CONSALLEN

 FORAGER-55/1250

LIGHT CABLE PERCUSSION DRILLING MACHINE

AUDIO
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FORAGER CABLE TOOL DRILLING

Cable percussion is a simple, low cost and reliable technology for drilling boreholes. It will drill any material, including rock, but requires no mud, mud pits, pumps, chemicals, hammers or compressors.

Tools suspended from a wire rope, are lifted and dropped to cut and recover material from a hole. A variety of different tools can be used. Clay cutters and stubbers allow rapid drilling in clays and sands containing clay. They excavate solid material, which is easily removed from the tool at ground level. Other bits are used in harder materials to break the ground, which can then be bailed out of the hole as a slurry.

It is a non-invasive and sensitive method, allowing discovery, testing and development as drilling proceeds. It is an appropriate method for water wells, prospecting, site investigation and remediation. This rig will drill to 100 metres (328 feet) in suitable conditions.

At only 450 Kg, the machine can be man-handled on its own wheels to places which would be inaccessible to heavier equipment.

Picture: Forager-55/1250 cable percussion rig - cost from GBP £17,500 with full Primary tooling (see list below).
Training packages available.
Forager-55/1250 trailer tripod rig (capacity 100 metre) with 10 hp diesel engine : Cost from £17,500 Sterling rig & Basic set of tooling

FORAGER CABLE PERCUSSION RIGS   

Rugged high quality rigs with very low inputs - quick two man set-up and operation; they cover the entire range of materials, with nothing extra to buy if the ground is harder than you thought. Machines are permanent, long life and maintanable, using high quality components. At their heart is the engine & winch combination; we use our own highly successful design of clutchless freefall drilling winch and good quality high torque engines.

They are suitable entry-level equipment for contractors and NGOs producing typical rural water wells for hand pumps. Faster and cheaper than hand digging for rural development programmes - not stopped by boulders, and a profitable commercial investment for drilling water wells, site investigations, window sampling, remediation wells and other environmental drilling. Can be used for setting drive points, hydraulic (jet) percussion drilling, peizometers & insitu testing, geothermal drilling, and prospecting.

ready to tow to site
TOWING
The rig, when folded, can easily be towed by a small car or pickup. The balance of the machine - with the weight of the tripod counterbalaced by the engine and winch - and weighing only about 450 Kg, means that it can be wheeled easily by hand between drilling sites. In extreme situations, the rig's own winch can be used to pull it into and out of a site or through streams. The rig can be dismantled into sections no more than 3 metres long, and is then canoe or raft portable.

Shown here with a Lister-Petter diesel engine, with non kick-back crank handle starting, and direct Vee-belt drive.

FREE-FALL WINCH   

The main component of this drilling system is the Consallen free-fall winch. The standard version is belt driven, from the engine and provides 1250 Kg (2750 lbs) of hoisting capability and 38 metres (125 ft) per minute of bare drum hoisting speed.

The winch is clutchless, being based on an internal epicyclic gearbox, and is operated and controlled by two external band brakes. A foot pedal operates the drum brake and a hand lever controls a second brake, which causes the drum to reel in when applied. Relaxing the hoist lever allows the tool string to fall freely for maximum impact in the hole. The foot brake can be locked 'on' with simple device.

SPECIFICATION for the FORAGER-55/1250 'STANDARD' BUILD

  1. Winch single line (bare drum) pull: 1250 kg (2750 lbs)
  2. Weight of drilling tools suggested: 250 Kg (550 lbs). [Up to 500 Kg. (1100 lbs) for rock drilling.]
  3. Drum capacity: 110m (360 ft) of 10mm dia. wire giving a net drilling depth of 100 metres (328 ft).
  4. Tripod frame hoisting capacity 5,000 Kg (11,000 lbs)
  5. Height under top sheave 5 mtrs. (16.4 ft.)
  6. Lister-Petter 10 hp diesel engine, mechanically driving the winch with multiple Vee-belts
  7. Road wheels (unbraked) & trailer towing gear - 50mm/2" ball
  8. Width over road wheels 1,300 mm (4'-3")
  9. Width after removing axle - 620mm
  10. Length on the road 6.6 m (21'-8") overall
  11. Towing weight (basic) 450 Kg (880 lbs). The wheel set capacity is 750 Kg (1650 lbs) allowing tooling to be carried
  12. 6, 8 & 10-inch temporary casing size suggested, for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6-inch wells.
  13. Demonstrations available at our works in UK
How to drill by Cable Percussion   An outline of the 'shell & auger' method of cable percussion drilling process - a PDF file.
NEW   VIDEO:   showing setting up the rig and cable percussion (Shell & Auger) drilling - 20Mb file.

NOTE: A longer CD version of this video is available upon request; it gives greater detail of more of the shell & auger processes; we will need a mailing address for delivery.

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PRIMARY DRILLING TOOLS

The following is a list of the set of drilling tools we supply as standard with rigs intended for drilling holes - by normal cable percussion (shell & auger) method - of about 6 inches (150mm) diameter without casing:--
  1. Drilling wire in lengths to suit the depth envisaged - available to order up to 110 metres long. Supplied with swaged thimble eye one end and fused & tapered the other of non rotating crane wire 10mm dia. working load 1250 Kg.
  2. Attachment shackle - bow type - 3250 Kg. (7150 lbs) SWL.
  3. Sinker bars standard 100mm diameter x 1.5 metres long weight 92 Kg each, threaded M/F with barring holes top & bottom. Normally 2 no. required & supplied. Also available in shorter half lengths to order.
  4. Threaded swivel bail for top sinker bar.
  5. Tool joint spanner - set of 2 no.
  6. 140mm dia. bailer with clack valve and threaded removable shoe - capacity 20 litres (Available to order up to 50 litres capacity)
  7. 140mm dia. Clay cutter with threaded removable shoe and threaded top to suit sinkers.
  8. Basket catcher system for clay cutter comprising plastic catcher basket and 2 no. steel support rings.
  9. Stubber tool threaded to suit sinkers.
  10. Spade reamer - approx 180mm dia. - threaded to suit sinkers.
  11. Cross bit 145mm dia. threaded to suit sinkers - with hard faced welding cutting edges.
  12. Sliding hammer - light type - for driving cutting tools where required.
  13. Pair of snatch blocks to pull stuck tools - top one fits to tripod apex - working capacity 2500 Kg.
  14. Wire puller - 2000 Kg capacity for use with above snatch blocks.
  15. Universal shoe & shackle tool - used to remove shoes from bailer & claycutter and to tighten shackle pins
Other tools are shown on the Price List, to which there is a link below, including Secondary tools such as flush jointed temporary steel casing and attendant equipment.

An HYDRAULIC POWER OPTION allows the winch to provide hoisting capacity of up to 1500 Kg, and speeds as high as 60 metres per minute for greater bailing capability, by selecting alternative drive motors. Hydraulic operation with a separate 10 hp power pack can be specified, with suitable valves, to provide power up and power down in 'lifting device' mode, for hoisting pumps and other work-over tasks - in addidion to the convenient handling of drilling tools. The system can supply power and control for a rotary powered swivel, casing jacks, grout pumps and other hydrualic tools & equipment.
hydraulic version in use on site in a suburban garden

hydraulic version in use on site in a suburban garden
A HI-LO HYDRAULIC POWER PACK with a 10 hp (7.5 Kw) diesel engine delivers either high volume at low pressure for fast hoisting of tools, or low volume at high pressure for maximum pulling power. The change-over between modes is in automatic response to system pressure. Max. operating pressure is 210 bar (3000 psi) and max flow is 50 lpm (6 USg/min). The wheeled unit is transported on the rig's operator platform, providing counter-balance to the tripod while towing. Operating the engine away from the rig eliminates vibration & fumes and reduces noise for the operator.


PRICES

Below is a link to a comprehensive Price List for the Forager-55 drilling system.



Consallen Group Sales Ltd., P.O. Box 2993, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 0ZB, UK.
Tel/Fax: +44-(0)1787-247770; e-mail: sales@consallen.com