“Playing in the Big Sandbox”: Gordian Ulrich on the BG 45 and RG 27S in North America

When asked which rigs he would choose if he were a contractor in North America, Gordian Ulrich does not hesitate.

“If I was going to play in the big sandbox, where not many others can compete, I would pick the BAUER BG 45 and the RTG RG 27S,” says Ulrich, ECA’s Vice President of Bauer Product Sales and Support. “Those two are the flagship rigs from both product lines. They represent state-of-the-art foundation machinery.”

The BG 45: Building on a Legend

To understand why the BG 45 is such a powerhouse, Ulrich says you have to look back.

“The predecessor to the 45 was the BG 40, and that machine was highly loved,” he explains. “When it came to production capability, there was nothing else like it.”

When BAUER unveiled the BG 45 at Bauma 2019, it was not a reinvention. It was a refinement. “It still had the V-style kinematic design, which is really the secret to its rock drilling performance,” Ulrich says. “That design transfers crowd force directly into the tool, which is exactly what you need for drilling hard rock with conventional tools. You push that bullet tooth into the rock and spin it with torque, and that is how you rip it apart instead of just grinding it down.”

In North America, the BG 45 has been called on for some of the biggest and most challenging jobs. “One customer runs 10-foot diameter single-column soil mixing every day with his 45s,” Ulrich says. “Another used it for 120-foot deep, 12-foot diameter soil mixing on the Hudson River. There was no other rig that could do it at the time.”

From CFA to CCFA, from large-diameter rock sockets to oscillator work, the BG 45’s versatility is a big part of its appeal. “It is a multi-purpose rig at heart,” Ulrich says. “But in tough ground conditions, that is where it really shines.”

The RG 27S: Power and Flexibility in One Package

If the BG 45 is about torque and crowd force, the RG 27S is about engine power and flexibility. “The RG is a pile driving machine at its core,” Ulrich explains. “It is designed to deliver a tremendous amount of hydraulic flow to vibratory hammers, but in North America we have also found it is perfect for high-demand single-pass drilling.”

With its H-style kinematics, the RG 27S offers greater outreach and maneuverability than the BG 45, and its CAT C18 engine keeps soil mixing tools spinning at optimal speed. “We have seen it used for CFA, large-diameter soil mixing, CCFA, and double-head drilling,” Ulrich says. “It is also capable of running our new multi-shaft mixing system on, and it is actually designed for it.”

Transport is another area where the RG 27S shines. “You can pull the mast in one lift and drop a huge amount of weight right there,” says Ulrich. “Depending on the state or province, that flexibility makes a big difference for our customers.”

Two Rigs, One Goal

For Ulrich, the BG 45 and RG 27S are not competitors. They are complements. “The 45 gives you brute force and depth in the hardest materials. The 27S gives you speed, flexibility, and stroke for single-pass work,” he says. “They are both designed to let our customers take on projects where other rigs just cannot compete.”

 “These are the machines that let you play in the big sandbox.”

Check out more information on the BAUER BG 45 BS 95

Check out more information on the RTG RG 27S

View our equipment for sale: ECA Equipment Listings