Clever Clyde developed some rock drilling methods I have never seen yet believe should be universal. I have a degree in Geological Engineering and have been around rock drilling underground and seen drilling competitions during my college days at Colorado School of Mines. These methods would be considered cheating in a competition but are a complete energy-saver in the field.
First, on the Sharks Tooth where we had to drill almost horizontally (the holes have to retain the Dexpan batter) Clyde got some bungee rope from his truck and set it up to help pull the drill into the rock thus alleviating most of the muscle the operator would otherwise provide. The elasticity of the bungee absorbs the action of the drill and allows you to turn up the air beyond what a normal human can handle.
On the Thermal Bridge Rocks vertical holes, Clyde made the Dirtbag! He filled a truck tube with mud (that’s what we had) and we used it as a weight on the CP22. The mud separated into two balls as the tube draped over the drill handle. It works so well that the operator can handle the rig with their finger once the borehole is deep enough to contain the steel. You can run the drill full tilt and the Dirtbag just sits there like a bull rider on a perfect ride while the operator is almost hands free.
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