Underground LHD Loader | Scooptram Mining Machine

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:57:53 +0000

The workhorse of underground mucking

Once ore is drilled and blasted, it has to be moved, and underground the machine that does it is the LHD loader, also called a scooptram. LHD stands for load-haul-dump: a single low-profile articulated machine scoops the broken muck pile, trams it down the heading to an ore pass, truck or stockpile, and dumps it. Its defining feature is a low, wide stance that fits the cramped cross-sections of underground development and stoping where a conventional loader could never operate.

How it works

A heavy front bucket on lift arms digs into the muck pile; the operator crowds and curls to fill, then trams with the load to the discharge point. Center articulation gives a tight turning radius in narrow drives, and a low cab and engine deck keep the overall height down. Drives are diesel for flexible, self-contained operation or electric (tethered or battery) for low-emission, low-heat working in deeper or poorly ventilated mines.

Selection logic

The main decision is bucket size, which is governed by your heading dimensions and target mucking rate. As a rule of thumb, match bucket capacity to the haul truck or ore-pass throat and to the smallest drive the machine must work in, since an oversized unit cannot turn or pass. Xinhai configures bucket capacity, machine height and width, and diesel or electric drive to your underground layout and ventilation.

Load, haul and dump in one compact machine
Low-profile, articulated for tight headings
Diesel or electric drive options
Heavy-duty bucket and arms for hard, abrasive muck

Where it fits the mining cycle

The LHD picks up directly from the muck pile produced after development drilling and blasting, and is the link between the working face and the haulage system that delivers ore to surface. Its productivity, set by bucket size and tram distance, often governs the whole mine’s mucking rate, so matching the machine to the heading and the haulage it feeds has an outsized effect on output. From there ore reports to primary crushing and on to the processing plant. Upstream, the orebody that the LHD develops is first defined by a core drilling rig.

Browse the full underground mining equipment range. For help sizing bucket capacity and drive type to your headings, contact our team.

Diesel Core Drilling Rig | Underground Exploration

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:57:54 +0000

Why core drilling matters

Before any ore is mined or processed, it has to be found and measured, and core drilling is how that is done. A core drilling rig cuts an annular ring with a diamond bit and recovers an intact cylinder of rock, the core, which geologists log and assay to define grade, structure and continuity. The diesel core drilling rig is built for underground exploration, grade control and resource definition where a continuous, undisturbed sample is essential.

How it works

A diamond-impregnated core bit on the end of a rotating drill string cuts into the rock while drilling fluid flushes cuttings and cools the bit. The core passes up into a core barrel; a wireline or conventional barrel system retrieves it without pulling the whole string. Because the rig is diesel-powered and self-contained, it can work in headings and remote sites with no grid power, and tram between drill stations under its own hydraulics.

Selection logic

The key specifications are target depth, core diameter (common sizes such as BQ, NQ, HQ trade core volume against reach) and the rig footprint for your headings. As a rule of thumb, larger core diameters give better sample quality and recovery in broken ground but reduce maximum depth. Xinhai configures depth capacity, mast and feed system, and selects a compact frame for confined underground cuts or a larger surface rig as needed.

Continuous core recovery for accurate logging and assay
Diesel power – self-contained for underground and remote sites
Wireline or conventional core retrieval
Compact frame options for tight headings

Where it fits the mining cycle

Core drilling sits at the very front of the mine value chain, feeding the geological model that every later decision depends on, from plant flowsheet to mine plan. Once ore is defined and developed, material is moved by an underground LHD loader and trucked to surface for crushing and primary crushing. The drill data also guides the design of the downstream processing plant.

See the full underground mining equipment range. For help configuring depth, core size and rig footprint to your program, contact our team.

Underground Mining Equipment – Xinhai Mineral Processing EPC

Underground LHD Loader | Scooptram Mining Machine

The workhorse of underground mucking

How it works

Selection logic

Where it fits the mining cycle

Diesel Core Drilling Rig | Underground Exploration

Why core drilling matters

How it works

Selection logic

Where it fits the mining cycle