Wick drain installation rigs utilize either excavators or cranes as a base carrier, onto which a mast called a "stitcher" is mounted.  If the base carrier is an excavator, the bucket and stick is removed from the excavator and the stitcher is pinned to the excavator boom.  The excavator hydraulics are used to run hydraulic motors and gear drives at the base of the stitcher.  The stitchers have vertical pushing forces of up to 18 tons and can install wicks to depths of over 70 feet.

Vibratory stitchers are mounted to cranes and can be used to install wicks to depths in excess of 100 feet.

TerraSystems owns both static-push rigs and vibratory rigs. 

Hydraulic static stitcher

Vibratory Stitcher