Some exploration programs need more than a portable rig can deliver — deep targets, larger core sizes, and terrain that a crawler-mounted machine has to cross on its own tracks rather than being carried in. This week we're featuring the CR-18A, our full hydraulic surface core drilling rig, with field photos from recent programs on open grassland and hillside sites that show the rig doing exactly what it was built for.
The CR-18A is a crawler-mounted, full hydraulic surface core rig designed for serious depth capability across the standard wireline size range: up to 2,200 m in BQ, 1,800 m in NQ, 1,400 m in HQ, and 1,000 m in PQ. That range covers the large majority of mineral exploration and geotechnical core drilling programs without stepping up to a heavier-class rig.
Power comes from a Cummins QSB 6.7-C240-30 diesel engine — a 6.7-litre, 6-cylinder unit rated at 178 kW (240 HP) at 2,200 rpm, built to China Non-Road Stage III emissions standards. The drill head runs on a two-speed hydraulic motor with step-less speed control across three shifts, 0–1,250 rpm, delivering up to 6,400 N·m of maximum torque — enough to hold steady rotation deep into hard, abrasive ground rather than losing speed under load.
The CR-18A's mast reaches 9.5 m and drills at any angle from 45° off horizontal to 90° vertical, giving programs real flexibility on hole orientation without needing a different rig for angled work. The feed system delivers a 3,700 mm feeding stroke with 25 tons of feed pull and 9 tons of feed thrust, and rod pull is configurable at 3 m or 6 m depending on the drill string in use.
Hoisting is handled by two independent systems rather than one general-purpose winch. The 12-ton main hoist runs at 0–65 m/min on a single wire with 120 kN of hoisting force, spooled with 20 mm wire rope. A separate wireline hoist, built for retrieving the inner tube assembly without disturbing the rest of the string, delivers 15 kN of hoisting force on 6 mm wire rope with 2,000 m of capacity — enough for the rig's full rated depth range on the smaller wireline sizes.
Holding and control at the business end of the rig is built for both strength and safety. The hydraulic chuck opens to 600 mm and holds with 243,000 N of axial holding capacity. The hydraulic powered rod clamp handles the full range from BQ rod to HWT casing jaw sizes, and the PQ foot clamp — spring-close, hydraulically-open — is a failsafe design: if hydraulic pressure is lost, the clamp closes rather than releases, which matters when a crew is holding a heavy rod string mid-trip.
The mud pump delivers 250 L/min at 8.0 MPa discharge pressure, sized to keep pace with the bit sizes and hole depths the rig is rated for, and the foot clamp's 55.5–118 mm clamping range with a 165 mm through-hole covers the rod sizes used across the rig's full drilling range.
The CR-18A's specification sheet names its component suppliers rather than leaving them generic, which is worth pointing out because it tells you what's actually inside the machine: a Cummins diesel engine (USA); Danfoss hydraulic pumps, rotation motor, and PVG control valves (Denmark); a Sun cartridge valve functional valve manifold; and XCMG main hoist and wireline winch units. Rotation and rod holder components — the spring-applied, hydraulically-released disc-spring rotation lock and the gravity-clamp rod holder — are self-produced by SINOCOREDRILL, along with the telescopic inner and outer mast and the main frame.
Total rig weight is 12 tons, with transport dimensions of 6235 * 2230 * 2490 mm, and the rig moves under its own steel crawler tracks — no separate transport carrier needed to reposition on site.
The photos with this article are from CR-18A rigs currently at work on open grassland sites — flat, wind-exposed terrain where the rig's own crawler mobility and self-contained mud and fluid systems matter as much as raw drilling capacity. In each set of photos, the mast is raised and drilling, with rod racks staged alongside and the crew working through a normal drilling cycle — exactly the working conditions the rig's chuck, rod clamp, and hoisting systems are specified to handle.
The CR-18A ships under SINOCOREDRILL's tiered Three Guarantees warranty: 12 months on the whole-machine structure, coverage on the core drilling system and undercarriage/hydraulic system for 12 months or 3,000 m / 4,000 working hours (whichever comes first), and 6 months or 2,000 working hours on general components — with genuine spare parts guaranteed for 10 years after end of production. An after-sales engineer visits within 5 days of the rig reaching site for unpacking, assembly, and load trial drilling, along with operator training covering drilling practice, maintenance, and safety.
If you're evaluating rigs for a program that needs real depth capability and crawler mobility, our team is happy to walk through whether the CR-18A fits your site conditions.
Some exploration programs need more than a portable rig can deliver — deep targets, larger core sizes, and terrain that a crawler-mounted machine has to cross on its own tracks rather than being carried in. This week we're featuring the CR-18A, our full hydraulic surface core drilling rig, with field photos from recent programs on open grassland and hillside sites that show the rig doing exactly what it was built for.
The CR-18A is a crawler-mounted, full hydraulic surface core rig designed for serious depth capability across the standard wireline size range: up to 2,200 m in BQ, 1,800 m in NQ, 1,400 m in HQ, and 1,000 m in PQ. That range covers the large majority of mineral exploration and geotechnical core drilling programs without stepping up to a heavier-class rig.
Power comes from a Cummins QSB 6.7-C240-30 diesel engine — a 6.7-litre, 6-cylinder unit rated at 178 kW (240 HP) at 2,200 rpm, built to China Non-Road Stage III emissions standards. The drill head runs on a two-speed hydraulic motor with step-less speed control across three shifts, 0–1,250 rpm, delivering up to 6,400 N·m of maximum torque — enough to hold steady rotation deep into hard, abrasive ground rather than losing speed under load.
The CR-18A's mast reaches 9.5 m and drills at any angle from 45° off horizontal to 90° vertical, giving programs real flexibility on hole orientation without needing a different rig for angled work. The feed system delivers a 3,700 mm feeding stroke with 25 tons of feed pull and 9 tons of feed thrust, and rod pull is configurable at 3 m or 6 m depending on the drill string in use.
Hoisting is handled by two independent systems rather than one general-purpose winch. The 12-ton main hoist runs at 0–65 m/min on a single wire with 120 kN of hoisting force, spooled with 20 mm wire rope. A separate wireline hoist, built for retrieving the inner tube assembly without disturbing the rest of the string, delivers 15 kN of hoisting force on 6 mm wire rope with 2,000 m of capacity — enough for the rig's full rated depth range on the smaller wireline sizes.
Holding and control at the business end of the rig is built for both strength and safety. The hydraulic chuck opens to 600 mm and holds with 243,000 N of axial holding capacity. The hydraulic powered rod clamp handles the full range from BQ rod to HWT casing jaw sizes, and the PQ foot clamp — spring-close, hydraulically-open — is a failsafe design: if hydraulic pressure is lost, the clamp closes rather than releases, which matters when a crew is holding a heavy rod string mid-trip.
The mud pump delivers 250 L/min at 8.0 MPa discharge pressure, sized to keep pace with the bit sizes and hole depths the rig is rated for, and the foot clamp's 55.5–118 mm clamping range with a 165 mm through-hole covers the rod sizes used across the rig's full drilling range.
The CR-18A's specification sheet names its component suppliers rather than leaving them generic, which is worth pointing out because it tells you what's actually inside the machine: a Cummins diesel engine (USA); Danfoss hydraulic pumps, rotation motor, and PVG control valves (Denmark); a Sun cartridge valve functional valve manifold; and XCMG main hoist and wireline winch units. Rotation and rod holder components — the spring-applied, hydraulically-released disc-spring rotation lock and the gravity-clamp rod holder — are self-produced by SINOCOREDRILL, along with the telescopic inner and outer mast and the main frame.
Total rig weight is 12 tons, with transport dimensions of 6235 * 2230 * 2490 mm, and the rig moves under its own steel crawler tracks — no separate transport carrier needed to reposition on site.
The photos with this article are from CR-18A rigs currently at work on open grassland sites — flat, wind-exposed terrain where the rig's own crawler mobility and self-contained mud and fluid systems matter as much as raw drilling capacity. In each set of photos, the mast is raised and drilling, with rod racks staged alongside and the crew working through a normal drilling cycle — exactly the working conditions the rig's chuck, rod clamp, and hoisting systems are specified to handle.
The CR-18A ships under SINOCOREDRILL's tiered Three Guarantees warranty: 12 months on the whole-machine structure, coverage on the core drilling system and undercarriage/hydraulic system for 12 months or 3,000 m / 4,000 working hours (whichever comes first), and 6 months or 2,000 working hours on general components — with genuine spare parts guaranteed for 10 years after end of production. An after-sales engineer visits within 5 days of the rig reaching site for unpacking, assembly, and load trial drilling, along with operator training covering drilling practice, maintenance, and safety.
If you're evaluating rigs for a program that needs real depth capability and crawler mobility, our team is happy to walk through whether the CR-18A fits your site conditions.
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