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Your First Stop for Piledriving Technology News

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.

Hub Foundation is using their recently purchased APE Model 400 (King Kong) to drive caissons on the 3rd Ave. Bridge in New York. This is the only King Kong operating directly off the Liebherr crane- no power pack. Those big cans are 100 foot long in high blow count material!

The APE Model 150, first introduced in 1990, is still the most advanced vibatory pile driver/extractor on the market. Even 13 years after it first hit the market, the Model 150 is still the lightest, most powerful 2600 inch pound machine available. The 150 can out perform 4000 inch pound machines. The 150 features a suppressor housing that can adapt to low head situations and its modular design can reduce the overall weight to as little as 5500 lbs. The height can be reduced to less than 55 inches. The 150 can be mounted on an excavator or can run off a forklift. The suppressor housing is smooth enough to prevent damage to small squirt boom type cranes, a patented technology not available on any other vibro. Call your nearest APE branch for a free demo. We warranty that our Model 150 can out perform any other 2600 inch pound machine or we will pay $5,000 in cash.

APE has shipped the new APE Model 250 Variable Moment to New Jersey. The new heavy metal enhanced machine is the largest variable moment machine in the world, out flanking both the PVE and PTC machines. The technology includes a new type of phase shifter developed by APE engineers. APE has already launched its smaller Model 120V variable moment machine which has been working successfully for over a year with the Army Corps of Engineers.