One thing that remains true is, during a trade show as vast and huge as CONExpo 2026 - held last week in Las Vegas- that you can judge a booth by the level of people milling around.

At the Ditch Witch Stand there was a constant stream of activity. This may be because the company was profiling its Orange Intel telematics platform as well as American Augers, HDD drills as well as other equipment.

It could also be because of the company's reputation in the industry. And the fact it makes the effort to listen to what the customer wants.

For example, the company's AT120 directional drill which was launched three years ago.

While part of the reason for the redesign was a view to infiltrate the European market, parts of the design also speak to the need in North America.

For example, the the cooling system design. The AT120 uses hydraulic-driven fan that directs airflow upward, completely separating the radiator system from the engine compartment. This allows the system to pull in ambient air consistently, which keeps the machine running cooler and reduces noise.

"During field work in South Texas in 100-degree heat, the hydraulic temperature stayed around 140–160°F, which is significantly cooler than many competing machines," Jeff Davis, product manager, HDD, told GDI.

The AT120 delivers up to 40% more downhole horsepower than its predecessor and 35% faster carriage speed than any drill in its class, empowering crews to work more effectively, increasing ROI.

It was introduced about three years ago at CONExpo, Davis said.

It was designed as a direct replacement for the JT100 and the DD110 from the American Augers lineup, now that both brands operate as part of the same company, he added.

Specifications 

The AT120 features 21,000 pounds of pullback, 20,000 pounds of thrust and 2,250 ft-lbs. of torque, allowing crews to complete installations at a faster pace in a variety of soil conditions.

The improved hydraulic efficiencies and a direct-drive rotation motor also deliver more downhole horsepower.

The updated design means that Ditch Witch can now look to the European market.

"The JT100 platform was roughly 20 years old, so it was due for a major update," Davis said.

"One of the main drivers behind the redesign was compliance with European Stage V emissions standards. The European market was a major priority for us, particularly because all-terrain drills with enclosed cabs are very popular there, especially for rock drilling conditions," he added.

"Before this machine was introduced, we had gone several years without shipping a 100,000-pound drill to Europe due to compliance issues. Bringing this redesigned unit to market was therefore a key step in re-entering that market," he added.

It has the largest dual-pipe system of this footprint available in the market today, Davis said.

The machine carries two rod boxes with nine rods each — 18 rods total — which gives around 360 feet of rod capacity on board.

Operator platform

A major improvement to the design is the operator platform. "Across our product range — from around 21,000 pounds all the way up to 120,000 pounds — the operator interface and cab platform are now standardised," Davis said. "This means operators can move between different drill sizes with minimal retraining. It improves efficiency, reduces downtime, and helps companies that operate multiple units."

As well as this it uses the Orange Intel telematics system which is built into all Ditch Witch machines. Owners can track the location of their drills anywhere on the map and monitor machine performance remotely.

Using the system operators can view pressures, system status, and error codes. If an operator overrides a warning or fault, that information is also recorded and can be sent to dealerships or fleet managers. This helps identify issues early and provides better diagnostics if something goes wrong.

"Years ago we would use excel, but this is far easier to read," Cory Maker, Ditch Witch product manager, said.

Orange Intel allows contractors to personalise their dashboards and alerts, track fuel usage and idle time, monitor productivity and automate preventative maintenance scheduling.

Integrated GPS tracking and geofencing enhance fleet security, while centralized access through MyDitchWitch streamlines collaboration between field crews and office teams.