Going Full Bore

At Gateway Directional Drilling LLC, in-the-field supervisors keep two primary goals in mind while doing directional-drilling projects for oil- and gas-field customers: Staying on the seat and turning to the right.

In field slang, that means keeping the operators of the company’s three horizontal directional-drilling (HDD) machines in the driver’s seat with the drill pipe spinning clockwise as it grinds out long, challenging underground bores for upstream and midstream pipeline projects. To achieve those goals, the Edmond, Okla.-based company relies on Ditch Witch 3020 AT, JT4020 and JT100 machines, says Gary Paule, the company’s general manager.

“Most horizontal directional-drilling machines are pretty comparable in terms of what they can do,” Paule notes. “So where you really gain efficiencies is through quicker machine setups and teardowns, and making sure guys are staying on the seat and turning right.

“We get that from our Ditch Witch machines because they’re durable and very operator-friendly,” he adds. “That’s my observation, and I also hear that from our employees who’ve worked with other kinds of HDD machines.”

Paule points out that typical setup time for the Ditch Witch machines is a couple hours. Much of the time savings stems from a heavy-duty anchor system, which stabilizes the machine quickly via onboard hydraulics, as opposed to using a backhoe or trackhoe to pound in stakes, he explains. Moreover, the system minimizes the need for large and expensive support equipment, which in turn reduces transportation costs and dramatically reduces the job footprint.

“It’s not that using a backhoe or trackhoe is a bad way to do it, but the hydraulically driven auger system is much more efficient in terms of time,” Paule says.

Gateway Directional Drilling was founded in 2009 after a sister company acquired a directional-drilling business. The sister company then formed Gateway Directional Drilling, and an older HDD machine near the end of its life cycle came as part of the deal. That’s when the company bought the 3020 AT, followed by the JT 100 and the JT4020, Paule explains.

The cost of all three machines was a considerable investment – nearly $1.5 million. But in the end, the company followed two old adages: You get what you pay for, and sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

“When we saw how the 3020 performed, we decided it made more sense to keep purchasing new machines rather than paying to fix someone else’s problems,” he says.

The workhorse of the fleet – and the most profitable machine – is the JT100, which can handle the largest drilling pipes: up to 24 inches in diameter. “In good soil, it’s not unheard of for us to do a 500-foot bore in three to four days,” Paule says, lauding the JT100’s 268 hp Deutz diesel engine, 70,000 pounds of thrust force, 12,000 pounds of foot torque and 100,000 pounds of pullback force.

“On one job, we did 1,100 feet of 24-inch bore,” he says. “You don’t do a bore that big unless you’re really experienced or have a really good mud program. That wouldn’t be your average bore.”

Paule also praises the JT100’s ability to change out drill pipe quickly, which provides a big productivity boost. Unlike some machines, the Ditch Witch carriage is already connecting the next section of drilling pipe before the next pipe is completely loaded on the pipe rack. That may not seem like a big deal, but over the course of connecting hundreds of rods, it adds up in a hurry, he notes.

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“It’s a bigger number than you might think,” Paule says. “And the easier you make it for employees to make the [pipe] connections, and to use the machine and set it up, the more it positively impacts morale. Employees feel good when they’re getting something accomplished, as opposed to feeling like they’re not getting things done.”

Paule says that investing in new, more technologically advanced equipment is a priority. The company’s forte is large, very long bores and projects with a significant amount of bores – 50 or more. As a result, new equipment that’s less prone to breakdowns helps the company meet customer expectations and internal profitability goals.

“With equipment breakdowns, the bottom line is you don’t just lose the day on which you break down,” he explains. “Our projects typically are in rural areas where you can’t just go down the street and get a part. You have to wait for it to be shipped in, and most parts aren’t off-the-shelf items. That’s where newer, more durable machines are really helpful. Simply put, downtime is a killer.”