CHAPTER 7
Drilling
S36 ROCKDRILL | PARTS & SERVICE MANUAL
January, 2021
20
7. Shift the feed lever forward to advance the
striking bar until the new length of steel is held
centered between the rockdrill and the centralizer
held coupling.
8. Push the rotation lever forward to begin rotation.
9. When the threads at both ends of the new length
of drill steel are fully engaged, start the water
flushing, engage the percussion, and engage the
feed.
10. Normal drilling will resume.
Rod Pulling
1. When the hole has been drilled to the required
length, disengage all levers to halt all functions.
2. To rid the hole and the drill steel from any
leftover flushing water, pull back on the
flushing lever to blow out the hole with air.
3. Move the feed lever forward until the drill string is
tight against the bottom of the hole.
4. With rotation off, engage the percussion and
move the feed lever back and forth several times
to loosen all of the drill string joints. Disengage
the percussion when complete.
5. Pull back on the feed lever to pull the rockdrill
and the drill string back. When the first coupling
is centered in the centralizer, move the feed lever
to neutral and clamp the coupling using the
centralizer.
6. Pull back on the rotation lever to rotate the
rockdrill clockwise and unthread the drill steel
from the coupling, while at the same time pulling
back slightly on the feed lever to prevent thread
binding during uncoupling.
7. Because the drill steel is threaded at both ends,
there is no way to predict which end will unthread
with the rockdrill (with experience, it will become
somewhat predictable). Consequently, usually at
least one end of the threaded joint will have to be
unthreaded by hand.
8. When the drill steel is loose, remove it and set it
aside. Pay attention to rod rotation in an effort to
maximize steel thread life.
9. Move the rotation lever forward to rotate the drill
counterclockwise and advance the feed until the
drill striking bar is engaged with the coupling held
in the centralizer.
10. Open the centralizer.
11. Pull back on the feed lever to pull the rockdrill
and the drill string back. When the next coupling
is centered in the centralizer, move the feed lever
to neutral and clamp the coupling using the
centralizer.
12. Repeat the above procedure until the entire drill
string is removed from the hole.
Always ensure that rockdrill
rotation has come to a complete stop before
attempting to add or remove a drill rod.
