Method of and apparatus for laying a pipe-line

A method of driving a trench and for installing a pipe-line which is composed of pipe sections arranged end-to-end, said method comprising:

• driving an open trench by operating piston-cylinder ram means attached to the axially spaced-apart, relatively shiftable, front and rear frames of an advanceable shield, said frames guiding and supporting a plurality of elongated members which drive the trench and which support the walls of the trench;
• lowering individual pipe sections into the trench in axial advance of the pipe-line;
• and urging each individual pipe section rearwardly into telescopic engagement with the pipe-line by operating the piston-cylinder ram means attached to the rear frame of the advanceable shield, said rear frame carrying thrust members which extend rearwardly from the rear frame and are movable between a storage position and a working position in lengthwise alignment with and abutment against the forward rim of the forward-most pipe section, said piston-cylinder ram means operating to shift the rear frame forwardly to advance the elongated members to drive the trench, and rearwardly to press the thrust members in their working position against the individual pipe section to urge it into telescopic engagement with the pipe-line.