Our Massenza Mi5 drilling rig in the spotlight in Germany: at the service of Deutsche Bahn
We are proud to share a new and important project featuring one of our drilling rigs: the MASSENZA Mi5, currently at work in Einhausen, in the Southern Hesse region (Germany).
Deutsche Bahn is planning the new Frankfurt–Mannheim high-speed railway line, which includes the construction of a tunnel in Einhausen, in the Bergstraße district.
The decision to build an underground tunnel was driven by the presence of a high groundwater table, which would make an open-cut tunnel more complex and expensive to construct.
The tunnel — crossing the Weschnitz River and extending toward Mannheim — aims to reduce acoustic and environmental impact along the route. Official construction is scheduled to begin in 2025/26, and the tunnel will be built using the traditional underground method to minimize changes to the surrounding landscape.
For the preliminary geological investigation phase, the company AS-GEO is operating on-site with several rigs, including our Mi5, used for drilling operations with a Düsterloh hammer down to 60 meters in depth.
These geognostic surveys represent a crucial step in the design and safety assessment of the entire project.
This drilling rig was first presented at Bauma 2025, where visitors had the chance to see the completed rig in person, together with our German dealer MASSENZA Bohrgeräte – GEOTOOL.
The Mi5 is equipped with a DEUTZ diesel engine delivering 134 HP at 2300 rpm, a pull-up force of 8.0 tons, and a push-down force of 3.1 tons — making it a compact yet highly powerful machine, capable of excellent performance even in challenging geological conditions.
The rig features a Massenza rotary head providing up to 11,140 Nm of torque and a maximum rotation speed of 750 rpm, ensuring precision, power, and reliability in every drilling context.
After the Bauma exhibition, the rig stopped at our German dealer’s headquarters for custom modifications — including supports for the Düsterloh hammer (specific to the German market) and SPT hammer, both installed for the first time on a Massenza rig.
The rig is now in operation on-site, contributing to the preservation of forested areas and reducing noise emissions and environmental impact for nearby communities.
Additional features of this special, fully customized Massenza Mi5 drilling rig:
Crawler undercarriage with tractive force of 6700 daN
Hydraulic control panel on arm, adjustable to the operator’s height
Mast capacity: 120 kN
Max pull-up: 80 kN (8.15 ton) – Max push-down: 31 kN (3.15 ton)
MASSENZA rotary head model TM8M1071:
Max torque 11,140 Nm – Max speed 750 rpmMassenza double clamp model MS360:
Clamping force 177 kN – Max opening Ø 370 mmTriplex “200” water/mud pump:
Max flow rate 200 l/min – Max pressure 45 barTriplex wash pump:
Max flow rate 16 l/min – Max pressure 170 barSupports for Düsterloh hammer (specific for the German market) and SPT hammer.
