Boart Longyear Pty Ltd

Stephen Alfred Muller

Ivor N Paech

The invention provides a drill rod handling device ( ) which is adapted for attachment to a drill rig assembly ( ) which includes a standard rotation unit ( ) and a rod holder ( ) mounted on top of a feed frame ( ) and which are used to feed drill rods ( ) in and out of the ground. The handling device ( ) comprises a carriage assembly ( ) which is guided for sliding movement along slide members ( ), a head assembly ( ) which is designed to receive and support a drill rod ( ) and to feed the drill rod longitudinally for screwing and unscrewing of the thread joint while simultaneously gripping same, a swing arm ( ) pivotally attached to the carriage assembly and extending laterally therefrom, swivel attachment means rotatably mounting the head assembly ( ) to the outer end of the swing arm ( ) for tilt movement about a transverse axis, a swing arm actuator ( ) for effecting rotation of the swing arm ( ) and the head assembly ( ) about a generally longitudinally axis, and a tilt actuator ( ) for effecting tilt of the head assembly ( ), the arrangement being such that a drill rod ( ) when loaded onto the head assembly ( ) at a side low position, can be bodily moved to a loading position on top of the feed frame and axially aligned with the drill string.

Growing community of inventors

Clearview, Australia

Stephen Alfred Muller