Used Apafor 450 drill SOLD!

When a geotechnical investigation has to be carried on, a geotechnical professional often has to face difficulties derived from the own nature of both soils and rocks. Anybody who has had to deal with gravel layers or altered rocks knows how “gruesome” drilling operations can be. Sometimes a thin concrete layer, which was unexpected and located under our drilling coordinates, can ruin our work prevision because of the lack of the equipment required to go through it. 

This 450 Apafor drill, built by the French company Apageo, offers a practical solution to these compromised situations. This totally hydraulic drill is mounted on rubber tracks and it is propelled by a 48 c.v. diesel HATZ engine which confers high autonomy and versatility upon this equipment. 
 

Diesel Hatz engine

However, the strong point of this drill is its double drilling head. This is composed by a rotary-percussion head besides the rotary one. This composed hydraulic head makes the drill really versatile and it is perfect for geotechnical research and micropile drilling. So, it is possible to reach any soil or rock layer regardless its compactness or stability. The idea is to go through the problematic layers, such as compact sands, gravels, altered rocks or even concrete by the use of the rotary-percussion head so that we can focus the geotechnical research on the relevant stratum and get soil samplers when it is necessary in this case with the rotary device.

Double rotary head + out-of-the-hole hammer

As it has said before, its rubber tracks make it possible to progress through complicated surroundings and, in case there is an irregular surface, its four stabilization feet can easily level the equipment. In order to support the drilling operations the rig has an inferior hydraulic retainer. 
 

Retainer + stabilization feet

Besides, the researching equipment is complemented by a piston mud-water pump which makes possible the required fluid circulation inside the hole. 

Mud-water pump

To sum up, this Apafor 450 drill can easily be considered a multipurpose rig able to carry on a geotechnical campaign or to drill micropiles.