Frequently Asked Questions

The drill longevity depends on the care the operator has for the drill. We have many of our original drill units that have been out in the field for over eight years being sent-in to our office for their annual calibration.

This highly depends on the carefulness of the operator when inspecting where to conduct drillings. You want to avoid any nails or metal plates in any wood product as much as possible to preserve the bit. A second factor to consider is the density of the wood. The bit will wear faster when it is drilled in a harder wood product than it will when it’s used to inspect a softer wood.

In frozen conditions the amplitude will be higher in your measurements because the pole/tree will be frozen. You will need to use more of your expertise to interpret the graph to pick up on variations during this time.

The standard inspection drills are water resistant, not waterproof. You will want to treat the drill as you would your smart phone or other electronic device.

Since the drills are electronic measuring devices we recommend an annual calibration to confirm that you are receiving accurate inspection readings. The calibration machine checks to see if the motor is still rotating at the correct revolutions per minute and the force to move the needle forward is within specifications. This ensures you’re gathering accurate and proper results.

Yes, new drills have a one-year-warranty and refurbished drills get a six-month warranty.

The batteries last approximately 200 drillings per battery based on the Bosch batteries that come with the new inspection drills.

The drills come with two batteries and each take about 30 minutes to charge.

Being located in central New Hampshire, our service team can get a drill in and out of our office within two-days-time as long as there are no pending questions for the customer. If you need your drill returned at a quick rate please note this on your service request form.

The drills are approximately 10-15 pounds depending on the size of the drill. We always recommend anyone purchasing a drill to opt-in for the handle and stability strap. When you are conducting inspections on an all-day basis it’s safer and more secure to have the drill strapped to you to reduce any damages that may incur.

With WoodInspector you can inspect a pole and get instant results in under five minutes. The program calculates the results of the inspection based off of predetermined values and automatically gives the remaining strength or a pass, marginal or fail result. To view more details visit the WoodInspector page.

WoodInspector, the utility pole inspection software that gives automatic results for pole inspections can be uploaded to three different computers per license.

Yes, we send our training manager to your location and we ask that the customer cover the travel costs for an on-site training. We also provide complimentary on-site training at our location in central New Hampshire.

Our wood inspection drills are commonly used as a reinforcement for the VTA for tree inspections. The resistance drill is a favorite for arborists and tree specialists because it provides data on the internal state of the wood. A tree specialist is able to show data confirming their decision to save or remove a tree using the data collected from the resistance drills by drilling into any area of the tree including the trunk, branches or roots.

Many customers use the drill for pole inspections by conducting three drillings on the pole. First to determine the diameter for the WoodInspector software, second drilling into the base of the pole at an angle of about 30 degrees and then another drilling perpendicular to this at the base of the pole. This way the inspections are calculating the data at the ground level where there is a higher chance of decay. The WoodInspector software provides instant results of the drillings by determining if the pole is a pass, marginal or fail.

Yes, you can take the information from PD Tools or WoodInspector and utilize it in your GIS or other related software.

The best way to get more information about the inspection drills is to call or email our office letting us know what type of company you are and what you are looking to achieve with the drill. Our representatives have the knowledge and experience to get answers to your questions and to help you determine which drill type and size would fit your needs best. Fill out the form on our contact us page to get started.