The invention relates to a working machine and a method for working the ground with the working machine, having a mast, along which, by means of a positioning means, a rotary head is moved vertically, by which a telescopic Kelly rod having at least two Kelly bars is displaced and guided. According to the invention the Kelly bars are locked or unlocked automatically by means of a control, wherein by means of a first detection means a rotation angle of at least one Kelly bar is detected and/or by means of a second detection means a force, torque or pressure change is detected in a hydraulic system. By the control a locking and/or unlocking of the Kelly bars is determined depending on the detected rotation angle and/or the detected change.

In order to install a ground loop for a geothermal heating and/or cooling system in ground material, a drilling machine having a drill bit connected to an end of first tubing may be used to create an borehole in the ground material. After the borehole is created, grout may be pumped into the borehole through the first tubing as the first tubing is removed from the borehole. This allows the borehole to be grouted from the bottom towards the top. Thereafter, second tubing may be inserted into the grout in order to create the ground loop. This eliminates the need for a tremie pipe to insert the ground loop and pump grout into the borehole, while still allowing for the borehole to be grouted from the bottom towards the top to reduce the likelihood of voids.

An adjustable drilling rig is provided for drilling and installation of foundational micropile matrices in difficult to access locations. A platform and separately adjustable legs are provided to level the platform. Arms and a crossbar mount to the legs, and each includes a bushing slidably mounted and moveable there along. A mast is slidably attached to the crossbar bushing through a mounting plate. The mast carries a drill head to which a drill will be attached. Various adjusters are mounted to bushings, mounting plate and other components of the adjustable drilling rig and are independently and selectively activated to adjust the drill head translationally along the X-, Y- and Z-axes and rotationally about the X- and Y-axes to achieve five degrees of freedom in five planes. The entire adjustable drilling rig is provided in two frames for easy transport to remote work sites and may be assembled without complex tools.

A ground hold cutter includes a mechanical actuator, a housing shaft, and an arm housed within the housing shaft and coupled to the mechanical actuator. The arm is configured to extend and retract relative to the housing shaft. The ground hole cutter further includes a cylindrical cutter coupled to the arm and configured to engage a ground surface. In addition, the ground hole cutter includes a power supply and a controller. The controller is coupled to the power supply, and configured to control extension and retraction of the arm by actuating the mechanical actuator such that the extension and retraction of the arm engages the cutting component to cut a hole in the ground surface.

A hydraulic motor circuit for driving an auger is disclosed. The circuit includes a hydraulic motor that receives oil from an oil supply via a supply line and returns oil to the oil supply via a return line. The circuit further includes a main stage pressure relief valve and a first pilot stage relief valve operable if pressure in the return line exceeds a predetermined value corresponding to an allowable inertia load acting on the motor, opening of the first pilot stage relief valve causing the main stage pressure relief valve to open, allowing flow to be diverted from the return line to the supply line and back to the motor. A control valve is configured to block flow to the first pilot stage relief valve when pressure, in the supply line is greater than pressure in the return line. If pressure in the return line exceeds pressure in the supply line, the control valve shifts open and exposes the first pilot stage relief valve to pressure in the return line.

A drill stand includes a base supportable upon a mounting surface, a mast defining a longitudinal axis and extending upward from the base, a carriage moveably coupled to the mast and configured to support a core drill thereon, a spindle assembly for moveably adjusting the carriage along the mast, a handle assembly for rotating the spindle assembly, and a lock assembly that is operable to secure the carriage in a selected position on the mast. The lock assembly includes a first adjustment dial positioned on a first side of the carriage, a second adjustment dial positioned on a second side of the carriage, and a locking member operably coupled to the first and second adjustment dials to selectively secure the carriage on the mast.

An excavation apparatus includes a supporting linkage mountable to a vehicle, and a rotary spindle operable to drive a coring element about a cutting axis. The supporting linkage supports the rotary spindle and is operable to displace the rotary spindle relative to a ground surface. The supporting linkage can lower the rotary spindle to a deployed position and raise the rotary spindle to a stored position. The cutting axis can be maintained in a vertical direction in the deployed and stored positions. The rotary spindle can move relative to the supporting linkage about a hinge axis. The hinge axis can be generally parallel to the vertical direction.

The beach umbrella tool comprises a T-shaped armature with an auger blade surrounding the bottom portion of a vertical main armature. A bearing at the top of the main armature may be held with one hand while the other hand is used to move a handle located at the end of a horizontal armature in circular motion. The resulting rotation of the T-shaped armature causes the auger blade to rotate and thereby remove sand from the beach beneath the beach umbrella tool. The bottom of a beach umbrella may be placed into the resulting hole.

Apparatus and methods to operationally deploy land-based seismic nodes. An autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle includes apparatus for placing, monitoring, testing, servicing, and collecting nodes in a harsh environment such as, e.g., tundra or desert. Associated methods of node deployment and retrieval are disclosed including a rollover deployment.

Apparatus for splitting rock, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a drill assembly mounted to the housing and configured to move longitudinally relative to the housing, the drill assembly comprising a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, a drive element for selectively rotating the shaft and a drill bit mounted to the distal end of the shaft for drilling a hole into rock; a splitter assembly mounted to the housing and configured to move longitudinally relative to the housing, the splitter assembly comprising a tether and a wedge, the tether and the wedge being configured to be moved independently relative to one another; wherein the wedge comprises a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the wedge being wider than the distal end of the wedge; wherein the tether comprises a radially-reduced profile when the wedge is disposed proximal to the tether, and wherein the tether comprises a radially-expanded profile after the wedge is moved distally relative to the tether.