Based in Cochabamba, a Bolivian electricity supplier purchased a Dando Terrier with interchangeable percussion and rotary masts for geotechnical investigations at its substation facilities.

With the percussion mast fitted, the small, crawler mounted rig has been carrying out duplex drilling with 98mm casing and 86mm sampler, taking undisturbed samples, as well as carrying out SPT tests at regular intervals. With the rotary mast fitted, it is conducting 8in continuous flight augering, open hole drilling with a 5-5/8in tricone bit and core drilling with a T286mm conventional core barrel. The rig will be encountering a range of ground conditions, from loose soils to large boulders and bedrock.

The second customer, a Bolivian construction company based in Potosi, is using its Terrier for geotechnical site investigations as well as blast hole drilling at its mine sites.

Both customers will be using the Dando Terrier for a range of percussive and rotary drilling methods including duplex drilling, SPT Testing, core drilling and inclined hole drilling. Since the commissioning visit, the latter customer has been installing piezometers to 12m depth at one of its mine sites.