National Driller spends most of its time covering both products and the people who use them on the jobsite. Personally, I like the people stories, the ones that talk about the ingenuity drill crews show as they struggle to get their jobs done every day — often against hardships of weather or location. But readers, they like both. That’s why we select a Product of the Week.
We ran 52 products of the week (imagine that!) in 2015. We wanted to highlight the top five. If you missed them, want to reread them or simply want to see what products other industry pros are interested in, click away below.
Congratulations to the companies that made the cut this year.
5. Watson 4300 Drill Rig
The 4300 Watson drilling rig can be mounted on a crawler or truck chassis. Its unique swing-out cab design provides better visibility of the hole and Kelly winch. The positional rotary allows for drilling over casing and the power retractable lower mast permits an easy transition to big auger drilling. Non-computerized controls deliver maximum reliability. The 4300 rig can travel in a single-load transport without disassembly, including the Kelly bar. For more information, visit the Watson website.
4. Merrill Manufacturing Yard Hydrants
Merrill Manufacturing makes high-capacity, sanitary, removable, AnyTemp heated and self-closing yard hydrants. The company offers other yard hydrants for additional needs as well, including no lead models. For more information contact your distributor or Merrill Manufacturing at 800-831-6962. For more information, visit the Merrill Manufacturing website.
3. Keystone Drill Services Downhole Hammer Bits
Keystone Drill Services LLC (KDS) specializes in the repair of down hole hammer drill bits (http://www.thedriller.com/articles/90172-keystone-drill-services-down-hole-hammer-bits) from all manufacturers, in all models and sizes. Bit repair services include insert replacement using carbide inserts or diamond inserts. Insert sizes range from 5/8- to 1-inch in diameter. Bits with carbide inserts can also be sharpened using robotic arm grinders. KDS has repaired bits from all manufacturers with sizes ranging from 6 to 36 inches. KDS calls itself a one-stop shop for all hammer, bit and compressed air drilling needs. For more information, visit the Keystone Drill Services website.
2. Heisey Machine Floatation Subs
Heisey Machine’s floatation subs are custom made with threads to order in lengths to fit the specifications of the driller. Standard duty subs are most commonly used in water well and geothermal applications. They have 70,000 to 80,000 pounds of hold back, up to 45,000 foot pounds of torque at 200 horsepower, 2 to 4 inches of float and a 6-inch body diameter. Deep hole and heavy duty Blue Max subs also available. For more information, visit the Heisey Machine website.
1. Well-Vu Fisheye Camera
Well-Vu’s Fisheye camera reduces the time spent viewing with a side view camera. It is no longer necessary to spend 2-3 minutes rotating and panning before moving down another 4-5 inches and starting the rotation all over again. The Fisheye lens allows drillers to look in a 360 degree circle, a full 184 degree horizontal and down view nonstop. The lens eliminates the need for an expensive down view and side view camera. For more information, visit the Well-Vu website.
