APE Wick Machine Dominates New Jersey
Reported From: APE Northeast (NJ)
APE invented a new kind of wick drain machine that converts a standard excavator into a powerful wick drain installer. The new machine uses a vibro with a hole down the middle and a sprocket drive system that allows the wick mandrel to be statically loaded while also being dynamically loaded. The combination of the two forces, static and dynamic, plus the revolutionary axial loading rather than side loading found on all other wick machines, makes this invention unique. The vibro/static bottomdrive device is mounted at the bottom of the leaders or mast. This bottomdrive technology can be used to drive wicks up to 300 feet in depth at speeds of up to 300 feet per minute through difficult soil conditions. Cable rigs and chain drive rigs must yield to this new technology. This new device can install where other machines would require predrilling.
APE sold the first machine a few years ago to Nilex Corporation, a large wick drain installation contractor. The technology was so successful that it became a major concern for Geotechnics America and Mustang, two wick drain installation companies that once dominated the wick drain installation business.
In an effort to stop APE from selling the technology, Geotechics sued both APE and Nilex, citing what APE believed to be a unrelated patent. Nilex, fearing a costly lawsuit, agreed to stop using their new APE machine to stay out of the fight.
APE went on to sell the technology for use on a US Army Corps of Engineers project in Norfolk where the APE machines installed record deep wick drains in record time. APE and ICE fought to a stand still. The lawsuit ended when Geotechnics sold all their wick equipment to Nilex.
Geotechnics tried to copy the APE technology and rented their device to a contractor in Virigina. APE sued for copy infringment of APE’s technology. The case was settled with a large payment to APE that included a percentage of each foot of wick that was installed using the APE technology.
APE’s wick drain installer has far less moving parts than conventional machines, has a smaller foot print, and costs much less to maintain. The technology allows anyone with an excavator to become a wick installer. In addition, the APE machine has the ability to drive much deeper wick drains because the vibratory driver and sprocket drive remains at the bottom of the leads. For more information please review the online training CD on our website under Pile Driving School “online courses” or call 800 248-8498 and order your free CD today.
APE is now in the business of selling wick drain material. Call us today for a quote.
