Operation; Understanding Horizontal Directional Drilling - Toro 4045 Operator's Manual

Important: Use only Toro approved attachments.
Other attachments may create an unsafe operating
environment or damage the traction unit.

Operation

Note: Determine the left and right sides of the machine
from the normal operating position.
Understanding Horizontal
Directional Drilling
Horizontal directional drilling is a process used for drilling
a horizontal bore through the soil and under obstructions
such as roads, buildings, bodies of water, etc. Once you drill
the bore, you pull back the utility lines or pipes through the
bore and connect them as needed. Because it does not greatly
disturb the surface, installing utilities using directional drilling
preserves the environment and saves both time and money
over traditional installation methods such as trenching.
Installing cabling or pipe using a directional drill involves the
following steps:
1. Gather site information.
Before operating in an area with high-voltage lines or
cables, contact a One-Call System Directory service.
In the USA, call 811 or your local utility company. If
you do not know your local utility company's phone
number, call the national number (USA and Canada
only) at 1-888-258-0808. Also, contact any utility
companies that are not participants of the One-Call
System Directory service. Please refer to
Utility Lines (page 6)
Before fully planning the bore, gather information
about the job site, such as the location of other utilities,
obstacles at the site, and the permits you will need to
complete the job; refer to
(page 48).
2. Plan the bore.
Before you drill, plan the bore path based on the
information that you gathered; refer to
Bore Path (page
3. Prepare the job site and the machine.
Before drilling, prepare the job site with an entry point,
a depth-gauge hole (optional), and an exit hole. You
also need to drive the unit to the site, set it up for
drilling, and connect it to a drilling-fluid mixer.
Note: When drilling, you connect the machine to a
drilling-fluid mixer that mixes water with bentonite
clay and other ingredients. The machine pumps this
mixture, referred to as drilling fluid or "mud", through
the drill pipe and out the drill bit. The drilling fluid
lubricates the bit, helps to hold the bore open while
drilling, and mixes with the spoils, flushing them out
of the bore through the entry point.
Refer to Preparing the Job Site and the Machine (page
58) for instructions on preparing the job site and the
machine.
47
Drilling Near
for more information.
Gathering Site Information
Planning the
51).