Hydraulically operable horizontal drilling apparatus

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR DRILLING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BORES UNDER ROAD BEDS AND THE LIKE AND POSITIONABLE AT DESIRED ELEVATION FOR DRILLING, AS IN A DITCH ADJACENT A ROAD BED, SAID MACHINE INCLUDING AND A HOUSING A TRACK EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FORWARD FROM SAID HOUSING A TRACK EXTENDING ALSO COMPRISING A CARRIAGE MOUNTED TO MOVE ALONG SAID TRACK, A CYLINDER CONNECTED TO SAID MACHINE, A RAM HEAD PISTON WITHIN SAID CYLINDER WITH ROD EXTENDING FROM SAID PISTON AND FROM SAID CYLINDER AND CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIAGE, A HOLLOW SPINDLE WITH OPPOSED ENDS JOURNALLY CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIAGE AND EXTENDING THEREFROM AND ADAPTED TO ESTABLISH FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH A DRILL STEM CONNECTED TO THE FORWARD END OF SAID SPINDLE, A SWIVEL MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND RECEIVING SAID SPINDLE ROTATABLY THERETHROUGH, SAID SWIVEL AND SAID SPINDLE BEING CORRELATIVELY ADAPTED FOR FLUID DELIVERY TO SAID DRILL STEM WHILE SAID CARRIAGE CARRIES ALONG THEREWITH SAID SWIVEL MOUNTED THEREON AND SAID SPINDLE JOURNALLY CONNECTED THERETO, A KELLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING WITH ITS FORWARD END CONNECTED TO THE REAR END OF SAID SPINDLE, A SPEED CONTROLLED HYDRAULIC MOTOR ADAPTED TO RECEIVE DRIVE FLUID TO ROTATE SAID MOTOR IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS RESPONSIVE TO CHANGE OF DRIVE FLUID FLOW DIRECTION THERETHROUGH, A TRANSMISSION DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID KELLY FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT SLIDABLY THERETHROUGH AND TO ROTATE SAID KELLY, AND CONTROL MEANS ACCESSIBLE FOR OPERATION BY AN OPERATOR CENTRALLY POSITIONED ON SAID MACHINE AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SUPPLYING RAM OPERATING FLUID AT CONTROLLED RATES TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CYLINDER, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SUPPLYING MOTOR OPERATING FLUID AT CONTROLLED RATES AND TO FLOW IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THROUGH SAID MOTOR, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING DRILLING FLUID TO SAID SWIVEL FOR DELIVERY THEREFROM INTO SAID SPINDLE AND DRILL STEM, SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR SUPPLYING RAM AND MOTOR OPERATING FLUID INCLUDING A RESERVOIR POSITIONED AT A DIFFERENT ELEVATION SEPARATE FROM SAID HOUSING, AND SAID MOTOR OPERATING FLUID SUPPLYING MEANS AND SAID RAM OPERATING FLUID SUPPLYING MEANS EACH INCLUDING AN ENGINE DRIVEN PUMP FOR TAKING FLUID FROM AND RETURNING IT TO SAID RESERVOIR.