Mackintosh Probe Prospecting Kit

SL015

Impact Test Equipment Ltd

www.impact-test.co.uk & www.impact-test.com

User Guide
User Guide
 Impact Test Equipment Ltd.
Building 21 Stevenston Ind. Est.
Stevenston
Ayrshire
KA20 3LR

T: 01294 602626
F: 01294 461168

E: sales@impact-test.co.uk

Test Equipment Web Site

www.impact-test.co.uk

Test Sieves & Accessories Web Site

www.impact-test.com
The kit consists of the following items all contained in a durable plastic carrying case.
Note: No longer supplied in the wooden case as shown above

• 10 x 1 metre long Boring Rods

• 2 x Driving Points
• 12 x Couplings
• Driving Head
• Core Tube
• Clearing Rod
• Clay Core Tube
• Core Tube Adaptor
• Auger Tool
• Lifting Tool
• Prospecting Hammer
• Hammer and Tommy Bar
• 2 x Wrenches

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The Mackintosh prospecting tool consists of rods
which can be threaded together with barrel
couplings, fitted with a driving point at their base,
and a light hand-operated driving hammer at their
top. This provides a very economical method of
determining the thickness of soft deposits such as
peat.

The driving point is streamlined in longitudinal

section with a maximum diameter of 27mm. The
drive hammer has a total weight of about 4kg. The
rods are 1m long and 12mm diameter.

The device is often used to provide a depth profile

by driving the point and rods into the ground with
equal blows of the full drop height available from the
hammer: the number of blows for each 150mm of
penetration is recorded.

When small pockets of stiff clay are to be

penetrated, an auger or a core tube can be
substituted for the driving point.

The rods can be rotated clockwise at ground level

by using a box spanner and tommy bar.

Tools can be pushed into or pulled out of the soil

using a lifting/driving tool.

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Boring
Two boring rods 2 and the selected driving point (for compact ground or soft) are
driven to the sampling depth. The wrenches are used to ensure that the rods are
securely coupled together. The hammer tool is screwed to the top rod to ensure a
positive and controlled action when boring. This attachment also allows periodic
“back-hammering” to ease or free the point.

To penetrate pockets of harder ground the auger tool may be used. Rotation is
achieved by using the tommy bar and the driving head which is screwed to the top
rod.

Withdrawal
Having reached the chosen depth (or encountered difficult ground) the rod assembly
is withdrawn to attach the required core-cutter, sampling tube or auger tool. This is
achieved with the lifting tool.

Core Cutting
With the core tube substituted for the point or auger the rod assembly is
progressively re-coupled and fed back down the bored hole. The core sample is
taken at the hole-bottom by rotating the rods clockwise and exerting a downward
pressure. When withdrawn the core tube is uncoupled and the core ejected with the
clearing rod.

Maintenance
For a longer life and trouble-free operation, all equipment should be wiped and lightly
greased or oiled before being stored in the case. Particular attention should be given
to threads and sliding surfaces to ensure they are free of grit and damage.

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