Patent ID: 8342263

Claim:
A vibratory drill head mounting system, comprising: a drill head carriage; a vibratory drill head; and an elastomeric isolator that connects the vibratory drill head to the drill head carriage and provides an interface that allows vertical displacement of the drill head relative to the carriage, isolates vibrations of the drill head from the drill head carriage, and accommodates misalignment between the drill head carriage and a drill rod string; wherein said drill head carriage comprises first and second vertically aligned parallel rods, and wherein said elastomeric isolator comprises first and second elastomeric isolator assemblies coupled with the first and second rods, respectively; wherein said isolator assemblies each comprises at least one journal bearing that allows vertical sliding movement of the isolator assembly along a respective one of said rods: and wherein said elastomeric isolator assemblies each comprises an inner structure connected to said journal bearing, an outer structure connected to said drill head, and an elastomeric member connected between said inner and outer structures.