Mounted Drilling Equipment: Built to Work as a System
Mounted drilling equipment refers to drilling rigs that are built on a fixed platform — whether it's a truck chassis, a trailer, or a skid frame. This is the standard way drilling rigs are built today, because mounting everything on one platform makes the rig self-contained, mobile, and easy to operate. You don't have to haul separate pieces of equipment to the job site and assemble them every time. It all comes as one unit.
The Components of Mounted Drilling Equipment
A complete mounted drilling rig has several major systems that all work together:
The Power System. This is the engine or engines that power the whole rig. Most modern rigs use a diesel engine, because diesel is reliable, fuel-efficient, and has plenty of torque. The engine drives the hydraulic pumps, which power the rotary head, the drawworks, and all the other functions.
The Drill String and Mast. The mast is the tall tower that holds the drill string. It's usually a telescopic or lattice structure, so you can raise and lower it easily when moving the rig. The drill string is the series of pipes that go down into the hole, with the drill bit at the bottom.
The Rotary Head. This is the motor and gearbox that turns the drill string. It's mounted on a carriage that travels up and down the mast, so you can feed the drill string down into the hole as you drill deeper.
The Mud System. This includes the mud pump, the mud tank, and the solids control equipment (shale shakers, desanders, etc.). It circulates drilling fluid down the hole to cool the bit, carry cuttings to the surface, and keep the hole stable.
Why Mounted Design Matters
The main advantage of mounted equipment is that everything is integrated. When you arrive on site, you just level the rig, raise the mast, and you're ready to drill. You don't have to spend half a day assembling and testing separate pieces of equipment. That saves time, and time is money on a drilling job.
Mounted rigs are also safer. Everything is bolted to the platform, so there's less risk of things tipping over or falling. And because the whole rig is designed as a system, the controls are in one place, so the driller can operate everything from one spot.
FAQ
Q: What's the difference between truck-mounted, trailer-mounted, and skid-mounted equipment?
A: It's all the same basic drilling equipment, just on different platforms. Truck-mounted is built on a truck chassis, so it's self-propelled. Trailer-mounted is on a trailer, pulled by a separate truck. Skid-mounted is on a steel skid frame, for permanent or long-term installations.