It would take us years to describe everything we love about the Atlas Copco Predator. Let's start with the paint, which we think is P***Y Magnet yellow. Let's move onto the efficiency, which helps the Predator use less of the stuff it's sucking out of the ground. Rather than featuring a pair of diesel engines, the rig uses one 950 HP Diesel engine paired with a 475 HP hydraulic drive for both driving and drilling duties.
Unlike other mobile rigs, the Predator doesn't plant itself into the ground and hold on for dear life. The Predator comes with a substructure it drives onto and then props itself up on using the hydraulic drive motor. Other cool features include an automatic pipe skate which, under control of the operator, hydraulically connects pipes together. On most rigs a roughneck has to connect the heavy swinging pipe to the next piece. This is a dangerous job, to say the least. The Predator removes this need altogether.
With all this automation and speed it only takes a crew of three to setup and start drilling, compared to the typical team of five. The workers can setup and create "pilot holes" in a matter of days as opposed to weeks or months for other types of rig operations. If you need to drill a big hole fast and have around $3.5 million sitting in your pocket we totally recommend you pick one up.