The LS250 is capable of drilling to depths of up to 78m when used with 4.75in (12cm) casing and the wide 600mm rubber tracks provide low ground pressure at 4psi (27.6kPa), making it “perfect” for jobs in the most sensitive and fragile terrains, according to Boart.

Its smaller footprint makes it appropriate for projects with small drill pads, environmentally sensitive areas or hard-to-reach sites and requires less support equipment – making it a low-cost solution for a variety of mining, environmental, geotechnical and infrastructure drilling projects, the company said. 

“Boart Longyear has had this sonic head in the field for 10 years, and its reliability is unmatched,” said Greg Guillot, senior product manager for capital equipment. 

“That means more uptime and drilling hours between head maintenance, which results in lower operating costs and higher productivity.”

Boart listed four distinct advantages to using the LS250 over conventional rigs. 

These are: 

• Providing a relatively undisturbed core sample of unparalleled quality and accuracy through any type of formation, with minimal deviation;
• When using the iso-flow groundwater profiling system, hydrogeological and geochemical data can be easily obtained;
• Drilling with the LS250 reduces waste by up to 80%; and
• Sonic drilling is faster than conventional overburden drilling methods and greatly reduces the risk of project failure due to unknown or difficult subsurface conditions.

Safety features include an interlocked rotation barrier, reduced noise levels, a dump mast and wiggle tail, and a rod presenter. The interlocked rotation barrier automatically slows head rotation when the barrier is open. The LS250 MiniSonic provides lower noise levels when equipped with the Tier 4i engine package, Boart said.

The LS250 MiniSonic’s articulated mast and wiggle tail enables the mast to shift from left to right and front to back to position the mast precisely over the hole, eliminating time-consuming rig movements. The dump mast allows the crew to work from the ground, enhancing safety by avoiding stairs and safety rails often required when working from a platform.

The rod presenter allows the rod and casing to be loaded horizontally, with an actuator that then presents the rod and casing vertically to the head. The head rotates 28° to the side for sample extraction, while the head slide shift allows for unobstructed winch use down the hole.