In the late 1980s, there were only a handful of individuals and manufacturers producing horizontal directional drilling equipment for the utility construction industry. One of those early companies was Straightline Mfg. and co-owner Mike Young.
Throughout the next decade, there would be several larger manufacturers throwing their hats in the ring. Today, these companies are the dominant players in the HDD drill rig industry. With the advancement of drill rigs through the last 30-plus years, there have also been several companies that produced the electronic guidance systems, which are vitally important to the success of the HDD industry. Without these HDD locators, there would be no “directional” in horizontal directional drilling.
For the last 25 years, there has for the most part been only two companies supplying HDD locators to the industry. These locators have become very advanced giving contractors the ability to log their bores, and within minutes of finishing the project, send that information directly to the home office. All these advancements now come with a big price tag. Early locators cost less than $10,000, but today many locators sell for close to $30,000. With only two manufacturers in the United States offering these systems, there has been little pressure to offer customers a less expensive product.
That, however, has changed in the last six years, says Mike Young, president of Underground Magnetics. Young, after 30 years in the HDD industry, owning and working for many of the well-known drill rig manufacturers and HDD guidance system producers, is still helping innovate new products for the HDD industry today. Underground Magnetics in 2019 introduced the new Mag 8 locating system which is simple to use, powerful around active interference and affordable. That combination is long overdue, says Young. Underground Magnetics — with a core group of three, who combined, have over 70 years’ experience in servicing, engineering and producing HDD locating equipment — is shocking the industry, says Young
New Mag 8 locating system
The new Mag 8 locating system was developed from the ground up to be simple, powerful and affordable. The UM group believed that the locators being offered, while very good systems, had become too expensive. Most of the contractors Young spoke with during the development of the Mag 8 felt they had no choice but to purchase more than they needed because there weren’t any other options. UM’s philosophy was to offer a commonsensical locator that was developed to be easy to use but powerful. Many of the first users of the Mag 8 expected a lesser locator because the price was so reasonable, according to Young, but the new Mag 8 has more than exceeded their expectations.
The system includes a 16-frequency transmitter that not only allows users to have depth and data ranges of over 150 feet, but also to work in and around rebar and wire mesh with sub-kHz frequencies all in one transmitter. The “drill to” function allowing contractors to set the locator out front and drill to it, has a distance of up to 100 feet. The simple part comes in once you start drilling, says Young. This is the simple powerful Mag 8 and Young believes it’s about time to give back to the industry.
Underground Magnetics is based in the U.S. with fresh ideas and designs backed by experience. The company is centered around a core team of industry experts who are dedicated to designing, producing and servicing locating systems in the industry.
515-505-0960 | www.undergroundmagnetics.com
