Some of the most promising exploration targets sit in places a conventional drilling rig simply can't reach — dense forest, steep terrain, or sites with no road access at all. This week we're featuring the SCHP-800A, our hydraulic portable core drilling rig, and a set of field photos from a recent deployment in Cambodia that shows exactly the kind of site this rig was designed for.

Designed Around One Problem: Getting the Rig In

The SCHP-800A's defining feature isn't its power — it's how it gets to site in the first place. The entire rig breaks down into modules, with the heaviest single component weighing just 260 kg and most modules well under that. That means the rig can go in without heavy lifting equipment or a cleared access road, carried in by a small crew and reassembled on site. For jungle, mountain, and other remote exploration terrain — exactly the kind of ground shown in this week's photos — that portability is often the deciding factor in whether a target can be drilled at all.

Despite the compact, modular build, the SCHP-800A doesn't compromise on capability. It's a mast-style rig rather than a derrick-style design, which lets it drill at any angle from 30° to 90°, and its normally-closed self-weight clamp prevents drill rod runaway while supporting PQ-size drilling initiation.

Drilling Capacity

The SCHP-800A is rated across the standard wireline size range:

• BTW (59.56/42.1 mm): up to 1,000 m
• NTW (75.31/56.1 mm): up to 800 m
• HTW (95.57/71.1 mm): up to 400 m

Drill pipe length is 1.5 m, with a 3 m core barrel length. The power head delivers up to 700 Nm of maximum torque at speeds up to 1,800 rpm, with a 1.83 m cylinder-driven feeding stroke and 60 kN/30 kN lifting/feeding force from a single hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic winch runs at an average speed of 160 m/min with an 800 kg lifting capacity, spooling 6 mm wire rope with an 850 m capacity — enough for the full depth range the rig is rated for.

Power and Key Components

Power comes from three Kubota diesel engine units (V1505T, 31.5 kW each at 3,000 rpm), and the rig's core components are sourced from established international brands rather than built to a lowest-cost spec: Danfoss gear pumps, winch motors, and multi-path control valves (Denmark); a Pompex power head motor (Germany); Parker hydraulic control valves and Sun hydraulic plug valves (USA); and an Elephant mud pump (China). The hydraulic system as a whole is highly integrated, which keeps the rig leak-free in normal operation and the failure rate low — and keeps the control system simple enough that a crew doesn't need extensive retraining to run it.

Total rig weight is approximately 3,375 kg across all modules, with a machine body footprint of 4 m * 4 m and an optional tent enclosure of 4.3 m * 4.3 m for weather protection at site — visible in this week's field photos, where the rig is shown both under open canopy and set up beneath its protective cover.

In the Field: Cambodia

The photos accompanying this article are from an SCHP-800A currently in operation in Cambodia, on a site that reflects exactly the conditions this rig is built for — dense forest cover, uneven ground, and no realistic path for a conventional truck-mounted rig to get in. The crew has the rig fully assembled on its bed frame with the mast raised, mud pump and hydraulic winch modules positioned alongside, and the mud tank and settling system set up to manage returns — a complete working drill site built entirely from components a small team carried in by hand.

Why This Matters for Exploration Programs

A powerful rig that can't reach the target isn't useful, and a portable rig that can't actually deliver drilling performance isn't either. The SCHP-800A is built to solve both problems at once: full-size wireline drilling capability, in a package that a small crew can move, assemble, and operate without cranes, graded roads, or heavy transport. For programs working in jungle, mountain, or other remote terrain — where the ground itself is often the biggest obstacle to getting a hole started — that combination is what makes the difference between a target that stays untested and one that gets drilled.

If you're planning a program in difficult-access terrain and want to talk through whether the SCHP-800A fits your site conditions, our team is happy to walk through the specifications with you.