Manufactured in 2017, Skelair's customers will be the very first to road test this machine.

According to Skelair, the rig is a small and versatile piece of kit, with a fixed crawler width of 1,300mm and mounted on a rubber track that is 230mm wide. There is a remote control for tramming and the steel frame supports four hydraulic stabilisers.

John Mayo, managing director at Skelair, said: "We've bought this drill for our customers' specialist geotechnical projects, specifically for rotary, rotary-percussive, coring and soil-sampling requirements."

Designed for projects with restricted headroom, the mast has an overall height of 3,700mm and a stroke of 2,400mm. The rotary head has a twin hydraulic motor, with a maximum torque of 300daNm and a maximum speed of 480rpm. The 49hp Yanmar diesel engine is more than enough power for the rig's 2,780kg weight, Skelair stated.

Mayo added: "Demand for our rental rigs continues to increase, so we not only try to ensure we have a wide range available for our customers, but that we are providing them with the latest models that we can. The new EMCI 4.50 will sit alongside the previous model, so clients will have a choice."