Drill Rods: You Gotta Love 'Em.

At Radius, we love to see the loyalty drillers have toward their rig of choice. Whether it’s Vermeer or Ditch Witch, 20K rig or 80K. Drillers know what they like and take their equipment very seriously.

However, over the past several years, more HDD companies are “cross pollenating” their fleets with both Vermeer and Ditch Witch rigs. Combined with a number of changes in pipe offerings by both OEM’s and aftermarket, this has created drill pipe choices that can be very helpful to a driller’s bottom line.

Radius HDD has become the largest aftermarket supplier of HDD drill pipe. We offer forged one-piece pipe as well as inertia welded pipe. It’s important not to confuse inertia welded pipe with welded pipe. Inertia (or friction) welded pipe is much stronger than a 3-piece welded pipe and has proven to hold up as well as a one-piece forged rod.

As an aftermarket supplier, Radius can offer price comparisons between different pipe manufactures, opening up options you might not have through the OEM. We also offer pipe in racks, bundles or even a single stick, delivered anywhere you want it.

For HDD rigs with inner rods, like the Ditch Witch AT or Vermeer DR Series rigs, Radius offers an Inner Rod Refurbish Service that can greatly extend the life of your dual rod pipe and save thousands against the cost of replacing them. In most cases, the inner rod (ends & couplings) wear much quicker than the outer pipe. Some of our driller customers report that servicing the inner rod has allowed them to more than double the life of their pipe.

Drill pipe is one of the largest ongoing expense of running an HDD rig. The more bores you can get out of a rack of pipe, the lower your cost per foot. Taking simple steps to maintain your drill rod can offer serious payback. Here are few suggestions:

1. Grease it. Every time you make up with a good copper-based grease. Pipe grease is not only as important as an anti-seize, but also helps minimize wear on. You can get your hands on that stuff right here!
2. Clean the thread. A good monthly or downtime project is to clean your pipe threads. Removing the older grease and cleaning the threads will go a long way to extend the life of your pipe. It’s also a great opportunity to inspect pipe threads and shoulders for signs of wear or damage.
3. Rotate your rods. This is a routine most drillers have already adopted. Rotating pipe distributes the wear across your entire drill string, thus extending the life of your entire pipe.
4. 2-piece drive chucks. Many drillers are using a 2-piece drive chuck – better described as a drive chuck with a “sub saver” attached. The thread on the sub saver is subject to the most “make-up” and wear of any other connection in the string. Not only will the sub save money, but any wear or galling that occurs can damage the pipe thread over time. Regular replacement of the sub saver keeps that critical connection in good condition.

For more information on drill pipe and to our available products, visit https://www.radiushdd.com/shop-hdd/drill-pipe