HMR Bobcat Rig
August 24, 2015Fleet, Mine Development, Whole of Mine
Innovative equipment modification gives HMR a unique market offering Responding to client feedback, our subsidiary company HMR Drilling Services has come up with an innovated solution to address the need for a small mobile rig for drilling grade control holes
HMR previously owned a small, commercially available LM30SS (skid steer) Boart Longyear rig mounted on a Cat 246C bobcat. The machine was diesel/ electric drive, underpowered and somewhat unreliable.
Putting their heads together, HMR’s workshop supervisor Steven Koushappi and fitter Colin Donaghy came up with the idea to build a small mobile rig using a bigger Cat 272D bobcat and hydraulics driven directly off the engine. They are working with a Kalgoorlie engineering company on the prototype which should be approaching the testing stage when this goes to print.
Boart’s current bobcat rig is rated to 240 metres LTK48 size. With the modified Cat 272D, HMR is targeting 300 metres NQ2 and possibly 400 metres LTK48 or BQ.
A powerful and highly manoeuvrable point of difference.
The rig will offer the market a relatively powerful but highly manoeuvrable self-mobile rig which can drill in virtually any location – the only requirement will be access to water. Its direct hydraulic drive should mean less downtime.
It is early days, but HMR anticipates this rig innovation will be of great interest to current and future clients, providing HMR with a point of difference.