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A pipe feeder is a conveyor-based machine that applies continuous axial force to push large-diameter steel pipelines through pre-bored ground — without stopping, without friction spikes, and without open excavation. Unlike cylinder-based pushers that work in strokes, the UNI-PF250 uses a 4-track conveyor to maintain uninterrupted pipe movement across river, road, and railroad crossings from 20 to 56 inches in diameter.

Installing steel pipeline from 20 to 56 inches requires specialized equipment that scales to the forces involved — often exceeding 1,000,000 lbs of push or pull force on long crossings. This guide covers the three key equipment categories: pipeline-class HDD rigs, pipe feeders, and mud systems. The UNI-PF250 pipe feeder contributes up to 400,000 lbs (200 short tons) of supplementary push force and supports HDD pullback, microtunneling, pipe jacking, and Direct Pipe® tunneling.

The UNI-PF250 is a 200-short-ton conveyor-based pipe feeder built by Universal HDD in Lake Zurich, Illinois. It supports steel pipelines from 20 to 56 inches, delivers 200 short tons continuous and 250 short tons peak force, requires no crane for installation, and ships in 3 modular units. It is used in HDD pullback, microtunneling, pipe jacking, and Direct Pipe® tunneling. Lead time is 16–18 weeks. Full specs available at unihdd.com.