Torque wrench engagement mechanism

A drilling machine comprising:

• a chassis;
• a set of ground engagers operably coupled to the chassis;
• a drill mast disposed on the chassis;
• a deck frame on the chassis and in association with the drill mast;
• and
• a torque wrench engager on the deck frame, the torque wrench engager including:
• a wrench assembly including:
• a wrench defining a central axis, the wrench including a receiving portion to receive a flattened portion of a pipe;
• a guide adjacent to the wrench and axially aligned relative to the central axis;
• at least one guide pin between the wrench and the guide;
• and
• at least one spring in association with the at least one guide pin and between the wrench and the guide such that the wrench is movable along the central axis relative to the guide from a first position to a second position;
• and
• an actuator operably coupled to the wrench, the actuator adapted to move between a retracted position, an intermediate position, and an extended position along the central axis,
• wherein at the extended position of the actuator, the at least one spring is adapted to move the wrench from the first position to the second position to engage with the flattened portion of the pipe, when the flattened portion of the pipe slidably aligns with the receiving portion of the wrench, and
• wherein a first amount of compression of the at least one spring in the first position of the wrench is greater than a second amount of compression of the at least one spring in the second position of the wrench.

A method for engaging a pipe using a torque wrench engager, the method comprising:

• aligning the pipe adjacent to a wrench of the torque wrench engager;
• actuating an actuator to an intermediate position from a retracted position along a central axis;
• moving, slidably, each of the wrench and a guide to a first position along the central axis;
• contacting opposite edges of the wrench with the pipe;
• actuating the actuator to an extended position from the intermediate position along the central axis;
• moving, slidably, the guide to a second position along at least one guide pin along the central axis;
• moving, slidably, the wrench relative to the guide to a second position along the central axis based on rotation of the pipe;
• and
• receiving a flattened portion of the pipe in a receiving portion of the wrench based on rotation of the pipe,
• wherein in the extended position of the actuator the wrench is movable along the central axis away from the actuator from the first position to the second position,
• wherein a first amount of compression of at least one spring in the first position of the wrench is greater than a second amount of compression of the at least one spring in the second position of the wrench, and
• wherein the at least one spring is in association with the at least one guide pin and between the wrench and the guide such that the wrench is movable along the central axis relative to the guide from the first position to the second position.