Used Drilling Rig Prices: How to Compare Equipment Quotes

What changes the price of a used drilling rig?

The model and year help identify a candidate, but they do not describe the complete purchase. Installed components, recorded condition, tooling, supporting machinery and the work included before delivery all affect what the buyer receives. Two offers with identical model names can therefore cover different packages. Ask each supplier to identify the stock unit and quote the same required scope. Avoid assigning a universal value to a machine from its year or displayed hours alone, because those fields do not establish the condition of its main assemblies.

• Put the stock ID, serial number and sale scope at the top of each comparison sheet.

Separate the base machine from the package

Create individual lines for the rig, compressor where required, drill steel, bits, hoses, handling equipment and spare parts. Mark the quantity and identity of each item included in the quoted total. If an accessory appears in a photograph, ask whether it transfers with the machine. A photograph of a complete working setup does not settle the sale scope. Keep optional items separate so you can see the cost of buying a functioning package rather than comparing a bare machine with an equipped one.

• Have the seller confirm every included item in writing, including accessories shown beside the rig.

How do repairs and inspection affect comparison?

Distinguish work already documented from work proposed before handover. For each proposed repair, identify the component, replacement or service scope, completion evidence and acceptance step. A fresh exterior is not a substitute for those records. Geoprobe's used-equipment page explicitly separates listing publication from a warranty of condition. That is a useful reminder to read the actual seller's terms. Do not assume that a dealer listing, a manufacturer logo or an inspection photograph supplies a warranty that is absent from the offer.

• Compare a documented repair scope and acceptance plan, rather than the word refurbished alone.

• Geoprobe — Used drill rigs and listing conditions

Use the same delivery point and trade term

A yard price and a delivered price cover different services. State the named collection or delivery point, transport scope, loading arrangements and agreed trade term on every offer. ICC's Incoterms guidance distinguishes rules by the mode and point of delivery. The parties should choose a suitable rule with their logistics advisers, rather than adding FOB to every shipment. Identify who provides the freight quotation and which charges it includes. Record validity dates, currency and the equipment description used by the freight provider.

• Ask for a named delivery point and an itemised transport scope before comparing totals.

• ICC — Incoterms 2020 checklist, 2024 update

Build a transparent comparison total

For your own worksheet, add the machine price, separately quoted preparation, selected accessories and separately quoted logistics. Include destination charges only when you have a specific quotation or confirmation from the responsible provider. Keep unresolved commercial items as questions in the private worksheet; do not turn them into invented public prices. Operating cost is a separate decision, covered in Plinton's cost-per-metre guide. A lower acquisition total can still require a different operating package, so use both worksheets without mixing their assumptions.

• Compare acquisition totals on one sheet and operating cost on another.

Apply the worksheet to an actual Plinton unit

For example, Sandvik DX700 CR-006 and Atlas Copco D50 CR-012 are separate stock records, not interchangeable price benchmarks. Start from the listing you want, provide the destination and describe the intended work. Ask for a dated quotation with the unit identity, included equipment, preparation scope and delivery terms. Model pages help locate candidates; the quotation establishes the commercial package being discussed. This article publishes no market price range and does not prove the condition or availability of a listed unit.

• Send the selected stock ID and destination when requesting an equipment quotation.

• Sandvik DX700 · CR-006
• Atlas Copco D50 · CR-012