Industry Insights

DRILL THROUGH HARD ROCK

Purpose-built HDD air hammers, matched to the right air supply and supported in Australia by JB Trenchless.

NEW MOTORS. REBUILDS. PARTS.

German engineered by AT-Boretec. Supplied and supported in Australia by JB Trenchless.

A worn drill rod never lets you down in the yard. 

It lets you down 80 metres into a bore… under a road, with the client watching. 

Then you’re pulling back, losing a day, and explaining the hold-up.

With June 30 around the corner, now’s the time to give your rod string a once-over. 

Last month, a WA-based electrical and civil contractor took delivery of a complete Goodeng G10 package. Rig, rods, tracking, bore planning, fluid mixing, and tooling – all in one handover. Operator training completed on the spot. The machine went straight to work.

Introducing the Goodeng G30: a 30,000 lb class HDD rig built with Cummins power and world-class hydraulics. Agile enough for residential fibre. Tough enough to crack solid rock.

Drilling through rock is not the same as drilling through soil. Rock is one of the toughest environments for Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), and using the wrong equipment makes it worse.

Tired of wrestling with torqued joints and waiting on breakout gear every time you need to swap tooling?

Every jobsite tells a different story. From tight suburban lanes to open rural crossings, and your drill needs to fit that story.

Installing pipelines in urban and environmentally sensitive areas comes with unique challenges. Traditional trenching methods can be quite disruptive, costly, and time-consuming, especially when projects run under roads, railways, or waterways.  

JB Trenchless delivers ADCO Group’s new Goodeng GS450 (45-tonne) horizontal directional drill, with the machine already deployed on a major gas pipeline installation project in WA.

Melbourne’s spring weather is kicked off, and so did the energy at No Dig Down Under 2025 — the premier trenchless technology trade show in the Asia-Pacific region. JB Trenchless was proud to be on the ground, demonstrating our latest in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) machines and tooling, and connecting with industry professionals from across Australia and beyond.

 In horizontal directional drilling (HDD), your tooling isn’t just steel, and your fluids aren’t just mud. They’re your performance edge and your insurance policy. Cutting corners on consumables may seem like a quick way to save, but in reality, it’s where productivity, profit, and project success are often won or lost.

This September, trenchless professionals will converge in Melbourne for No-Dig Down Under, the industry’s most anticipated event. For JB Trenchless, the exhibition marks an important milestone: the official launch of the all-new Goodeng G-Series HDD rigs, a new generation of machines designed specifically with Australia’s drillers in mind.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a trenchless method used to install underground utilities, like water, gas, electrical, and telecommunications, without disrupting surface activity. It’s a go-to technique for projects under roads, rivers, railways, and environmentally sensitive areas.

Hydraulic fracture, commonly known as “FRAC OUT”, is a critical risk in horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Whether you’re installing utilities under roads, rivers, or railways, the potential for frac-out must be fully understood and managed to avoid delays, environmental damage, and added costs.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) plays a vital role in modern underground utility installation, offering a minimally invasive method for bore paths beneath roads, rivers, and urban infrastructure.

However, when a project involves drilling through rock or other difficult formations, standard equipment often does not cut it… It requires specialised technology, one that drills through the rocks and creates a bore path. In such cases, rock motors, used on drilling rigs with dual-road or all-terrain technology, come into play.

This article walks you through rock motors, their function, applications and more.

The Gundomat soil displacement tool plays a crucial role in trenchless technology, widely used as a non-invasive solution for installing underground utilities. Designed for precision and efficiency, it allows pipe, cable, and conduit installations without requiring open trenching. This not only minimises surface disruption but also reduces project time and costs.

This article provides a detailed insight into the Grundomat tool, its operation, applications, and services offered by JB Trenchless.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is revolutionising underground construction, allowing for precise utility installations while minimizing surface disruption. But how does a drill bit navigate underground with such accuracy?

Through a combination of advanced steering tools, technical location systems, and well-planned execution, operators can precisely control the drill bit’s path. Here’s an overview of the HDD navigation system and how it enables accurate drilling.

Handling complex pipeline projects comes with their own set of problems. As the scale of these projects increases, so does the complexity. Switching to a larger horizontal directional drill (HDD) is the most crucial of them all. These projects require specialised tools and equipment to ensure efficiency, minimise downtime, and optimise drilling performance.

As with any other project, success largely depends on proper planning and investment in high-quality equipment. JB Trenchless offers a wide range of supporting tools and equipment specifically designed to meet these demands.

In the world of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), thread connections are the backbone of a safe and productive job. These mechanical connections—between drill rods, tooling, and adapters – transmit torque and pullback loads through the drill string. Ensuring the right match between components is essential to avoid failures, downtime, or damage.

The success of horizontal directional drilling relies on more than just the drill; it also depends on the fluid mixing system. The right mixing system ensures that the drilling fluid is properly mixed and delivered at the right consistency. As a result, your drill is operating efficiently, reducing downtime, while optimising performance.

Drilling through tough terrain is no small feat; it requires much more than the right tools. One of the most critical yet often overlooked factors in successful Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is the choice of drilling fluid.

Drill rods are the backbone of every drilling equipment, be it vertical, mining, or HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling). Keeping them in perfect condition is vital for efficient and cost-effective operations. The older the machine gets, the more important it is to check the wear and tear and replace the parts, most importantly the drill rods.

India has completed its longest Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) bore to date. This feat was accomplished as part of the Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited’s (IGGL) North East Gas Grid Pipeline Project. The North East Gas Grid Pipeline Project is designed to meet the gas needs of the North Eastern states.

The project involved crossing the mighty Brahmaputra river and installing a pipeline spanning 4,102 meters using advanced HDD technology.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that trenchless technology, particularly horizontal directional drilling was introduced. Unlike traditional trenching, which requires open trenches, HDD offers an effective alternative to installing pipelines, cables, and other utilities.

This article explains everything you need to know about horizontal directional drilling, its applications, and its advantages.

In the world of underground construction and utility installation, the evolution of trenchless technology has been a game-changer. No more big digs and massive trenches; instead, we’ve got efficient, less disruptive methods. Let’s take a trip through the history of trenchless tech, checking out its awesome advancements and seeing how it’s shaping things today.

In an era where environmental conservation is of utmost importance, industries worldwide are making conscious efforts to adopt eco-friendly practices, and the drilling industry is no exception. As we strive to minimize our carbon footprint and preserve natural resources, the integration of sustainable practices in drilling operations has become imperative.

At JB Trenchless, we stand at the forefront of the trenchless industry, a domain witnessing rapid evolution within the construction and civil engineering sector. Our expertise spans all facets of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Trenchless operations across Australia and New Zealand. With a commitment to innovation, we leverage modern technology and supply to the trenchless industry. We help our customers install pipelines, cables, and underground services with minimal excavation and without continuous trenches.