Patent ID: 7823657

Claim:
A method of drilling, comprising: rotating a drilling assembly into earthen material to form a borehole, the drilling assembly comprising: a cutting head apparatus configured to cut into earthen material as the cutting head apparatus is rotated; a drive shaft extending aft of and configured to rotate the cutting head apparatus; and a plurality of reamer arm assemblies projecting radially outward of the drive shaft and mounted for rotation therewith aft of the cutting head apparatus, individual of the reamer arm assemblies comprising: a radial inner portion extending radially outward of the drive shaft; a radial outer portion connected with and extending radially outward of the radial inner portion, the radial outer portion comprising a cutter; and at least one breakaway retainer fastening the radial inner and outer portions together which restrains the radial outer portion from moving relative to the radial inner portion towards the cutting head apparatus and the drive shaft; applying a pulling force against the drilling assembly in a direction outwardly of the borehole, the cutter contacting a sidewall of the borehole at some point during application of said pulling force to impart an effective breakaway force to the at least one breakaway retainer causing the at least one breakaway retainer to break and enable the radial outer portion to move relative to the radial inner portion towards the cutting head apparatus and the drive shaft; replacing the broken breakaway retainer with an operable breakaway retainer; and after the replacing, rotating the drilling assembly into earthen material to at least one of extend the borehole or form another borehole.