New compact multi-purpose tracked vehicle for soil testing

Royal Eijkelkamp has a wide range of hand-held drilling equipment and (sonic) drilling machines to perform drilling and sampling from just below ground level to kilometers deep. However, the extensive range still lacked a compact machine for shallow drilling. The new DS4 fills this "gap" between hand-held drilling equipment and sonic drilling. With five different applications, the machine is extremely versatile and widely applicable for soil research.

"The DS4 is particularly suitable for the Dutch market," begins Sjoerd Sprenkelder, Product Manager Sonic & Conventional rigs at Royal Eijkelkamp. "In the predominantly softer geology in our country, you can get by with the DS4 up to a depth of 15 meters without having to immediately deploy a heavy sonic drill. What's also great is that the machine is multifunctional and, thanks to its compact size and adjustable tracked undercarriage, also proves its added value in hard-to-reach locations."

Five applications

The DS4 is compatible with as many as five different applications. "With the SPT head you can perform a Standard Penetration Test, while the hydraulic hammer set generates a Window Sampling," Sprenkelder explains. "In addition, it is possible to generate a Liner Sampling and the compact tracked vehicle is suitable for auger drilling using the Rotary Drilling drill head. This is a drill head with a diamond core with which water can be added to enable drilling at higher speed also in harder geology. In this way, for example, to core through an asphalt layer and then take soil samples underneath with another head." Rutger van Goethem, Sales Director at Royal Eijkelkamp, adds: "So with the DS4, customers are literally buying a five-in-one machine and can change drilling heads very quickly via an ingenious system with hydraulic quick couplers. So in terms of ergonomics for the user, the machine is also state of the art. It is also very easy to remove liners from the sample tube and, in addition, the machine can be operated remotely."

Performing environmental research, batch inspections, geotechnical investigations, it is all possible with the DS4, Sprenkelder summarizes. "The diameter of the sample obtained is such that you can even perform some laboratory tests on it already." Van Goethem concludes, "The machine is in stock, which means we can supply customers very quickly. As with our other machines and Royal Eijkelkamp products, we naturally assist our customers in word and deed and provide on-site service and assistance if necessary."