Underground Infrastructure - September 2023 - 26

Directional Drilling
" There are lots of utility poles, so you have these long spans.
When they have two propel line crossings, we bring in the drills.
All the newer neighborhoods are going to be underground, but
a lot of older areas are all overhead, " said Barrett.
DDURT Construction recently entered the aerial installation
business to help fill this regional need for above-ground
fiber installation.
" We have one aerial crew running, and it jumps between the
Canadian Valley job and the East Central Oklahoma Cooperative, "
said Barrett.
Overcoming challenges
The biggest challenges DDURT Construction faces in completing
the project include finding qualified staff to keep up
with demand, and sourcing equipment and parts. The supply
chain continues to improve as the industry recovers from the
COVID-19 pandemic, but staffing continues to be a struggle.
The company has managed to keep a tight-knit crew with many
family members working together.
DDURT Construction is currently averaging five crews
working on the Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative project.
The actual number of crews varies, as other projects start up and
scheduling fluctuates.
To help maximize the productivity of its HDD drill crews,
the organization assigns hydro-excavation crews with Vermeer
vacuum excavators to pothole and locate utilities ahead of the
drill crews. The goal is to keep them moving so they don't have
to slow down. Traditional tracked excavator crews dig the tieins
and pits for the drill rigs.
DDURT Construction tries to partner each drilling crew
with a tracked excavator crew, although sometimes it makes
sense to share a crew. After digging the tie-ins and setting the
equipment, this excavator crew comes back in and pulls all the
fiber lines as well.
Internal training of these crews plays a major role in the
company's success. Many ground hands are hired without experience,
and DDURT Construction trains them internally on
directional drills and excavators. Less experienced operators
are partnered up with more experienced operators to pass along
some of the knowledge. Local dealer, Vermeer Great Plains, has
also stepped to the plate with specialized equipment training.
" Our preferred method is to train from within if we can, "
said Barrett. " Vermeer has reached out to us. For instance, with
the dual-rod D23x30DR S3 HDD, they came out and worked
with some of our drillers on troubleshooting, maximizing efficiency
and things of that nature.
" When we have the avenue to get external training from
people who specialize in our equipment, we try to take advantage
of it. "
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Drilling through heavy clay and coarse rock has proved challenging
on the Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative project.
The dual-rod rock drills have helped DDURT Construction
maximize productivity in the toughest conditions.
" So, in Oklahoma, we have very treacherous ground conditions, "
said Gage Dugan, Vermeer Great Plains underground
and utility sales rep. " With the D23x30DR S3, crews can switch
over to dirt-enable mode, and then can switch heads and be
able to keep drilling if they get into dirt. "
The first Vermeer drill that DDURT Construction purchased
was a single rod D23x30 S3 HDD. The company still runs three
of these models and two of the dual-rod D23x30DR S3 models.
" We can usually end up with about 500 feet to 550 feet -
maybe even 600 feet - a day. And so, for production, it's twothirds
more with the D23x30DR S3 drills. It has really streaminrock.com
26
SEPTEMBER 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
http://www.inrock.com http://www.UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Underground Infrastructure - September 2023

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