Bürkle ‘Mole’ Drill Head ‘Riverside’, interchangeable head for soil samplers, iron/steel, 5350-1035

Hard, encrusted soils and gravelly sites slow down a soil sampler more than any other soil type in the Maulwurf range. A drill head that encounters resistance across its full width whilst drilling makes hardly any progress here. The ‘Maulwurf’ Riverside drill head therefore utilises drill blades that extend beyond the core drill, reducing friction in the soil rather than forcing its way through hard ground with its entire surface area. Without this design, the only option in such locations would often be the laborious task of repeatedly repositioning the same head until a sample can finally be obtained.

Drilling blades instead of a full face

Unlike the closed flanks of sand and combination heads, the Riverside head features drilling blades that extend beyond the actual core drill. This design reduces friction during penetration because the entire head surface is not working against the hard ground at once; instead, the blades loosen the material step by step. For hard, encrusted and gravel-intermixed soils, this is the crucial difference compared to heads with continuous flanks.

Identifying encrusted soils

A hard crust often forms at sites that periodically dry out and then become re-wetted, such as along riverbanks, in former floodplains or on heavily compacted paths and open spaces. A standard auger head often hits the surface at such locations before it even penetrates deeper, softer soil layers. The Riverside head is designed precisely for this transition from a hard crust to the underlying, more gravelly material.

Use with the Mole handle

The Riverside drill head also works exclusively in conjunction with the ‘Mole’ handle and shaft, which is 750 millimetres long. For deeper drilling in hard ground, the handle can be extended with a 100-centimetre extension (5350-1010) to provide greater force and reach during operation.

Typical applications

The Riverside head is designed for hard, resistant soils, such as those found here:

• Sampling in hard, encrusted soil
• Sampling of gravel-intermixed bank areas and former floodplains
• Soil investigation on heavily compacted paths and squares
• Contaminated site investigation at locations with a hard surface layer

Riverside or another bit?

If the soil is gravelly but not hard and encrusted, the gravel drill head with its curved blades works more precisely because it clamps individual stones between its flanks. If individual large stones are blocking the borehole, rather than the entire soil being hard, the stone-catcher drill head removes these first. If the ground is merely coarse-grained and dry, but not encrusted, the coarse sand drill head is usually sufficient.

Robust, maintenance-free construction

Like the other mole drill heads, the Riverside head is made of iron/steel and has a purely mechanical design, with no electronics that could be damaged by frequent contact with hard, stony ground. No calibration is required, nor does it have a charge level. To store it between uses, a dry place at room temperature is sufficient; any clinging soil residue should be removed before stowing.

Technical details

Contents

• Mole drill head, Riverside

The Mole handle with rod is not included in the scope of delivery and must be provided separately or ordered at the same time.

Service and procurement

For sites with a hard surface layer over softer, gravelly subsoil, LT Laborhandel can, on request, supply the Riverside head together with the gravel drill bit or the stone trap, ensuring that the correct head is to hand for every drilling depth, without the need to halt an exploration due to using the wrong head. If you have any questions regarding the soil conditions at your own site, please contact LT Laborhandel directly for assistance.