Bad Azz Drill Rig

February 8, 2009 rockman Available Resources 5
cme-550x

cme-550x I don’t think this is a new CME drill rig (Central Mine Equipment Company), but its a model I’m not familiar with.  The CME-550X is designed to minimize ground contact pressure for jobs with wet ground, snow covered ground, and sensitive terrain.  It can drill angle holes, or setup vertical on steep uphill terrain. We’ve used a track-mounted CME-75 drill rig on many jobs for difficult access work, I wonder if this machine would have done the trick instead. Anyone ever seen one of these on a job?

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Excavator mounted drilled shaft rig topples over in Austin, Texas
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Drilled Shaft Rig Topples in Austin, Texas [Video]

March 2, 2010 rockman Failures Comments Off on Drilled Shaft Rig Topples in Austin, Texas [Video]

Excavator mounted drilled shaft rig topples over in Austin, Texas An excavator mounted drill rig drilling shafts as part of a project to pass utilities under I-35 near 51st Street toppled over while trying to move in soft, rain soaked soil. The Austin Fire Department was able to extract the operator from the cab and he was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, a minor miracle. I’m not sure what the purpose of the drilled shafts were for. Since the project was for some kind of utility pipe jacking under the freeway, I’m speculating it was drilling holes for temporary shoring for the jacking pit or something along those lines. I’m sure OSHA will be looking into the incident. Video news story after the break. (Photo from Austin KXAN.com).

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5 Comments

  1. Actually yes – we got one stuck in the snow on a project site in Wilton, Maine a couple of weeks ago.

    Even with chains on the tires, they aren’t particularly good in DEEP snow. The body is not articulated, so they aren’t the best piece of equipment in densely wooded areas as well. The long body length isn’t very suitable for ditches or swales, unless the driller tacks the rig (takes the ditch at an angle.)

    In general, I’m not a fan of rubber-tire ATV rigs, unless the frame is articulated. I prefer the track rigs, such as the CME-300 or CME-800 HDH All-terrain carrier for conditions that we encounter here in the Northeastern US. I’ve not yet worked with the CME-850X.

  2. Thanks for the input Wendell. So it might not be quite as tough as it looks. As you can imagine, we don’t have too much snow drilling here in Arizona! For me, I guess it doesn’t matter. As far as I know, none of the local drillers have one of these rigs.

  3. I have worked behind plenty of CME-550X rigs in Alabama. They are very common around here and in the Southeast, except for swampy areas I I had one sink up to the seat once!). The rigid body has its limitations, but most drillers learn how to maneuver in tight locations.

    I have also worked behind articulated rigs and tracked rigs. Each has its pros and cons.

  4. Thanks for the comment Robert. Its another reminder of how the state of the practice can be so specific to a geographic region. In AZ these rigs are not needed, In Arkansas and the East/Northeast, they seem to be pretty common.

  5. yes,we had one in oregon they are ok but deep mud they get stuck CME 850 track is the best way to go in my opinion

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