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Machine Matters

December 09, 2011 |

A Big Market

More players jump in to a North American HDD market increasingly focused on maxi-rigs

Big opportunities are leading to demands for big equipment in the directional drilling market. At this fall’s International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE), maxi-rigs generated the most attention.

With Herrenknecht’s new auxiliary Pipe Thruster installed at the destination hole, large horizontal directional drilling units can generate even more push and pull power – up to 500 metric tons’ worth. It is suitable for pipes from 20 to 48 inches in diameter.

HDD Broker’s Bob Martin notes strong demand for large maxi-rigs in the Northeast, specifically in connection with Marcellus Shale natural gas developments. An online service specializing in HDD sales, HDD Broker has an overall current inventory reduced by close to 30 percent compared to last year, says Martin, but utility drilling units ranging 40,000 to 150,000 pounds in maximum pullback are not the ones in demand at this time.

The Marcellus Shale, containing a large tract of untapped natural gas stretching from New York State to West Virginia, has sparked a sudden rush of drilling and related site work in economically-challenged regions notably in rural Pennsylvania. At press time, Universal HDD was commissioning the very first unit of its new 250×400 – its largest long-range model – in the region.

The largest Ditch Witch horizontal directional drill model, the JT100 comes in Mach 1 and All Terrain versions, both available with an optional onboard crane designed to eliminate the need on site for supporting lift equipment.

The new UNI 250×400 will compete in the class of machines ranging 200,000 to 500,000 pounds in maximum pullback. With the first or only number in North American model nomenclature representing pullback in thousands of pounds, established competitors in this range include the Barbco BD250-TK, Vermeer D330x500 and, at either end of the range, American Augers DD-220T and DD-440/440T. Microprocessor-controlled with an interchangeable Tier 3/Tier 4 Cummins engine, the new tracked DD-220T is one of three newly updated models in the full-range American Augers HDD product line. It is, says the Astec-owned company, ideal for small- to mid-size utility construction and mid-range pipeline projects.

American Augers was the first HDD manufacturer to move from the use of chain to a rack-and-pinion carriage design, now the industry standard for its smooth movement, precise operating control, long system life and avoidance of complicated parts.

The Marcellus Shale has sparked a sudden rush of drilling.

Ranging to the largest North American-sourced model, the D1320x900 Navigator, “the Vermeer lineup offers cost-efficient drill performance on the jobsite with appropriately-matched torque and push/pull power, enhanced with features such as the Firestick drill rod and self-contained operation,” says Jason Zylstra, marketing manager. “Climate-controlled cabs feature good visibility and fingertip controls on the electronic joysticks.”

Ditch Witch, a longtime neck-and-neck competitor to Vermeer in the smaller utility range, tops its product line with its two JT100 models offering 100,000 pounds of maximum pullback (see Machine Matters Roundup, page 24).

World market

HDD Broker has seen an increase in international business, claiming 40 percent of its audience from outside the United States, says Martin. “Our goal is to open up the market to a global scale,” he says. “In some parts of the world, some were charging a premium because most units were U.S.-made.” Surcharges from some overseas markets have run as high as 30 percent, he says.

The opening up of the world market is not all outward bound from North America, however. Among the companies turning heads at ICUEE in Louisville, Kentucky, was Germany-based Herrenknecht, which offers models up to about 1.32 million pounds in maximum thrust/pullback, competing at the extreme large end against the established likes of Vermeer, Barbco and American Augers.