Kansas Training “Invaluable”

Having had success with an older 7822DT v2, GSG Consultants Inc looked at a new model to provide them the flexibility they desired for their growing workload.

“It can perform environmental probing, rock coring, auger borings, cone penetration testing (CPT), all while fitting into tighter areas where a larger drill rig could not,” Thomas Kasang, operations manager, said. “We wanted another one because of the large amount of future environmental work we have, as well as the added flexibility of having an additional smaller rig to accommodate our clients.”

Begun in 1992 by Guillermo Garcia and Arturo Saenz, the consulting firm has grown to 130 employees and was seeking to add CPT services to their existing array of geotechnical and environmental solutions for a wide variety of projects. The 7822DT v4 has the advantage of being “CPT ready”, meaning it incorporates:

• 15 tons of downforce, sufficient to execute the work 
• automatic head feed rate control to provide a consistent 2 cm/sec CPT push rate, meeting ASTM standards

Kasang spoke with Lee Shaw, sales representative, regarding the pros and cons of training at their offices in Schaumburg, Illinois, versus traveling to Geoprobe^®headquarters in Salina, Kansas.

“Lee shared the value of coming to Salina was greater with the ability to talk firsthand with engineers and specialists who work on the 7822DTs and CPT system,” Kasang said. “I’m glad I listened to Lee and we ended up coming to Kansas. It was an invaluable experience.”

When the group arrive to Kansas Wednesday afternoon, Shaw brought a Geoprobe^® car to the airport for their use. The group hit the ground running going over operation of the new 7822DT v4 and the new controls.

“We had the opportunity to talk with Lee and Matt Hodges [sales representative] about general maintenance and upkeep of the new 7822DT, as well as on our older rig,” Kasang said. “We learned about the new upgrades on the 7822DT that will make our drillers lives easier – extra winch line, improved control panel, among other things.”

Other enhancement on the 7822DT v4 include:

• Wide tracks – going from 60 inches on v1 to 70 inches on v4
• Stability – drill mounted more forward on carrier 
• Auto throttle – returns to idle for fuel savings
• Remote control – more user-friendly
• Option mountings – extruder and moyno on same side laving other side for other options
• Fuel filter – full-size, spin is easier to access than inline on previous versions
• New MD4 display – larger, brighter screens with ability to use touch screen as virtual switch should one of the toggle switches go out

On Thursday, the group began training with Cory Harvey, Direct Image^® engineer, spending several classroom hours learning about CPT before proceeding outside to do hands-on training with the new 7822DT. Friday they picked up in the classroom before heading back out into the field running equipment until they flew out that night back to Illinois.

“It was a fantastic learning experience. Lee, Troy Schmidt [Direct Image^® engineering manager], Cory, and Matt were very knowledgeable, accommodating, and a pleasure to be around,” Kasang said. “If you’re wanting to learn CPT, I would 100% recommend going to Salina. If you’re brand new to Geoprobe^® or getting a new model rig, I would recommend going.”