Mid-Size HDD Rigs Making Their Move
As the compact directional drilling market continues its resurgence, work has also picked up for the rigs one step above the smaller drills.
The mid-size horizontal directional drills, which along with the compact drill market suffered tough times in the early 2000s, are being rolled out by manufacturers at the 2005 tradeshows that feature new power and technology, with more in the works for next year to meet the growing interest and demand.
What has jumpstarted the mid-size rig market? Manufacturers point to a couple of factors. First, the re-emergence of the fiber-optic market in recent years has generated interest to install multiple ducts, which are typically done with the mid-size rigs. And second, municipalities are finally opening their wallets to address the growing need to upgrade and rehabilitate their aging water and sewer infrastructure. These, along with an improving economy, have mid-size rig sales on the rise after several down years, say industry experts.
Some manufacturers have just re-tooled the rigs to make them better, faster and more powerful, while others have re-entered the market with a brand new line of rigs, such as StraightLine Mfg. and its SL2020, which is expected to hit the market in a few weeks. Astec Underground introduced the first rig in its new Earth Pro series, the DD3238,with a second mid-size rig to be unveiled in 2006.
“Every HDD market is growing compared to the last four years,” says Richard Levings, trenchless product manager at Ditch Witch, a leading manufacturer of underground construction equipment based in Perry, Okla. “It has not reached the level of 1999 and 2000, but it is growing at a very accelerated rate at the present time.”
Others in the industry agree.
“It appears that the mid-size market is picking up and is doing so because there is a growing base of work for this size of work in all utility disciplines,” says Don Cary, president of StraightLine Mfg., a drill manufacturer based in Newton, Kan. “The mid-size drills are taking some market share from the smaller drills because their increased capabilities offer the driller greater versatility in a small package.
“The mid-size rigs are also taking market share from the larger drill class because of the increased capabilities found in the new mid-size drills and the fact that they are easier to mobilize and set up in tight areas,” Cary adds.
With the introduction of its SL2020, StraightLine is re-committing itself to becoming a leading HDD rig manufacturer again after enduring several years of financial problems. The last new rig produced by the company was in 2000. Cary re-acquired StraightLine Mfg., a company he founded in 1983, in December 2003 and said a second mid-size rig is under development for 2006. Cary also owns Source: HDD, which sells used HDD equipment to drillers.
Klane Kirby, director of sales at Astec Underground, a leading manufacturer of underground equipment based in Loudon, Tenn., concurs with Cary and Levings to some degree, but is a little more cautious. “The mid-size market fell [in the early 2000s] along with the compact market,” Kirby says. “It’s holding its own with the compact segment but it’s coming around.”
Astec Underground launched its new rig series, Earth Pro, at the 2005 CONEXPO-CON/AGG show — itsfirst new rig since buying out Case Corp. of its rigs and HDD equipment in October 2004. The two companies had formed a partnership in 2002, with Case wanting to transition out of the underground construction business. With a second mid-size rig set to hit the market in 2006, Astec plans to introduce three compact size rigs in the Earth Pro line by the ICUEE show in September.
In today’s market, with compact rigs being developed smaller and smaller with the same amount of push/pullback capabilities, the mid-size rigs can start as low as 20,000 to 25,000 lbs of push/pullback and still perform the mid-size work. The manufacturers gauge the mid-size market between 20,000and 100,000 lbs of push/pullback ability.
“The mid-size rig should probably be 25,000 to 100,000 pounds of pullback,” Levings says. “Some in the industry classified the mid-sized market as 40,000 to 100,000 pounds 10 years ago but since that time, 25,000-pound units have been tremendously improved, therefore giving them the ability to perform some of the work that used to require a 40,000-pound unit to complete.”
So what kind of work is the mid-size rig targeted for? The mid-size rig can be used for the gamut of drilling — telecom, gas, pipeline, water, sewer, fiber-optic and general boring— from 6- to 24-in. diameter product. Some can do as large as 30 to 36 in., the manufacturers say, where space is restricted and the maxi rigs cannot enter. Fiber-to-the-premises jobs are popular when a drill is needed for a larger diameter and longer distance than a compact rig can handle.
“There is quite a market for the mid-size drill,” Kirby says, noting that, in his opinion, the bulk of it is coming from the water and sewer industry. “Fiber-optic is hot right now and it will be instrumental for the [mid-size] market because of the multiple ducts that are being installed. But where we are setting our emphasis in the water and sewer market is with our 100,000-pound rig [in 2006]. Water and sewer [lines] have long been neglected.”
Kirby explains that water and sewer lines in the United States and around the world are exceeding their 50- to100-year limit and are in dire need of attention and upgrade. “Municipalities have held off as long as they could and are now forced to upgrade” whether voluntarily or by EPA mandate, he says.
When looking at mid-size rigs, stripped down from a design perspective with all the extras taken away, most rigs are pretty much the same with regard to design, size, power, safety features, etc. It’s what the manufacturers add in other areas beyond machine options that make them different from each other. Those extras include: additional drill stem, tooling such as boring heads and back reamers, locating systems, trailers and various sizes of mud mixing systems to name a few.
But what else are potential customers looking for? That list includes ease of service, ease of operation and simple electronic and hydraulic systems, says Ed Savage, trenchless product manager at Vermeer Mfg., a leading HDD manufacturing company in Pella, Iowa. Other areas include maintenance and maneuverability.
Levings adds flexibility to the list, saying, “[Customers]want flexible units that do large and small work depending on the job requirements.”
Manufacturers like Ditch Witch, Astec Underground, Vermeer and StraightLine are just a few of the mid-size rig manufacturers that offer these rigs and options for potential customers, who Kirby describes to be intelligent and shrewd when it comes to knowing what they want and need and what is available to them. They have to be, as a mid-size rig can run anywhere from$120,000 and $400,000 — a pretty hefty price tag even before the extras are figured in.
StraightLine’s SL2020 is 17 ft in length, 52 in. wide and stands 5 ft, 7 in. with its rod loader; it can easily fit in congested residential areas, Cary says. It has 20,000 lbs of pullback and 2,000 ft-lbs of rotary torque. Other features include pilot-operated hydraulic valves, overhead rod loader, rack-and-pinion thrust drive and, according to StraightLine officials, the only mid-size rig that has a mud-ready, triplex mud pump.
Cary says that interest in the SL2020 is high, with 20 pre-built orders ready for delivery in just a few weeks.
Astec Underground introduced the DD-3238 this year but has a total of three mid-size rigs with itsDD-6 and DD-8, both in use since the early 1990s. The DD-6 is a self-contained drill that carries 60,000 lbs of push/pullback and, with its footprint, can be used in residential areas with pipe diameters up to 30 in. The DD-8 is also self-contained but has 80,000-lbs of push/pullback and can install pipe diameters up to 36 in. Both of these models have the Es-lok exit side lockout system.
Ditch Witch has five mid-size models: JT2720 Mach 1, JT2720All-Terrain, JT4020 Mach 1, JT4020 All-Terrain and JT8020 Mach 1. These models range from 27,000 to 80,000 lbs of push/pullback and are made for installations800 to 2,000 ft and hole sizes from 12 to 30 in.
Vermeer Mfg. offers three mid-size models: D18x22, D24x40 Series II and the D36x50. These models range from 22,000 to 36,000 lbs of push/pullback capability. The D18x22 is used similarly to a compact drill in congested areas, while the D24x40 Series II also provides many of the same features of a compact machine. The D36x50 is built to perform a wide range of medium diameter, mid-to-long distance utilityinstallations.
