“DDURT construction has two D’s,” said Mark Barrett, DDURT Construction operations manager. “It’s an acronym that was designed by one of the founding members.” It stands for: Directional Drilling Underground Routing Technicians.
Located in Haskell, Oklahoma, DDURT Construction specializes in directional drilling by highly-skilled drill operators. Since 2017, they’ve been loyal Vermeer customers.
A hard start
“When we first got started, we ran into some pretty hard times to be very forward,” said Barrett. “We got into a project in Oklahoma and didn’t get paid. And for a company of eight guys at the time, Tommy, the owner, was finding every way he could to try to come up with money to keep us all going. So, it was a real dark time for DDURT.”
In the midst of that hard time, their partnership with Vermeer Great Plains made a big impact in getting them through it.
“Chad [Jacobs] was our salesperson, and he worked financially with us so that we could keep things moving, and even more, [leveraged] his connections in the industry,” said Barrett. “And that’s the only reason why we’re still here today. We now have 60 people that work with us. Vermeer Great Plains, and especially Chad at the time, was a big part of keeping us moving along.”
Rocky ground
Since then, DDURT has experienced brighter days. Lately, they’ve been working on a job for the Canadian Valley Electric Cooperatives in Southeast Oklahoma. To do the job well, they used their Vermeer D23x30DR S3 Navigator® horizontal directional drill. In addition to this work, they also have projects taking place in Mississippi, Colorado, Missouri and Texas.
With the increasing demand for high-speed internet, especially in rural communities, DDURT found a need for their services and their drilling equipment.
“We go into communities that have either poor access or no access,” said Barrett. “That’s why it plays such a big role in what we do because you’re keeping people connected and giving them access to the things that bigger cities typically have.”
At their current jobsite, they needed to drill approximately 2,000 ft (600 m), and around 50% to 75% of that is likely to be rocky terrain.
“So, in Oklahoma, we have very treacherous ground conditions,” said Gage Dugan, Vermeer Great Plains underground and utility sales rep. “With the D23x30DR, they can switch over to dirt enable mode, and then they can switch heads and be able to keep drilling if they get into dirt.”
With the D23x30DR operating on the job, DDURT Construction has been able to bore more in rocky ground.
“With the D23x30DR in the same amount of time, we can usually end up with about 500 ft to 550 ft (152 m to 168 m), maybe even 600 ft (183 m) a day. And so, for production it’s two-thirds more. It has really streamlined our process. Any rock job that we would get is a challenge, and the D23x30DR has pretty well taken the challenge away,” said Rick Thomas, DDURT Construction field superintendent.
The ability to bore more stems from the machine’s tough tooling and power. A 100-hp (75-kW) Deutz TCD3.6L4 engine provides power to help drive the D23x30DR S3 to maximum performance, while a thrust/pullback of 24,000 lb (106.8 kN) combines with outer rod rotational torque of 3,000 ft-lb (4,067.5 Nm) to help get the drill into tough ground. For tooling, the greaseable RH10 drill head offers responsive steer on command for precise installations, with the two-degree bend positioned in the forward section of the tool.
Another benefit that DDURT Construction has praised with the D23x30DR is the ease of operation and familiar features.
“When I went from the standard rig to the D23x30DR, [I noticed] just the simplicity of everything,” said Thomas. “Everything’s laid out real nice. It’s just a good machine.”
The D23x30DR offers a familiar operator experience to help crews transition to rock drilling from a single rod machine.
Overall, DDURT Construction has experienced the highs and lows, with their Vermeer dealer by their side to help them through it all. With the D23x30DR providing them productivity and power in rocky terrain, DDURT Construction is ready to bore more.
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by customers in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
Vermeer Corporation reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications.
Vermeer, the Vermeer logo and Navigator are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. Deutz is a trademark of Deutz Ag Corporation. © 2023 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
