Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

[jinman]

Re: Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

Gary, does Belltec recommend using water in the hole while drilling? I know there is a lot of metal there to work as a heatsink. Does the heat dissipate pretty well?

I just also heard that the 100+ million dollar lottery was won by someone in Rowlett, TX. Are you rich? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif If you are the winner, I'm sure we must be related. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RedRocker]

Re: Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

Jim is my long lost half brother!

 

[GaryBDavis]

Re: Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

No you don’t need to use water. It grinds the rock just fine without it. As for the heat, the bit can get pretty warm, but not enough to burn you or anything like that. The rock powder is also pretty warm. But again, it’s not that hot as I can still handle it with my bare hands. I think the main reason they use water in water drilling rigs is to flush out the drillings from the hole.

As you may know, here in Texas in the summertime, the ground can get so hard you have to soak the holes to dig them with an ordinary PHD. But, a unit with hydraulic down pressure takes care of that problem.

I know from using a pneumatic rock drill to put in ground rods, that adding water can turn the powder from the ground up rock into cement pretty quick. Then, your high dollar drill steel turns into a high dollar ground rod because you can’t get it out.

It wasn't me who one that lottery – oh darn.

 

[HuckBB62]

Re: Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

You just gotta keep the water flow up enough to carry out the fines. I got a lot of education on drilling rock when they drilled my well through 245' of solid granite. The rig would hammer hard through the solid stuff then spit gravel when it chuffed through the strata that held water. It was an amazing day that turned our primitive camp site into a homesite!

Just curious, how much is one of those drills?

Here's one of my favorite days ever:

 

[GaryBDavis]

Re: Easiest Hole I’ve Ever Dug in Solid Rock

I paid $4700 for the Belltec with a 9" RAD (Rock And Dirt) auger with replaceable carbide tips. When shopping around, the price ranged up to $5300 with $4900 to $5000 being the average. The 9” RAD auger bit by itself runs around $900 or so. A 2” t-post puff bit is in the $200 range.

I found a place that sells the replaceable carbide tips for $3.50 ea (there's eight of them on the 9" diameter RAD). The place I purchased the Belltec from wanted $8+ for them. Even with the rock I've been drilling through, I haven't seen any sign of wear on them. Good thing I don't have any granite.