Inside a Complete Exploration Drill Rig Rebuild in Perth.
There comes a point when another patch-up is no longer the best use of time or money. A valued client's exploration rig had reached that point, so Drillspec Mechanical was asked to run a complete rebuild in Perth.
One of Drillspec's exploration leads stepped out of the field to manage the project. Over several months, the rig was stripped back to bare frame and rebuilt piece by piece. The finished Strike Drilling SDR20 was repainted, reassembled and returned with the workmanship visible in every stage of the job.
Starting with a full strip-down
A complete rebuild begins by exposing the true condition of the machine. The worn deck, bundled hydraulic hoses and ageing components were removed so the team could work from the structure up rather than building new work over old problems.
Taking the rig back to bare frame created a clear starting point. It allowed each system and component to be considered as part of the whole machine, which is essential when the goal is a reliable rebuild rather than another isolated repair.
Rebuilding the rig piece by piece
The project included the power pack, compressor, hydraulic systems, exhaust and pipework, along with the surrounding mechanical work needed to bring the rig back together. The rebuilt CAT power pack and fresh stainless exhaust work became part of a much larger reassembly process.
Clean workmanship mattered throughout. Hoses, fittings, guarding and service access all needed to make sense once the machine was back in operation. A rebuild has to work as a complete rig, not as a collection of individually finished components.
A result that can be inspected
The final finish is important because it makes the standard of the work easy to see. The SDR20 left the rebuild with its mast up, decks clean, systems reassembled and the machine ready for its next assignment.
The outcome also led to more rigs lining up for the same treatment. For a maintenance team, that repeat work is a practical measure of confidence in the result.
Planning beyond the next repair
A full drill rig rebuild is a significant project, but it can be the right decision when an asset still has a useful working life and repeated repairs are no longer solving the underlying condition of the machine.
Drillspec supports exploration, surface and underground drilling fleets with rebuilds, shutdowns, breakdown response and rostered maintenance labour across Western Australia. The Perth rebuild shows the depth of work available when a client needs more than a short-term fix.
Drillspec Mechanical delivers complete drill rig rebuilds in Perth and field support across the Goldfields and Pilbara.