3145GT.

“Geoprobe® rigs are reliable and they always stand behind their product,” McCray said. “That goes with any of their rigs.”