WorldWide Drilling Resource

20 OCTOBER 2013 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Toro Announces New Dealers Adapted from a Press Release from The Toro Company The Toro Company welcomed five additional underground equipment deal- ers to its distribution network. The follow- ing equipment dealerships will carry the full line of Toro underground equipment, including directional drills, compact utility loaders, trenchers, vibratory plows, and stump grinders: • Redhead Equipment in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada • Yukon Equipment in Anchorage, Alaska • Quality Equipment Company L.P. in San Antonio and Austin, Texas • Flagler Construction Equipment in Orlando, Florida • Hawthorne CAT ® in San Diego, California “These new additions to the Toro Underground family will not only provide trusted underground equipment to new markets, but will also provide the high level of service and support that end users have come to expect from Toro,” explained Butch Greeninger, senior national sales manager for Toro. “We are pleased to have these top-notch dealers representing the Toro brand,” he added. Gary Redhead, principal of Redhead Equipment said they are excited about bringing the new product line to their customers in Saskatchewan. “The Toro name is a well-known and trusted brand across the board, and that fact resonates with our customers,” he stated. Flagler Construction Equipment is also looking forward to carrying the Toro Underground product line. They have been serving the Florida market for over 25 years. Mark McDonell, president of the company said, “It’s simply another great line to offer our customers.” Since December 2012, Toro has added 12 underground equipment deal- ers to its growing distribution network. World’s Longest Subsea Road Tunnel Adapted from a Press Release by Sandvik Construction A joint venture of Marti Contractors Ltd in Switzerland, Marti Norge of Norway, and IAV based in Iceland, all part of Switzerland-based Marti Group, chose to use Sandvik DTi jumbos for the exca- vation of Solbakktunnel, part of the Ryfast Project in Norway. With a length of over eight miles, the Solbakktunnel will be the longest subsea road tunnel in the world. Sandvik’s deal with Marti included four intelligent com- puter-controlled Sandvik DTi series jum- bos, rock tools, and a service contract. Solbakktunnel is one of three tunnels in the Norwegian mega project, Ryfast. When finished, the tunnel will provide a ferry-free connection between the local agricultural area of Nord Jæren and Ryfylke. Traffic is expected to reach approximately 4000 cars per day at the opening, and 8000 cars per day by 2035. One of the many challenges of the Solbakktunnel is its depth; the deepest part of the tunnel will be over 950 feet below sea level. Excavation is expected to take a little over three years, the entire project should take roughly five years. Marti decided to use two DT1131i and two DT921i jumbos for excavation of the Solbakktunnel because of their superior features and suitable delivery times. All four rigs are equipped with a profiling system from Bever Control, the Bever 3DWin Profiler, which will be used to scan the actual excavated tunnel section. This will help control possible under and over break situations, thereby improving accu- racy of the excavation. One of the DT921s also has a mechanized rod handling system for long-hole injection drilling. The computer- controlled Sandvik DTi series tunneling jumbos are available in five models for ex- cavation of 129-2497 square foot cross sections, including face dr i l l ing, bol t hole dri l l ing, and mechanized long- hole dri l l ing. They f e a t u r e a n a d - vanced iDATA con- trol system, powerful h i g h - f r e q u e n c y RD525 rock dri l ls, r o b u s t b o om s , advanced drill string guides, and FOPS- certified, spacious cabins for ultimate usability and excel- lent working condi- tions. The DTis are meant for automatic use, but allow the ope r a t o r t o f i ne - tune the process as rock conditions require. Photo of Ryfast project courtesy of www.tunnel.no