EF Series Hydraulic Drills

Constructed with half-inch plywood painted with high-resistance epoxy paint.  The drill shack is designed with easy access to all components that require maintenance and service.  A 12-volt automotive lighting system is incorporated at key points in the drill shack to provide sufficient lighting for safety during night operations.  The flooring consists of 3-inch thick Juniper wood product for durability and safety from slipping injuries. This feature is optional with the Heli-Portable drills. A steel shack is also available upon request.

A key feature of the EF Series Drills is the hydraulic leveling jacks located in the four corners of the drill shack.  The built-in jacks reduce set-up time considerably while being safe and efficient.  The jacks have a 4-foot stroke and are powered by the hydraulic system of the drill unit.  The drill can be raised by 4 feet allowing for easy loading and unloading from a transport vehicle.  The jack controls are situated on the rod handler valve bank.

The rod hoist has a lifting capacity of 1,000 lbs (454 kg).  The drive hub is reversible which reduces downtime in field operations if it requires changing.  The rod hoist bearings are identical to the ones used in the wireline hoist, the pulleys, and drill head thus reducing the need to carry a large array of replacement parts.

The wireline hoist for the EF-50 and EF-50F has a 5,000 foot (1,524 m) capacity and the EF-75 and the EF-75F has a 7,500 foot (2,286 m) capacity.  Both of these hoists are equipped with a level wind assembly to assist in guiding the cable.  The hoisting system is equipped with a 30 cubic inch high-torque hydraulic motor which provides speed and power for efficient and fast core retrieval.  The hoist is designed to be run at full efficiency while using minimal RPM on the diesel engine.

The Skid Mounted and Heli-Portable drills have a complete drill head assembly which includes the chuck, transmission and rotation motor.  The head is designed with efficiency and strength in mind to provide the necessary power to drill down to 5,000 feet (1,524 m) N for the EF-50 and the EF-50F, and 7,000 feet (2,134 m) N for the EF-75 and the EF-75F.  The drill head is driven with a sprocket drive at a 2.14:1 ratio with a 50-6 drive chain.  The rotation motor is a fully variable 160cc (cubic centimeter) to provide the highest efficiency at the desired bit RPM.  The drill head has the capability of using B-N-H rods. An optional P size head assembly is available for P size rods. The transmission is a 4-speed Funk with a first gear ratio of 6:1 and a 1:1 fourth gear ratio.

The Skid Mounted and Heli-Portable drills feature a complete instrumentation panel allowing for ease of operation.   All the controls are clearly indicated to provide a fast and safe method of operating these units.  A full array of gauges is provided to indicate the various in-hole drilling conditions.  All the electrical switches and warning lights provide the operator with information related to proper operation of the drill.

The rod handler is fully hydraulic with B-N-H-P rod capability.  This efficient rod handler has controls that are clearly identified for easy operation by the drilling helper.  The rod handling system is fully designed to provide the drill crew with a fast and efficient method of manipulating drill rods while tripping in and out of the drill hole during the bit changing process.  All functions during this task are performed by the drilling helper inside the drill shack; sheltered from the environment.  This rod handler eliminates the need for a drilling helper to be stationed up the drill mast, which can be 20 feet from the ground surface. It should be noted that B-N-H-P rods can be handled with our rod handler without any required changes made to our clamp jaw. The rod handler valve bank is equipped with a shut off valve for safety when not in use.

The EF Series are equipped with either a 6 cylinder (215 HP) or a 4 cylinder (160 HP) Cummins Tier 3 engine.  The unit is designed to run at 1,700/1,900 RPM in order to benefit from its peak torque while minimizing fuel consumption.  Other engines, with equal horsepower, are available upon request such as Caterpillar or John Deere.

DDM developed its own mast raise system that exceeds the performance, efficiency and safety of any other manufacturer’s product.

Our mast raise system is fully hydraulic and operates by means of a feed screw system.  The hydraulic motor that operates the feed screw is equipped with a brake to maintain stability throughout the drilling operation.  The result is a drill mast that does not require any stay legs, considerably reducing setup time while being very efficient and safe.

The hydraulic system is designed by DDM and uses 3 Bosch Rexroth pumps.  The system is designed to run with enough flow and pressure at 1,700/1,900 RPM to efficiently perform to a depth of 5,000 feet (1,524 m) N for the EF-50 and the EF-50F and 7,000 feet (2,134 m) N for the EF-75 and the EF-75F.  The #1 pump is a closed loop system that operates the rotation functions of the drill.  The #2 pump is a pressure-compensated load-sensed 95cc pump.  This pump provides the hydraulic power to the fast-travel, water pressure pump and wireline hoist.  The #3 pump is a 28cc pressure-compensated pump that supplies power to the chuck, clamp, rod handler and all other hydraulic accessories.  This assembly has proven to be a very efficient hydraulic system.