Boring machines

[digger242j]

It's been years since I was on a job that involved horizontal boring, or at least one that was big enough to require a ral live horizontal boring machine. That job involved 5 different bores under a 3 lane state highway, 2 for sanitary sewer lines and the other 3 for water mains. We used a Richmond machine--I have no idea what the model might have been, but if I remember correctly, it would have bored up to a 24" diameter hole (or maybe 36"? It's been a long time...) I never got to touch the controls, but I got to shovel the muck out into a 55 gallon drum which was lifted out of the pit with a crane to be emptied.

Anyway, that machine would only bore in a straight line. You had to set it up right on the grade you needed, and slope the rails the way you needed, and have it pointed in the right direction too.

The first shot had to go between a gas main above , and a sewer below, and somehow we managed to miss them both. There were a few problems with a later one, but that's a different story.

I was thinking about this the other day and realized that with all the cable and fiberoptic stuff that's been going in, there's an awful lot of directional boring done these days. You can actually bore up and down and around other objects. The other thing I realized is that, I don't have a clue how this is done. How do they get those boring machines to be able to change direction?

Can somebody educate me?

 

[Taylortractornu]

Ive seen some big directoinal rock borers on a job next to one I worked on.. The company was puttin in an 18 inch pipe and 2 30 inch pipes. I think it had cylinders to aim the head. And the bit was different from a smaller boring machine. THe smaller ones have a funny shaped bill on the end of the rods, Ive built a few of them up in the shop but never really got to figure out how they worked.

 

[Steve Frazier]

This thread came along just as I'm bidding a job that will require a wire to be installed undeneath a driveway. I'm trying to find someone locally to do this, otherwise a 600' run of underground wire will be necessary.

 

[DKinWA]

Steve,
You might try talking to some of your local irrigation contractors and see if they can't do the work or recommend someone that can. Irrigation contractors are always running pipe under driveways and walkways to reach some out of the way water zone. Good luck.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Good idea! thanks!

 

[BRL]

Check with any of the bigger construction rental places as well. I have seen them available in a few around here. I have used them a long time ago, but the types we were using were not as accurate as what you are describing can be done today (or the company I worked for bought the bottom end models?) There were more than a few times we'd end up quite a few feet or yards from our intended target We were only doing 4" - 10" diameter holes though to install 2" - 8" diameter conduit usually.

Now you're bringing back some good memories LOL. One of the contracts was replacing the traffic singles for 20 or so intersections in a coastal beach town, during the summer. Probably missed a few of the boring targets on account of watching too many of the bikinis walking by

 

[digger242j]

Steve, obviously it depends on the width of the driveway and the kind of soil there, but here's what I did once...

It was a one lane driveway and needed an electrical conduit to pass under it. There were pillars being built to hold electrically powered gates that would swing open and closed. I dug a hole on one side of the driveway a little longer than the width of the driveway. Then I took a 2" steel pipe and cut four triangular notches out of one end. I hammered the remaining metal over so that it made a nice point. Then I just took my big sledge hammer and beat that pipe under the driveway from one side to the other. By the time I was done, I'd mushroomed about six inches off the end I was beating on, but I had enough length left to cut that off, and the pointy closed end. I think the whole process took less than an hour, but I was winded by the time I was finished.

If I had to do it again today, I'd hire a couple teenagers to swing the hammer...

 

[Steve Frazier]

Another good idea. I did that with my sidewalk, but didn't think it would work with the driveway, I need to go about 15 feet.

I bet I could make a driver up to fit a jack hammer and eliminate the sledge work. I'm not sure I'm going to get this job though, the homeowner said he's got a bid 1/3 less than mine with more items than I figured. I can't figure how the bid could be legitimate.

 

[Taylortractornu]

I use a water tank and build use my portable welder to run a water pump that is plumbed into a pipe the size i want to push through. The water pushes the dirt out of the way and makes it easeirs to do. then next way I have is I made a rotating water joint on with o rings to seal it off. I make a special 4 triangle tiop to screw on the end of the pipe to help cut the dirt.Ill hook the tank and pump to the rotating joint and then run an air drill to turn it. I can bore a 1inch pipe across a 35 foot drive way in 45 minutes to an hour.
I won a small contract ot put trenching into 6 houses for the plumbers to get in under the footings to make the connections to the tanks. I made a road borer out of an 8 inch pipe a hydraulic motor and a smal cylinder and a frame some valves and a light grain auger out of a combine. I made a small trench on grade like a boring machine you mentioned then iput it to work. All the other contractors subbed me out on it then. I made 1800 dollars in 14 hours of work and had 120 in the boring machine. I need to dig it out and take a few pictures to post here if yall would like to copy it.

 

[Dwan Hall]

This is an old thread but I do this type of work if anyone is interested I can post some pictures. and explane how these systems work.

 

[mdnelson86]

hello , I'm a new member here and need to post 3 times in order to start a new thread so I'm just posting to an old thread hopefully no one is reading anymore. sorry for any trouble.

 

[willie59]

hello , I'm a new member here and need to post 3 times in order to start a new thread so I'm just posting to an old thread hopefully no one is reading anymore. sorry for any trouble.

LoL...welcome to the forum mdnelson86. :usa

Post away, no problems, but nothing happens here that we ain't reading.

 

[digger242j]

hello , I'm a new member here and need to post 3 times in order to start a new thread so I'm just posting to an old thread hopefully no one is reading anymore. sorry for any trouble.

Maybe not, but when you post to a thread, #1, that brings it to the top of the list, on the front page in that particular forum, and #2, everybody who's posted to that thread gets an email telling them there's a new post. So, essentially, by trying not to get noticed, you've put yourself in the spotlight.

You'd probably make a lousy burglar... :cool2

Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums. :drinkup

 

[heavylift]

try a mole
http://www.ferret.com.au/c/Air-Powe...h-method-of-laying-pipes-and-services-n667327

works quite well.... they are perfect for short runs.... we've even used them to cross 5-6 lanes of road