Equipment: StraightLine® 5.0 RockEye Hammer System System on a Vermeer® D50x100, coupled with an Ingersoll Rand 1100cfm x 385 psi compressor
The Challenge: 600′ of some of the hardest limestone in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, under a man-made lake, alongside the White River, 15 miles northwest of Mountain Home, Arkansas. That was the challenge issued to StraightLine HDD® by Mitchell Hyde of Hyde Construction. The set up added to the difficulty of the bore, the steep terrain put all of the support equipment hundreds of feet away from the drill. The crew also encountered consistent locator problems due to the overhead power lines.
Outcome: The rock proved to be of varying hardness, some rods took nearly 45 minutes, while other lengths were drilled at a rate of only 15 to 20 minutes per rod. The handling of the 15′ drill stem also proved to be a challenge due to the steep Ozark terrain. “We were very happy with the tool,” stated Mitchell Hyde, of the Athens, TN based Hyde Construction. “It steered where we wanted it. It’s really the only tool to use in ground conditions that include rock. The RockEye beats conventional drilling 100 times over.”