Well Digger

a machine for the mechanized digging of wells in soft and medium-density soils (clay, sand, and fine gravel) and the insertion of casing rings. The well diggers used in the USSR consist of a derrick, a drilling rod with an auger, and a winch for raising the auger and lowering the reinforced-concrete casing rings into the well. The well digger is mounted on a truck trailer. The drilling rod and auger are driven by rotary motion from a 22-kilowatt (30-hp) internal-combustion engine. Upon rotation, the auger blades cut into the earth, break it up, and collect it in a cylindrical chamber. The full auger is lifted to the surface and the soil is removed from it. The casing rings are then lowered into the well by means of winches. Well diggers have a capacity of 1.7 m/hr; the diameter of the well is 1,250 mm, and the depth is up to 30 m.