Horizontal Directional Drilling - HOW IT WORKS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- In this short video Mr. Electric shows how directional boring works. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a safe method of installing an underground pipeline. If you like this video please like and subscribe.
I'm an electrician. I have a problem with a job. Something like that would really help me out where I'm at. We forgot to put a 4 inch PVC line 500 feet away.Now it's all concrete overmight.Have to find out where you guys are at or somebody.That does what you do.Thanks for the video really cool
*THE VIDEO IS EXPLAINED HERE!!!*
I noticed a couple people commenting on how there's no audio explanation. Point by point, the video goes something like the following:
"The drilling and excavating equipment is brought on site. Workers dropoff the flexible utility pipeline at the desired end location of the drilling operation. Now don't get bored, because the fun's just about to start. The drilling machine operator uses a remote control to position the drilling machine in the desired start location for the drilling operation, and an excavator is used to dig a hole so drilling can start at the required depth.
"Now the drilling can begin. The drilling machine uses a series of threaded pipes to spin, push and pull the drill through the earth, thus creating a tunnel. The machine operator lowers the pipes into the cradle, screwing them on to extend the length of the drill. The machine operator tactfully uses his sleeve to wipe and itch his nose simultaneously, exhuming his nostrils of any wayward debris. The spade shaped drill bit is angled so that it applies force in a specific direction as it moves through the earth. The operator angles the bit upwards and twists it back and forth between the ten and two o'clock positions to cause the drill to level out underground.
Some guy uses special equipment to locate and track the drill, marking its path with spray paint.
They then excavate the exit hole for the drill. The drill's boring head it replaced with a reaming head, which will widen the tunnel for the utility line which is attached directly behind it... The drill expels a drilling fluid which turns the dirt to mud, which helps lubricate and fill the tunnel. The drilling fluid is pumped all the way from the drilling machine, and as it detaches and stores another segment of drill-pipe, the fluid continues to flow. Each segment of dill pipe can be screwed on and off at the machine.
"Once the job is done, the drilling machine is ready to be driven away to it's next boring adventure."
I did feel that the mechanics of how the drill orients while it drills weren't very clearly elaborated on, and I don't think the location was very clearly established, but overall I like this video.
PS
I like the music. It's nice. It kind of reminds me of Zora's Domain.
Thanks for all your efforts
They thing i want to know that I think should be in a "how it works" video, is how do they steer the end? I've seen them do this in person and they either use a big wrench (or a motor with joystick) to rotate the whole rod assembly they're shoving through, but how does rotating it let them steer it precisely?
Thank you good sir
@@paulk9532 The head at the end of the drill often just a wedge pointing at an angle. By driving that wedge into the earth with a great deal of force, and by controlling the angle it's rotated at, it steers the drill. If you think about cutting a page of paper with a knife, if you change the direction the knife's pointing, the direction of the cut also changes. If you change too much, you'll stop cutting.
For drilling, you have to keep the drill head turning back and forth and back and forth to keep going forward. But even still, if you keep the wedge pointing mostly up then the drill will also turn upwards. Keep it down and it goes downwards, and I think you get the idea.
Here's a link to someone doing a practical demonstration with a wire in agar. The rest of the video is pretty good too! th-cam.com/video/JAhdb7dKQpU/w-d-xo.html
For rock boring bits (aren't really wedged shaped, so they don't use Wiggle Drive), I believe the head itself can turn slightly relative to the body of its housing. In this case, it's almost more like the front wheels of a car. (I'm pretty sure this is how steering boring heads work, but there could be other ways.)
I work right next door to this job site in Port Everglades and just randomly stumbled upon this video researching D boring. kind of odd lol
This is why sincholes are acommon thing this era. To much ground is displaced and rain finds it's way
That hookup for the next rod was painful. Those poor threads
Definitely painful watching, that's for sure..!
you need talking or explanation of what we're seeing in the video. I still don't know how that ditch witch machine works or what it does.
It’s puts a hole in the ground and they pull pipe through it that’s it
But how does the bit turn up?
@@choahjinhuay hydraulic calipers are everywhere on it and it basically it’s run like an excavator all off hydraulic powers from a Diesel engine
It slides a run of “drill bit” into the ground which bores a hole. Then it takes from its “stack” another length of “bit”, lines it up with the bottom end of the first bit, screws them together, and now your “drill bit” is twice as long. All those “pipes” it looks like it’s storing are just more pieces of the drill bit that it can screw together to make a long hole. The drill bit is flexible so it can angle downward and then level out once at the desired depth.
Conversely, once you get to the other end of the hole - you now have to pull the pipe back through the hole you just dug. They attach the pipe end to the top of the drill bit and now it goes backwards. The ditch witch takes apart each piece of the “bit” and stacks them back in storage as it goes until you’ve pulled the pipe all the way through the hole. It pumps water as it spins backwards and pulls the pipe - this turns hard soil into mud which has less resistance when pulling and basically lubricates the pipe.
You ever use a cleaner brush for a rifle or shotgun that unscrewed apart into a few pieces? Same principal.
xD
Where's the part about how it works?
Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$
I've only just discovered this! That is awesome! It seems a lot more convenient. Wonder what they pay??...
Also, if your able to see the video I'm not understanding how you don't know what's happening.. 🤔 it's pretty self explanatory to me... Dig a hole. Grab the pipe and pull it through using drilling fluid(high pressure water). A little extra here and there but that's it. Unless I'm missing something that I'm not aware of.
Depending on the length of the run, size of the pipe and material being bored through, costs range from 12k to 35k.
It’s a union job typically but the rate for a drill opr is from $50-$70 bucks per hour.
I’m at $63.00 per hr here in Pennsylvania.
@@outofAlog damn, I need to move to there. North of the border in our bigger cities it’s about 43-48ish give or take and plus pension and benefits from what I’ve read..question, did you take a course for this or did the union teach you it? And how long have you been doing it and how was or has your experience been with it? Hard work I hear when you’re not on the machine..
Just started with just little to no experience at 28hr
Wow! I had no idea. Thank you all for the insight!
Me, 2 hours after eating Taco Bell... 2:41
My man is working his joy stick way to hard while trying to carve. Gunna make the joystick sloppy as shit. Plus you wanna pre Ream that last rod before hooking up pipe to maximize mud flow. And your drill rod makeup alignment is all fucked up
I made these for a Living last yr For "Inrock" But taking 2 of the the bigger 3 head bit apart and fabricating upto a 6 head, 3 foot wide bit. Gotta get the 1.2.3 cut right tho eh.
When you are talking about something important that only you understand lol if only folks knew the work that goes into making the machinery bits etc. Did you work in cnc fabricating or?
No safety vests. No hard hats. No safety boots. And a dirty ass machine straight off the trailer. You're fired.
Can you explain wtf you need a hard hat you? Never have got that one!
@@scottfed3878 OSHA requirements. Ever heard of them? If not have a nice day with your fine!
Pretty sure they put more feet in than what you white people are used to doing lol . Y’all be getting a 300ft job and finish It 2 days later 🤦🏻.
@@rvincit0 The difference is, they won't hit a Comcast line 4 times and a Verizon line 5 times.
0:47 hello sir I'm operating and tracking job
have you try in Indonesia for the machine Sir?if available in indonesia,maybe we can get the machine..thank you
How many meters can a horizontal directional drilling machine drill?
In the City of Aurora, CO, we have seen contractors directionally drill jobs that are 15,000 feet (nearly 3 miles) for cable runs. This is naturally not all done through one bore pit - probably 10-30. I'd say perhaps 500 - 600 feet per bore pit is typical.
Easy work when the ground isn’t full of boulders and shale with 8000 orange and red existing utility line mark outs.
Pulling had to be temporarily stopped due to rig breakdown. Exit side( pipe side) is bank of pond and now it is raining heavily at the site. Water level increased up to hole level. Can you suggest any technique to temporarily plug the hole to prevent water seepage from pipe side to rig side.
Nice video
How can I become an HDD operator
क्या पानी निकालने का काम कर सकती है
Got a crew in front of the house doing what they show on the video but how it's done remains a mystery.Maybe it's magic.
Worse drillers I ever seen . Sloppy work fellas
Super sloppy. And where’s the PPE??
Does anybody know the typical drill mud wastage rate? How much bentonite/mud I should need per LF of drilling? or day of operation?
looks like a mini oilrig driller
How much
Man pulling that pipe back must be a bitch in that sand . My crew started using bentonite and sand pack .
The joys of utilities
This says nothing about how it actually works.
Should have known right off the Bat that the Video was gonna be Shit, when the Trash Ass Music started playing
Why is doing that to that joy stick... there is a switch just for that operation...
thats how you keep it drilling flat
Nice
Good thing is not a vermeer. We would still be waiting for it to come out the repair shop. Lol
My job runs about 8 drill crews. Trust me… DitchWitch ain’t no different. Brand new machine with single digit work hours dead in the ground.
I wish I could find a job in hdd operating I’ve been searching for months and can’t seem to find a job
bachelors of trolling degree, 2013 no my criminal & driving records are clean, I have no bad history
find clients - buy ur machine . stat work
WN Continental Broadcasting I wish it was that easy still need a truck . Need insurances . And money to pay your employees it’s not as easy at it seems you loose money before you make money.
WN Continental Broadcasting I got kicked out the house with nowhere to go I’m still trying to bring myself up
Come to Florida
Good video. Tell the guy at 2:55 to put on some work gloves at a minimum.
How can you redirect or bend path of the drill?
The rods are hollow and bend. The bit grips and pulls certain directions. My fiance is a driller and I've helped the company he worked for last several times and it's actually cool as fuck
The drill bit has a flat blade almost like a paddle bit used in a power drill.
Yes, if you’re wanting to turn left turn your head to 9oclock and 3oclock for right,, the direction you’re going depends on where your drill head is turned to. If you want to go up/down while turning just position the drill head at 1-2 or 4-5 for right, or 10-11 or 7-8 for left.
The computer on the locator communicates with a beacon in the drill head. The locator gives hand signals to drill opr telling him to go up down left right forward
I'm ew, why not take off bit b4 pull?
NVM, obvious...stuck on back pull...that's why swivel
It never told me HOW IT WORKS?
If you want to go straight, you rotate the rod. If you want to go up, for instance, you set the head in the 12 o'clock position and then PUSH. You saw the guy going back and forth. He must have been in tougher soil, but most of the time it's not necessary. The receiver will tell you what position the head is in and the machine has the power to simply shove the head forward to force the angled tip in whatever direction the electronic receiver is saying. Then you proceed with rotating the bit to maintain that direction till you want to change again.
Can these drill under railroad tracks?
Yes, the main point of directional drilling is to avoid closing down roads and demolishing them to make a trench that will be filled with a pipe of some sort of utility. However to drill under a railroad you’d have to drill at least 7-15 feet underground to avoid hitting any other services in the area.
@@Storm-rc5ok Would make a great scene for a model railroad, a water line being installed using directional drilling under the tracks. Would have to find a directional drilling machine in N-Scale.
Scott Hayes that would be sick, however you may have to make a model yourself, since directional drilling is not as recognized as your average bulldozer. The 2 most popular machines for drilling would be a “ditch witch jt30 all terrain” or a “vermeer 20x22d series ii” up to you to decide which machine would look better on your model
It can drill under rivers, bruh
I coming for thish work
How much cost one machine like that?
100k used
The price varies greatly depending on the size directional drill you need for the particular application. They are rated by the amount of Pullback/Thurst and this is measure in lbs. For example, this Ditch Witch JT25 has 27,000 lbs of pullback or thrust force. One of the other important metrics is the amount of rotational torque (ft/lb). In this particular example the JT25 has 4,000 ft/lb of rotational torque. Check out the range of pricing on these here www.mtiequip.com/products/?product=directional-drills
They start around $100k used & only go up from there. So, pretty expensive...
Any repairs are hardly under a thousand, also locating electronics can cost up to 20k, and new machines I believe electronics are sold separately
Hitesh kumar Hdd helper machine india
Choice video.
Where’s the PPE and description of your process?? Your potholes or lack thereof? Spray down your equipment from time to time. Just saying. But at least you got your pipe in.
Im just the electrical contractor that hired this company. I just decided to film it for all to see.
Use your eyes to see what they doing bud lol
Didn’t explain anything.
That all seems very.... Boring ;)
Have watched six videos on HDD. Not one of them, including this one, explains how they maneuver the drill bit to make it turn.
Thumbs down.
The tip at the end of the drill is called a duck bill.. you clock it (turn) to the direction you want it to go
@@cryptofanboifukboi7159 : Thank you for your effort. Still unclear. How is that duck bill turned independently from the drill bit?
By clocking it. The tip is angled. When it's 12 oclock the rod goes up..when 6oclock the clock goes down.
i'm sure you can guess the rest@@wrongfullyaccused7139
It’s a 2 man job. (1)Operator runs drill (2)Locator determines drill path. The drill head is angled at 30° so if you turn to 3:00 you will be directing to the right 9:00 would be going right 12:00 up and 6:00 down and all the little incremental positions between. The Locator has a computer that communicates with a beacon inside the drill head and relays depth and degrees and how hot the head of the drill is getting. You will either drill to break up rock or to maintain a certain depth. You turn left and right to avoid existing utilities until you get to your target.
THIS video DIDNT EXPLAIN A DAMN THING!
USE YOUR DAMN BRAIN!
Useless 5 minutes
Ohne kabin😢