JOB RELATED

Ditch Witch^® downhole tools are engineered to be the most flexible in the industry. We believe this comes from their patented technology, their 50-year history of providing underground construction solutions, and the fact that Ditch Witch downhole tools are manufactured specifically for the drills with the same name on them. Simply put: they get the job done because they just fit better. All of these factors combined make them the longest-lasting, most ruggedly built tools in the horizontal directional drilling industry. Whether your project includes extreme soil conditions or the challenge of managing the spoils of long bores, here are several reasons why Ditch Witch downhole tools should be a vital part of your next drilling project.

1. Ditch Witch beacon housings are several inches longer than most competitive housings, and the deflection angle on our bits is less aggressive by design. These two features combine to create exceptionally smooth steering, making steering corrections easier and lessening the chance of oversteering.

2. Aftermarket bits tend to be dramatically thicker, with carbide applied more generously. At first this may seem like a desirable feature. But Ditch Witch bits are engineered from the highest quality steel—so less steel is required to produce a bit of the same strength. And carbide is applied efficiently—only on the cutting edge, where it counts. The result is a more nimble bit that responds easily to steering corrections while still holding up the rigors encountered downhole. Compare this with heavier, bulky aftermarket bits, which some operators have described as trying to "push a brick with teeth" through the ground.

3. Some aftermarket manufacturers offer only bottom-load beacon housings. All Ditch Witch beacon housings are sideload by design. Our engineers know that the side of the housing (perpendicular to the steering) is the optimal location for the opening. Since most horizontal directional drilling steering is up and down rather than side-to-side, the majority of stresses encountered downhole are on the top and bottom of the housing. Placing the beacon opening at the highest stress point on the housing is not optimal. The tendency is for the housing to flex, causing the beacon door to come off, and the beacon to be lost. Ditch Witch sideload housings strategically place the beacon opening at their lowest stress point, protecting your electronics investment.

4. If your tracking electronics don't seem accurate, the problem could be your aftermarket housing. Because of the design of aftermarket bottom-load housings, it is almost impossible to place a Ditch Witch beacon in one so that the roll angle is properly clocked. Ditch Witch beacon housings and beacons are designed to work together to give you the most accurate locate on the market.

5. The beacon window on Ditch Witch housings is twice the size of the competitor's—so you get a stronger beacon signal, longer battery life, and a more productive bore. Additionally, the location of the beacon window on aftermarket housings causes inaccurate depth and right-to-left readings—up to eight inches off in some documented field reports.

6. The design of many aftermarket housings allows high-pressure fluid to cut into the beacon compartment, damaging the beacon. Ditch Witch housings utilize the drilling fluid flow to cool and protect sensitive electronics from the rigors experienced downhole.

7. Only Ditch Witch beacon housings come equipped with an exclusive Beacon Buddy feature that works two ways to protect your electronics: It not only accommodates a check valve to prevent nozzles from plugging; it also maintains fluid flow to prevent overheating if nozzles do become plugged.

8. The diameter of the ports and jets on competitive beacon housing are significantly smaller than that of Ditch Witch housings. When drilling fluid flow increases, the smaller diameter ports cannot handle the flow, increasing back-pressure all the way to the fluid pump and causing premature failure of pump seals and cups. The larger the pump capacity, the larger the problem. Other effects of this back-pressure include lugging of the engine, hydraulic overheating, and O-ring failure.

9. The Ditch Witch organization uses the same propriety thread pattern on its saver subs, drill pipe, beacon housings, backreamers, connectors, and transition subs. This ensures the truest, tightest connection possible all the way through the drill string . . . for ultimate worry-free performance downhole. Other manufacturers try to match our thread pattern, but their connections aren't true, causing galling and cross-threading.

10. The pins on the competitive drill pipe do not match that of Ditch Witch drill pipe. This means that competitive pipe will not fully torque with Ditch Witch pipe at the shoulder and nose, nor will it bottom out in the box end. The types of failure this causes include mushrooming and splitting of the box end.