They can effectively remove undisturbed cores of soil to a depth of 2 m or more. The top of the tube can be taken off. The tube is open on one side, which permits removal of the core. Power probes are especially useful in moist stone-free soil material, such as loess. They function poorly in dry soils and in soils having cemented layers.
Equipment is available that anchors the truck to the ground by means of a screw.
Anchoring allows undisturbed cores to be taken at a greater depth and over a larger range of soil conditions. Power equipment for extracting samples for examination or analysis is necessary in soil surveys that require systematic sampling of deep layers, as in many areas where landscapes have low predictive value. In dry areas, deep layers that have no influence on present vegetation can be very important to the success of irrigation farming. Power equipment has made surveys of such areas much more accurate and much less physically demanding on fieldworkers. Power augers and probes have limitations.