Barbco Inc. Unveils Maxi Rig

Known for its smaller HDD rigs and auger boring equipment, Barbco Inc. has officially entered the big rig market. The company unveiled its BD-500 TK rig at a special event Nov. 5 at its East Canton, Ohio, headquarters.

The BD-500 TK is a track-mounted, 500,000-lb thrust and pullback rig, with 18,000 lbs of torque at 0 to 90 rpm and 63,000 ft-lbs of torque at 0 to 35 rpm. It’s powered by an onboard Caterpillar C-18 700-hp diesel engine and a four-drive, rack-and-pinion carriage drive (providing a maximum carriage speed of 100 ft per minute), 3-in. fluid swivel with floating spindle, 400-gal fuel capacity and a 300-gal hydraulic reservoir.

“It’s our largest rig to date and I believe it’s the largest track-mounted rig available,” says Ken Clever, Barbco vice president of sales. “This has really opened doors for us to venture into the big rig market. This is our first go at it and I think we hit a home run.”

This first rig was produced for Joe Pittman Construction, based in Moselle, Miss. Clever says plans are for the rig to be used on a pipeline project outside of Yazoo City, Miss.

Clever says that Barbco is encouraged by the activity in the maxi rig market, particularly in the oil and gas sectors. He says that Barbco is currently in negotiations with other contractors who are interested in the BD-500 TK.

For more information about the rig, contact Barbco or visit its Web site at www.barbco.com.