December 17, 2021
After growing up in the welding and fabrication business, Leonard started American Well & Pump on a whim. In 2004, a family friend came through town driving a 1976 Ingersoll-Rand T3 water well drill rig. The two soon found themselves in a serious conversation about Leonard buying the rig.
“When my wife came home from work that day, I took her around the block to see the rig,” Leonard says. “She said, ‘Why are we looking at a drill rig right now?’ I said, ‘Because I’m thinking about starting a drilling company.’ We talked to the owner for about 45 minutes and figured we’d give it a shot. The first well I ever saw being drilled was after I’d bought a rig.”
Fast forward to the present day, and Leonard is an experienced driller serving residential, irrigation, and commercial customers in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The same can-do mentality that sparked a career change also defines his approach to drilling. American Well & Pump’s company slogan is “No Water is No Joke,” and Leonard drills six days a week, often solo, as long as weather permits. That ambition and work ethic led him to a Diamondback.
After drilling for a few years with his original T3, Leonard upgraded to a used 1999 T3 and a pre-owned 2008 T3W before looking for something different in 2019. The drill that caught his interest was the Diamondback, a flexible and technologically advanced rig introduced to the Epiroc water well lineup in 2018. The Diamondback was built on core features from trusted legacy products, including the TH60.
“A lot of the time, I’m drilling by myself, so I was looking at ease of operation as I weighed my new and used options,” Leonard says.
"I liked the Diamondback’s wireless remote for winch control and the ability to slide the rotary head out of the way completely when setting casing. And the electronic controls added to the ease of operation."
An ergonomically designed console is mounted off the right rear of the rig, and controls are grouped by function for easy access. Above the controllers, analog gauges are at eye level for easy viewing. Digital gauges are also displayed on the Powerview monitor screen, which provides critical information, including system pressures, speeds, and temperatures of hydraulic oil, engine oil, and engine coolant. In addition, the Powerview screen shows fuel level, engine load, and fuel rate, as well as low-level hydraulic warning and other diagnostic information.
The Diamondback was introduced in 2018 as an addition to the Epiroc water well lineup and serves customer needs while offering an extended option package to drive down the total cost of operation. Leonard says the advanced technology with onboard rig diagnostics is nothing to be wary of. “Not at all,” he emphasizes. “I’ve told other drillers, you’re drilling with the same power and same air, but you’re letting the computer do the work. After a week, you’re used to the controls. Drilling a hole is still drilling a hole.”
The Diamondback’s ease of operation is like nothing Leonard has experienced with previous drill rigs. He says he’s not just more productive with the new rig, but he’s also not as tired and can work by himself eight or nine hours per day and still feel good driving home at night. He says Epiroc’s sales and service support teams also make his job easier.
“When you drive away, you don’t want the people you’re buying from to say, ‘Good luck,’” Leonard says. “They’ve been right there with me. Another driller in my area bought a rig manufactured by somebody else; it broke on the way to the first job and didn’t run for two years, and they didn’t help him all. When it came time for me to look for a new rig, I knew Epiroc is all about supporting their customers, so I went with the Diamondback.”
