Bürkle ‘Mole’ soil sampler handle with shaft, steel, 750 mm, 5350-1005

Whether a soil sampler produces usable samples depends less on the handle than on the drill head, which comes into contact with the specific type of soil. A drill head designed for sandy soil will barely penetrate heavy clay soil; conversely, a head designed for wet clay will become stuck in dry sand. The ‘Mole’ handle with pole from Bürkle is therefore deliberately designed as a basic unit only: 750 millimetres long, made of steel, without a fixed drill head. The soil conditions on site determine which of the seven available drill heads is suitable.

Basic tool without drill head

At 750 millimetres in length, the handle with rod fits comfortably in the hand and transfers the necessary force into the ground when screwing in and pulling out. It is made of unalloyed steel, robust enough for repeated use in the field and for daily transport between multiple sampling points. Without a drill head attached, the unit cannot be used on its own for sampling; it forms the base onto which a suitable drill head for the respective soil type is screwed.

Seven drill heads for seven soil types

Bürkle supplies seven different drill heads for the Maulwurf system, each tailored to a specific soil condition, ranging from damp clay to coarse gravel. The drill head for clay and damp soils has narrow flanks to minimise friction and is suitable for damp, cohesive soils in which the material adheres well to the drill. The drill head for sand, on the other hand, has wide flanks with a larger contact surface to allow the sand to grip firmly. For very dry soils and coarse sand, the drill head for coarse sand is designed with extra-wide flanks and a wider-closing drill bit. Where strongly and weakly cohesive soils alternate within the same area, the ‘Combination’ drill head covers both properties with a single tool. For hard, encrusted and gravel-intermixed soils, the blades of the Riverside drill head extend beyond the core drill, which reduces friction during penetration. The gravel auger has slightly curved, angled blades that draw themselves downwards through the gravel, whilst stones become lodged between the flanks and finer material is retained inside. If individual stones block sampling with one of the other heads, the stone trap extracts them specifically.

For the classification of soil samples

The ‘Mole’ is used to determine soil properties, moisture content and structure directly on site, for example when surveying building sites, in agriculture or during environmental investigations. As the appropriate drill head may need to be changed depending on the soil layer, it is worth keeping several drill heads for the same handle, rather than purchasing a complete set of equipment for every soil type. On a site with varying soil types, such as from sandy topsoil to loamy subsoil, the drill head can be easily swapped on the same handle between two samples.

Alternative soil samplers

For soil samples with a larger diameter or from deeper layers, LT Laborhandel also stocks the GeoSampler soil sampler made from V2A stainless steel, as well as the Pürckhauer soil sampler. Both operate on a different principle to the ‘Mole’ and, depending on the soil type and the required sample quantity, are suitable as a supplement or alternative – for example, when a larger sample quantity per puncture is required in addition to the specific soil type.

Typical applications

• Soil investigation on construction sites and for building projects
• Agricultural soil analysis for moisture and structure
• Environmental investigations into soil properties
• Sampling at varying locations with different soil types
• Checking soil structure before planting or after harvest
• Use by rotating teams at multiple sampling points on the same day

Technical details

Contents

• Soil sampler ‘Mole’ handle with shaft
• Drill head not included; must be ordered separately to suit the soil type

Service and procurement

LT Laborhandel can, if required, include several suitable drill bits for different soil types in a single order for the ‘Mole’ handle, ensuring that the correct bit is immediately to hand for use in varying soil layers. This also applies to companies that manage multiple sites with different soil types and wish to provide a standardised handle for all teams. If you are unsure which drill bit is suitable for the soil type in question, please contact LT Laborhandel directly for assistance.