Small Water Well Rigs Mean Big Business Advantages

When it comes to power to get the job done, well digging machine looks can be deceiving.

“Our industry has a hang up on bigger is better,” said Ricky Cosnahan, owner, DJ Pump Service, Georgia. “If a 24-inch wrench will break pipe loose, then you get the 36-inch to make sure you have the power. Just because it’s little doesn’t mean it doesn’t have power.”

Driller Chris Adkison attributes their success to the top head speed of the DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^® for cleaner, straighter well development in significantly less time - drilling water wells in hours instead of days.

“Where we drill wells there’s a lot of limestone and blue marl. It would take four days to drill 260 feet and then make a well on the fifth day,” Adkison said. “Now we’re doing it in a day and a half. The blue marl is a dense clay that swells and the DM250 cuts it really well.”

In choosing the small but mighty DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^® with its efficient production, companies across the nation have added other big business advantages when using the compact drilling rig.

Site Accessibility of Compact Drilling Rig

Always Pure Clearwater and Well focuses on drilling water wells for residential properties close to the Jersey Shore.

“We needed to get close in tight to homes, expensive landscaping, and fences without damage,” Nate Hommel, owner, said. “We had a big, heavy drill rig, so we looked at smaller machines with the same power but lighter weight — so we didn’t have to worry about pavers or sod  — but would know we had power to handle hard drilling to 200 feet.”

Hommel found the combination of compact drilling size and big power he was seeking in the DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^®.

“It’s a little package that gets the job done. I’ve run at least four other manufacturer’s bigger machines and they have nothing on the DRILLMAX^® DM250 [by Geoprobe^®],” he said.

Competitive Advantage When Drilling Water Wells

Steve Simmons, owner of Roy Simmons & Son Well Drilling in Michigan, is so convinced he has the capabilities of a big rig in a compact drilling package he now calls the DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^® his “big rig".

“The dam broke, so the lake and water wells have been dry. New wells now have to be put on the lake side,” Simmons explained. “The DM250 gave me a leg up on the competition because I can get places they can’t go and go as deep as I need to go. 280-feet? No problem.”

A recent job drilling water wells had him maneuvering between big trees and within an inch of the house for a 280-foot well.

“I figured I’d be there a week, and it took a day,” Simmons said. “The rig really opened up more area, more spots where a big rig wouldn’t fit. But now I can get there.”

No Class A/B CDL Required on Small Well Digging Machine

Launching Island Geo Drillers in New York five years ago, Joe Dalba and partner Ryan Maletta were ready to take their closed-loop geothermal installation business to the next level. Their projects were progressing from residences with up to 50-ton fields to schools requiring 300-ton fields with 90 bores to 350 feet. Yet, they desired to go after more municipal projects. What they needed to take the next step was a new well digging machine.

“To get a more capable rig and take our business to the next step, the DRILLMAX^® DM250 [by Geoprobe^®] was the only one non-CDL,” Dalba said. “Others with these capabilities required a CDL or were not yet in production, just prototypes.”

 “It has everything really – it’s faster and lots easier,” Dalba said. “Speed of tophead rotation combined with 22-foot stroke on tight package, ramps up production, and it being non-CDL also saves on insurance.”

The DM250 not requiring a CDL also contributed to the choice of drill rig for Moore’s Well Drilling in Florida.

“I don’t have two guys out on the rig and water truck who both have a CDL,” Chris Westberry, operations manager, said.

The small size with 20-foot rod capabilities while still being under class A/B CDL placed the DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^® at the top of the list of well drilling equipment for sale for Willey & Company in Delaware.

“The fact that it could do same size wells but on a smaller truck means we’re able to get in and out of tight spots. Most people on our team can drive it and we didn’t have to sacrifice on rod length. DRILLMAX^® by Geoprobe^® is one of the only options we found that offered all that,” Mike Willey, owner, said.

Easy Mobilization of DM Series Well Drilling Equipment for Sale

Chris Adkison with DJ Pump Service, Georgia, also praises the mobility of the DM250, appreciating that anyone can drive it into tight job sites or narrow drives for drilling water wells without tearing up customers’ yards.

“Our other rig would drill a well, but it wasn’t easy to operate or mobilize,” Adkison said. “I can pull up in a McDonald’s parking lot and get a cheeseburger if I want.”

Hommel with Always Pure Clearwater and Well in New Jersey used to limit travel to no further than an hour away. With the DM250 they can fly down the highway since it drives like a regular truck.

“It’s the best investment I’ve ever made in my business,” Hommel said. “All the guys can drive it 70 mph down the highway. The helpers can set it up — where before I didn’t have that option — allowing guys to do more things outside their level.”

The Bottom Line of Compact Drilling Rigs

Thanks to the extra production and a solid market, DJ Pump Service’s bottom line has increased 500 percent. However, income isn’t the only benefit.

“It was a big thing for us and our families to spend that kind of money on a new rig,” Adkison said. “It’s made life easier, we have more quality time at home, and make a little more money. It’s a win-win.”

John Bowman, owner/operator, Kelly Well Drilling, Kentucky, concurs the faster turn around volume when drilling water wells with the small DRILLMAX^®DM250 by Geoprobe^® ultimately means more money, but also more time away from the job.

“We start at 10 a.m., done by 2 p.m., and back home – that’s very nice,” Bowman said. “It’s dynamite in a small package.”