Patent ID: 7617888

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a pilot tube drive assembly having front and rear ends defining therebetween an axial direction, the drive assembly comprising a drive assembly frame and a pilot tube engaging member movably mounted on the drive assembly frame and adapted to drivingly engage an auger boring machine pilot tube to form in the ground a pilot hole for guiding an auger; a drive mechanism for driving the engaging member in the axial direction along a laterally extending axis; a taller mounting assembly which is removably mountable on the drive assembly frame and extends downwardly from the drive assembly frame when mounted thereon to set a first height of the engaging member and axis; a shorter mounting assembly which is mountable on and extends downwardly from the drive assembly frame to set a second height of the engaging member and axis when the taller mounting assembly is removed from the drive assembly frame; wherein the second height is lower than the first height; and an auger boring machine frame having an auger rotational drive mounted thereon adapted for rotatably driving the auger; and wherein the drive assembly frame is higher relative to the auger boring machine frame when the taller mounting assembly is mounted on the auger boring machine frame and the drive assembly frame than when the shorter mounting assembly is mounted on the auger boring machine frame and the drive assembly frame.