Common Drilling Questions

We are based south of Auckland, on the edge of Franklin and Waikato, but we cover the whole of the North Island including the offshore islands.

It depends on what drill rig is used and the ground conditions. Our fixed mast Soilmecs can drill up to 3800mm diametre down to about 45m, while our pendulum rigs can drill up to about 1800mm diametre down to 15m. If we have limited head height or are working in a basement with a ceiling of at least 2.4m, we can construct a pile up to 1000mm diametre down 15m. Low headheight and tight access sites tend to have their own characteristics, so it is generally best if we come and check the site to give a proper assessment.

Yes. We have custom built special drills and core barrels for drilling hard material including volcanic rock.

We have all the equipment and years of expertise to install either temporary or permanent caissons into unstable ground. Piles can then be de-watered or concrete placed under water using the tremmie method.

The smallest pile driver is designed for the installation of ‘pin piles’. This machine can be taken inside a building with a minimum head height of 2,500mm to drive pin piles. Our intermediate sized machines are track mounted with either 780Kg or 1200Kg hammers capable of driving timber, steel or concrete piles up to 9m long under the hammer. If it is larger pile driving that is required we have a number of large crane mounted pile driving hammers that can drive up to 25m under the hammer. We also have 6 tonne drop hammers to be used on a crane suitable for bottom driving steel caissons - refer pile driving.

A screw pile is basically a steel hollow heavy wall shaft with either 1, 2, or sometimes 3 steel flights welded to the bottom of it. This is screwed into the ground using a high torque rotary in a similar way to a cork screw or a wood screw into timber. The shaft can be extended as it is screwed into the ground to achieve required depths. The advantage of this system is that it can be installed with no vibration and there is no need for spoil removal. This system is not suited for rocky ground - refer Screw Piles Brochure.

Yes. Our on site crews are fully trained and experienced in all aspects of piling and we have a fully equipped workshop where we can build or modify equipment at very short notice. Our engineers can also attend to on site issues - refer home.