6" Sabertooth | Conical Cutters | Tri-Con™ x EYE310

Short Answer: Replace as soon as you see any signs of wear or mushrooming. This can be as frequent as each shot, depending on jobsite conditions. 

Correct use: Before and after each bore, inspect the coiled pins, and mating components for wear or deformation. Keep all contact surfaces clean, apply light grease where applicable, and replace pins that show wear to maintain smooth rotation and fast tool changes. 

Technical details: Coiled pins are designed to protect the Tri-Con connection by absorbing wear during operation. They are purposefully a wear-item to protect the integrity of the Tri-Con Connection.

Incorrect use includes: Reusing damaged or worn pins or allowing debris to build up in the connection. Incorrect use can introduce greater risk of poor fit, difficult tool changes, or reduced connection performance.

Short Answer: Tri-Con coiled pins should be replaced after each bore.

Correct use: Coiled pins are intended to be disposable wear items that are changed between bores. Replacing them regularly helps ensure proper fit, full load capacity, and fast, secure tool changes.

Technical details: The pins absorb wear during drilling and pullback to protect the Tri-Con connection faces. Regular replacement helps maintain consistent connection performance and reduces the chance of damage to higher-value components.

Incorrect use includes: Reusing pins across multiple bores or continuing to run pins that show visible wear. Incorrect use can introduce greater risk of loose connections, difficult tool changes, or reduced load capacity.

Short Answer: Use the Tri-Con Sabertooth when you want a compact fluted reamer with aggressive cutting power in a Tri-Con setup.

Correct use: The Tri-Con Sabertooth is ideal for drillers who prefer a fluted reamer style but want the speed, simplicity, and reduced assembly length of the Tri-Con system. It performs well in tougher formations where cutting strength matters and space in the bore assembly is limited.

Technical details: The Sabertooth maintains a high tooth count and fluted cutting structure while connecting directly to a Tri-Con housing, eliminating threaded connections and minimizing overall tool length.

Incorrect use includes: Running the Sabertooth in flowing sands or highly unstable soils where pumping-style reamers are more effective. Incorrect use can introduce greater risk of inefficient cuttings removal or bore instability.

Short Answer: Use the Tri-Con Packer when you need to swab, pack, and condition the hole during pullback.

Correct use: The Tri-Con Packer is designed to follow a cutting reamer on pullback to pack loose material, smooth the bore, and prepare the hole for product installation. It is especially useful after reaming in unstable or mixed ground where the hole needs conditioning rather than additional cutting.

Technical details: The compact Tri-Con Packer uses heavy hardfacing on all high-wear areas and a non-cutting profile to pack material efficiently without enlarging the hole. It connects directly to Tri-Con housings for fast tool changes.

Incorrect use includes: Attempting to use the Packer as a primary cutting reamer. Incorrect use can introduce greater risk of ineffective bore enlargement or poor hole conditioning.

Short Answer: Use the Tri-Con Tornado when you need strong mixing and pumping action in unstable soils.

Correct use: The Tri-Con Tornado is best for sand, loose dirt, and other unstable formations where cuttings must be mixed and pumped downhole to maintain bore stability. It is the preferred Tri-Con option when the hole wants to slough or flow.

Technical details: This single-phase Tornado design combines aggressive cutting with pumping and mixing features, all packaged in a compact Tri-Con-compatible body for fast tool changes.

Incorrect use includes: Running the Tornado in solid rock or highly compacted ground. Incorrect use can introduce greater risk of reduced cutting efficiency or unnecessary wear.