Geotechnical Drilling Gains Ground with Right Geotechnical Drills

Established in 2004 as a strictly environmental services company, DIRECT PUSH SERVICES has expanded from a couple of rigs and two employees to six rigs and 15 employees. During the past five years, the Utah company has realized this expansion through the addition of geotechnical drilling services.

“We had clients specifically wanting geotechnical services,” Sean Bromley, owner, said. “We had used some other rigs that turned out to be maintenance nightmares, and when we saw the simplicity of the 3100GT when it was introduced, we decided to switch to the brand we knew and trusted — Geoprobe^®.”

They have now added both a 3100GT truck mounted and 3126GT track mounted rig to their fleet and are impressed by their performance.

“Utah has some crazy drilling conditions — gravel, bedrock, caliche, shallow groundwater, deep groundwater — and they perform in all of it,” Bromley said. “We’ve used them for mud rotary, augering, rock coring, and our overburden drilling EXcentric (ODEX) system.”

With similar features between the two geotechnical drills, he is quick to rattle off a few favorites:

• SIDE SHIFT HEAD — “makes everything easy versus lifting and moving the foot and recentering over the hole when we switch between drilling method and drop hammer.”

• SEPARATE HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT FOR MUD PUMP, LARGER MOYNO PUMPS — “enable using tool rack to carry water tank when accessing a remote or muddy site, providing sufficient water to complete confirmation rock coring.”

• DISPLAY SCREEN — “provides ability to diagnose and see how system is performing at your fingertips.”

They opted for the 4-speed rotary head on the 3126GT and chose the 6-speed head and three winches for the 3100GT.

“There’s a noticeable difference in lower gears on the 6-speed head that’s pretty incredible. We love the 6-speed head,” Bromley said. “While using the 3126GT 4-speed we got some augers stuck in the hole. With the 3100GT 6-speed head we reverse spun them and broke them free immediately.”

The 3100GT truck-mounted rig means anyone can get down the road under CDL.

“If you have good site access, the 3100GT is the preferred option because you can quickly get to and from each location,” Bromley said. “CDL requirements are getting harder and it’s harder to find guys who can qualify, but the 3100GT is straightforward and easy to get any driller in it to get a job done. It’s almost invaluable to not have that CDL restriction."

However, the 3126GT track-mounted rig has proved valuable through the wet months.

“We’ve had crazy moisture levels, so the tracks allow us to get into locations and use it through rain, snow, and mud,” Bromley said.

Each with their advantages, both 31 series geotechnical drills offer geotechnical efficiency. On a recent project at the base of the Kennecott Mine they completed 20-30 holes from 30-100 feet.

“We had specified two weeks. We finished in a little over a week. The efficiency of the rig allowed us to get it done quicker,” Bromley said. “We’ve done geotechnical jobs with our 7822DT, but now for any big jobs we use the 31 series rigs. They are meant for footages.”

The performance of the 31 series geotechnical drills keeps clients happy, and according to Bromley, operators love running them.

“They have been a game changer. We keep them both busy everyday,” Bromley said. “These rigs allow us to get into and excel in the geotechnical market.”

He’s certainly glad they made the switch to the 31 series geotechnical drills.

“Especially after using other conventional rigs first, it’s easy to say we needed to go with Geoprobe^® who we know is reliable. I’ve been using Geoprobe^® since 1997 and have always been super impressed with my dealings with everyone. If we had a specific need — like our ODEX system — the Geoprobe^® team found a way to make it work,” Bromley said. “Thanks to Geoprobe^® for staying on top of the market and making this stuff available.”