About Drills
A drill is an essential construction tool found at worksites throughout the world. Directional drills
(aka “horizontal drills”) are used to lay underground utility lines and pipelines, drill blasting holes to make tunnels, and tap into oil and natural gas deposits far from the drilling site. Vertical Drills
bore downward to sink water, oil, and gas wells, as well as to explore soil and rock layers and drill blasting holes in quarry faces to extract monolithic sheets of rock.
Ditch Witch JT10 Directional Drill
Drill Features
Typically, as the hardened drill bit cuts the hole longer or deeper, the operator or an automatic mechanism adds threaded lengths of drill pipe between the bit and the motor, forming a drill string. A hammer mechanism, situated either just behind the bit (or DTH, short for “down the hole”) or up on the drill itself (a top hammer), is often used to tap the rotating bit into rock or compacted soil many times per minute for vastly greater effectiveness. As the bit progresses, the drill rig conveys the rock cuttings or dislodged soil back up and out of the hole using drilling fluid (such as water or “mud”) or compressed air forced down through the drill string and out near the tip.
Specifications
There are a number of key specifications to look for when considering a vertical or directional drill for your operation. For example, the diameter class, also called the “hole range” or “recommended diameter,” denotes the range of hole sizes the drill can produce. A drill’s horsepower is important, as well, and relates to its thrust (ability to push the drill string forward) and its pullback force (ability to pull out not only the drill string but also possibly a reamer, pipe, or utility conduit). Manufacturers usually report how much air or drilling fluid a unit can flow per minute to remove debris from the hole. When purchasing a used drill, be sure to note the number of hours on the engine and drifter (rotation head), as well as the number of percussion hours on the hammer mechanism, if present.
Find The Right Drill
MarketBook.ca is your leading source for new and used drills, including directional and vertical rigs. Popular drill manufacturers on the site include Atlas Copco
, Casagrande
, Ditch Witch
, Ingersoll-Rand
, Sandvik
, Soilmec
, and Vermeer
.