Directional Drills Upcoming Auctions

About Horizontal Drills

Horizontal drills, or directional drills, are used in utilities, oil and gas, and other industries that require directional drilling or boring through rock, hard soil, and other materials. This makes them distinct from vertical drills, which, as the name implies, usually only drill straight down. Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is well suited for laying down plastic and metal pipes and lines for utilities, getting to hard-to-reach oil deposits without affecting the surface above, performing trenchless cable installations, and much more. Horizontal drills also make it possible to bypass obstacles, like roads and rivers, by boring underneath them.

---

Ditch Witch JT100 All-Terrain Directional Drill

Stability & Fluidity

Most horizontal drills are designed with tracks so they can tackle tough terrain. They also feature stakes, stabilizers, or anchor systems that ensure that the machine is properly secured to the ground before the drilling process begins to give it as much leverage as possible. The seat and controls are typically located in the front of the machine near the drill hole to give the operator maximum visibility.

Horizontal Drill Features

Many horizontal drills have built-in mud pumps that circulate fluid through the drill pipe to keep the drill bit properly lubricated. Drill pipes typically range in length from 18 feet up to 45 feet and can be connected together in a string to extend the maximum drill distance and depth. It is also common for these machines to be used in conjunction with other equipment, including mud recyclers, pumps, and vacuums, to prevent overheating and help clear away debris so the drill can dig deeper with less resistance.

Find The Right Horizontal Drill

MachineryTrader.com is an excellent source for new and used horizontal drills. Whether you need a more compact machine for laying utility lines in urban settings or a larger, more powerful one for oil and gas operations, you’ll find a large selection of machines for sale from brands like Ditch Witch, Vermeer, Atlas Copco, Tamrock, and Sandvik. Ditch Witch is a great example because the company not only offers various sizes of horizontal drills, with the most popular being the Ditch Witch Jet Trac series, but also the complementary equipment required for HDD installations.

On the lower power end, there is the Ditch Witch JT5, which has a 24.8-horsepower (18.5-kilowatt) engine that gives it 550 pounds-foot (746 newton-meters) of spindle torque, 4,100 pounds (18.2 kilonewtons) of thrust force, and 5,000 pounds (22.2 kilonewtons) of pullback force. Then, on the higher end, there’s the Ditch Witch JT100, which has a 268-horsepower (200-kilowatt) engine that produces 12,000 pounds-foot (16,270 newton-meters) of torque, 70,000 pounds (311 kilonewtons) of thrust force, and 100,000 pounds (445 kilonewtons) of pullback force.