The auger boring (or jack and bore) method is probably the most common and recognizable type of trenchless boring. It consists of a non-steered technique used to install steel casing by means of a rotating cutting head attached to a string of helical wound augers inside of a steel casing. Spoils are removed from the casing by the rotation of the augers and are ejected into the bore pit from the boring machine. The ejected spoils are removed from the bore pit via a clam bucket attached to a crane and discarded in a pile outside of the bore pit. The thrust of the boring machine is achieved by hydraulics and ranges from 180,000 lbs to 1,000,000 lbs.

Pilot tube auger boring is a guided boring method which can install steel casings with an accuracy that conventional auger boring is simply not capable of achieving. This method is used in conjunction with a specially designed theodolite guidance system to provide accurate pipe installation. Installation is achieved through video monitor surveillance of an illuminated target inside the lead tube. Pilot tube steering is accomplished by aligning an angled steering head to the desired course and pushing forward. After the steering head has reached the receiving shaft, a reaming head is connected to the tubes, and the lead casing is attached to the reaming head. The auger machine is then connected and the tubes and casing are advanced. As the casing moves forward, the tubes are pushed into the receiving pit and removed. Pilot tubing is possible in displaceable soil with a blow count of less than 40 blows per foot on a 130 pound hammer.

This method is a twist on conventional auger boring. It is monitored using a variety of methods including two different grade checking techniques, one line checking technique, and is steerable with hydraulics. This ensures a finished product that will flow to the flattest of grade. This particular type of bore is usually effective at 24” diameter or larger.

Hand mining is a method of constructing a tunnel in unstable ground conditions. The tunnel must be large enough for man entry and is usually a minimum of 42 inches diameter The tunnel face is manually excavated with hand tools while the spoils are typically transported mechanically out of the tunnel and placed on the surface.

Pneumatic pipe ramming is a non-steerable method to install steel casing in either rocky or sandy conditions. A pneumatic hammer is placed on the end of the casing and a large air compressor is used to drive the casing into the ground. This method is called upon to install casing where boring into rocky soil may be too hard on equipment. It is also used to pound casing into the ground where flowing soils (such as sand) are present to prevent soil loss under a road, canal, or railroad tracks. Pipe ramming can be used in conjunction with the pilot tube in sandy soils to achieve a desired grade and to prevent soil loss.