Universal HDD products are designed and built in The U.S.A.
Click on the Universal logo above to view the Universal factory web site.

History of the Universal Brand

In 2000, Contractors Manufacturing Services and The Robbins Company merged, and the CMS name changed to Robbins HDD. CMS had been known for producing some of the toughest, largest HDD rigs in the industry, with push/pull capacities up to 550,000 pounds. Robbins HDD Vice President at that time, Steve Smading, in a Dec 1, 2001 Underground Construction Magazine article, said,

"Our directional drilling customers will certainly see a new level of performance from Robbins HDD that ranges from machine design and equipment documentation, through training and service support. We intend to provide the best quality machines and support our customers throughout the life of our equipment. It's a Robbins tradition."

Robbins fulfilled Smading's vision over the next several years as the company continued to provide tough, reliable, powerful HDD equipment and tools to the industry while improving the manufacturing processes and broadening the standard model base.

In 2006, Robbins’ largest international dealer formed Robbins HDD, LLC, acquired the product line, moved production to a new facility in Lake Zurich, IL, and is rebranding the product line as Universal HDD.

In addition to changing the name of the company, Robbins HDD released a video chronicling the crossing of the Yellow River in China and the Peace River in Canada, both under extreme conditions, with their model 55030TLMSC drilling system. Copyright prevents delivering that video in this venue, but articles and selected excerpts discussing the river crossings can be viewed here.

Universal has continued improving equipment ergonomics, broadened the standard model base, and added significant improvements to the drill's design, but maintains the tradition of keeping the machines simple, strong, and reliable. There is a strong commitment to making customers successful by providing them with equipment they can rely on. But even beyond that, Universal equipment is designed with serviceability in mind by:

Using off-the-shelf industrial components without hiding the manufacturer or their part number
Eliminating fragile, finicky computer systems that fail more often than the equipment and leave you at the mercy of a factory or dealership mechanic
Relying on John Deere as a service partner for engines and hydraulic drives
Making hydraulic service manifolds standard equipment on drills, so that any good industrial equipment mechanic with a pressure gauge can troubleshoot a drill malfunction from a single location in minutes

SUCCESS STORIES

	On March 12, 2002 a Robbins HDD model 55030TLMSC trailer mounted directional drill made history when it completed the first ever crossing under China’s famous Yangtze River. Read more and see video...
	A phenomenal project completed in Canada by Robbins HDD machines became one of the longest HDD river crossings ever made in the world. Read more and see video...