Patent ID: 7306055

Claim:
A method for installing a mobile drilling rig at a drilling site comprising the steps of: a. transporting the mobile drilling rig to the drilling site, wherein the mobile drilling rig comprises: i. a mast; ii. a driller's side substructure comprising a first mast starting section; a driller's floor side box connected to the first mast starting section; a first driller's elevating leg; a second driller's elevating leg, wherein the first and second driller's elevating legs engage the driller's floor side box; a driller's subbase side box engaging the first and second driller's elevating legs; and a driller's raising cylinder engaging the driller's subbase side box; iii. an off-driller's side substructure comprising a second mast starting section; an off- driller's floor side box connected to the second mast starting section; a first off-driller's elevating leg; a second off-driller's elevating leg, wherein the first and second driller's elevating legs engage the off driller's floor side box; an off-driller's subbase side box engaging the first and second off-driller's elevating legs; and an off-driller's raising cylinder engaging the off-driller's subbase side box; b. placing the driller's side substructure and the off-driller's side substructure parallel to one another at the drilling site; c. connecting the mast to the first and second mast starting sections; d. extending the driller's and off-driller's raising cylinders into a mast raising position to raise the mast into a substantially vertical orientation and locking the mast in the substantially vertical orientation; e. retracting the raising cylinders from the mast raising position and re-extending the raising cylinders into a drill floor raising position; and f. extending the raising cylinders to raise the driller's floor side box and the off-driller's floor side box into an operating elevation.