41 OCTOBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Celebrating Five Generations of Water Well Drilling Professionals Adapted from Information by Geoprobe Systems® Theodore Hintzke started Hintzke Well Drilling in 1896, to serve the needs of people in the New London, Wisconsin area. He built a drilling rig himself powered by a Galloway hit-and-miss one-cylinder engine. More than 128 years later, the fourth generation of Hintzke family members - brothers John, Jason, and Jay Hintzke own the company. They strive to continue the founder’s legacy of providing quality water well drilling services. “My great-grandpa built our first well rig in 1902, because nothing else worked in our area,” Jason Hintzke explained. It was made of wood, iron, and rope; it ran until a few years ago. The company progressed to a five-horsepower hit-and-miss engine rope rig, and then in 1953, to a cable tool rig. While they’ve always done pump installation, they’re now drilling for many other contractors. “We’re drilling residential, farm, and commercial wells. We recently completed a project for a ranch supporting 5000 head of cattle,” Hintzke said. When the time came to replace the cable tool rig, the Hintzke family wanted a reliable, efficient water well rig capable of drilling in tight jobsites. It was during Groundwater Week when the DRILLMAX® DM250 by Geoprobe® caught their eye. They were very impressed with the rig on display at the show and were actually able to speak to the guy who had purchased the rig on display. “He told us how impressed he was,” Hintzke said. Donnie Wood, product line manager, invited the Hintzke’s to come to the factory in Kansas for a tour. They toured the production facility and interacted with engineers and service technicians. “There’s not a crumb of dirt on the floor. You could do surgery in the place. Everything is organized with parts barcoded. That’s why they keep the rigs the same color, so they can send parts the same day,” Hintzke said. “They showed us on the computer every conversation about a rig so service technicians know exactly what rig schematic, its serial number, and the history so [the technician] knows what he’s talking about when you call.” They were also able to do a hands-on test run of the DM250. “The trip sealed the deal, looking at the factory and putting hands on controls,” Hintzke said. “We were nervous about spending that kind of money if we weren’t sure . . . But drilling into hard shale there, it did wonderfully. The 8.75-inch bit went through clay and shale like butter.” For Hintzke, there’s no shortage of things to like about the DM250: / Fast, variable speed rotary head: “Most of the time we run at medium; we don’t even need high.” / Top head travel speed: “It’s crazy fast.” / Efficient rod carousel: “Most of our PVC wells are 160-feet, but we got the optional rod box in case we need to go deeper and our stabilizer fits in there.” / Comfortable 4-wheel drive chassis: “It’s our only rig with 4-wheel drive and with AC and radio. It’s comfortable driving and doesn’t require a CDL.” / Updated hydraulic table: “It’s so tight, it’s not slapping around and doesn’t rattle. We can break bit joints with the breakout wrench on-site versus at the shop. We could even set steel casing if we wanted to.” These features combined with user-friendly, quiet operation caused their cable tool drilling rig to be moth balled the past two years. “Once you get the hang of it, you don’t ever have to look up. The head slows down as it reaches the top. So if you’ve got a sore neck, this is the rig for you. It’s user-friendly, and you don’t have to jump up onto the stands. We wear ear plugs, but we wouldn’t need them it’s so quiet,” Hintzke said. “At first we were still drilling PVC wells with other rigs, but now we choose the DM250 because it’s so much easier. We’ve drilled 200 wells, and only had to tighten a few hoses and change the packing one time,” he said. The fuel efficiency means they can run all day and barely use any fuel. “We can drill two to three 120-foot wells with an hour of travel in between before having to fuel up,” Hintzke said. “We can’t even get our big rigs to the site for the cost of traveling plus drilling with the DM250.” On the occasions when they do have to opt for one of the big rigs, they have a smooth transition. “My nephew [a fifth generation drill operator] loves drilling with the DM250 and has no problem going back and forth between the DM250 and T3,” Hintzke said. “It’s just a fast machine that’s so much easier. We’re even drilling for the competition when they can’t get their big rigs on-site.” In addition to water well drilling, the DM250 can also be used on exploration, geothermal, and construction drilling projects. WTR Photo courtesy of Hintzke Well Drilling.
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